Your GREAT Neighbourhood Charter Droylsden East
Your GREAT Neighbourhood Charter
At New Charter we would like all our neighbourhoods to be great places to live. We would like them to look great, have great services, feel safe and be a place for both work and recreation.
for 3 years and will be reviewed annually with residents to assess our progress.
It identifies the main issues that affect your neighbourhood and what needs to be done both by us and our partner organisations to To create great communities we address them. We want to focus all would like everyone to work our efforts on making sure you have together to decide how their local neighbourhood should develop and a great place to live so we will be working just as hard with a range of grow in the future and to improve other organisations on some of the on the services they don’t like and wider issues such as employment maintain those that they do. and crime. To make sure this happens we Remember, you are the experts in have produced a neighbourhood what it’s like to live in your plan for each of New Charter’s 32 newly defined neighbourhoods and neighbourhood and you will be our most important partner of all. this one is yours. The plan will run 02
You are the experts in what it’s like to live in your neighbourhood and you will be our most important partner of all.
GREAT place to live... The Neighbourhood of Droylsden East is mainly a suburban neighbourhood but has a focused town shopping centre and consists of a mixture of flats, maisonettes and family houses. Droylsden benefits from good transport links with a regular bus service providing several routes into Ashton and Manchester.As Droylsden borders Manchester city centre and Ashton it is a popular area to live; the new Metrolink currently under construction and expected to be completed in 2014 will further improve these links, making the area even more desirable. The shopping centre comprises of many shops and amenities which include a recently opened large supermarket in close proximity to the town centre and a well situated doctor’s surgery.
There are a number of schools in Droylsden; popular primary schools include Fairfield Primary School, Moorside Primary School and St Marys Church of England School situated close to St Marys church.A new high school, Droylsden Academy has recently opened and a very popular girls only high school, Fairfield High School for Girls is located near to the neighbourhood. In addition there is also a Sure Start Centre located next to the Fairfield Primary School providing access to a range of services for residents. The neighbourhood as a whole has good access to green areas, especially around the canal area of the neighbourhood.There are two established local youth clubs run by local volunteers, namely Prime and Fairfield JuniorYouth Club. In addition, there is also the Water Adventure Centre; a youth club which makes use of the canal facilities in offering water activities and canoeing.
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Down your street Here is a map and a list of streets included in your neighbourhood to give you an idea of exactly where your plan covers.
Droylsden West
Droylsden East
Does your neighbourhood have star quality? We have identified a range of indicators that tell us overall how great your neighbourhood is. These indicators are designed to tell us how much support we need to give a neighbourhood and what specific areas seem to be causing the most problems so that we can target services and resources to improve them. 04
We are using a simple rating of 5, 4 or 3 stars; 5 stars being the best rating, so you can see easily how individual sections within your neighbourhood are performing. Each individual indicator we have used has its own star rating which when combined together produce an overall star rating for your neighbourhood.
The indicators range from the time taken to relet houses to employment and education. You can see them all below with an explanation of what the ratings mean for your neighbourhood.
Annald Square
Droylsden Road
Lune Walk
Sellars Square
Ashton Hill Lane
Dunkirk Street
Manchester Road
Tabley Gardens
Ashton Road
Fairbottom Walk
Maple Avenue
Tatton Mere Drive
Audenshaw Hall Grove
Fairfield Road
Moravian Field
Thornhill Road
Baguley Street
Fulneck Square
Myrtle Grove
Trent Walk
Beatrice Wignall Street
Hawthorn Road
Outram Square
Warne Avenue
Budworth Gardens
Holyoake Street
Pailin Drive
Watergate
Castle Close
Hus Street
Pickmere Close
Wood Square
Cedar Drive
Kings Walk
Redesmere Close
Church Street
Latrobe Street
Ribble Walk
Clarendon Road
Lumb Lane
Sandy Lane
% of current rent arrears
Average number of repairs
The neighbourhood has some areas where rent arrears are a problem which means some households may be experiencing money management issues and could be at risk of losing their homes. It also indicates some households may need additional support.
The average number of repairs per property is quite high and indicates that properties do have some issues in terms of maintenance costs and the need to regularly replace components. Property damage is also an issue in some homes.
Average time to relet a property The time it takes to relet a property is generally good across the neighbourhood indicating that properties are generally popular and people who are eligible can move into their new home relatively quickly.
Tenancy turnover This shows that on average people who move into the neighbourhood tend to stay in their homes for a reasonable length of time although the length of stay varies across the whole of the neighbourhood. It also indicates that people are not as happy living in some parts of the neighbourhood as they could be with some choosing not to stay in the long term.
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% of live antisocial behaviour cases The neighbourhood experiences some antisocial behaviour or neighbour nuisance cases.This indicates that whilst the majority of New Charter residents treat each other with respect there are some incidents that do occur that have a negative impact on people’s ability to relax and feel secure in their homes. Neighbourhood satisfaction People’s general satisfaction with the neighbourhood as a place to live is good but there are some factors that spoil their experience and affect their enjoyment of the area. Crime People in the neighbourhood experience significant levels of crime and vandalism in relation to other neighbourhoods in Tameside.Whilst levels of crime could not be described as high people do not feel as safe and secure as they should living in and walking around some parts of the neighbourhood. Health The neighbourhood has some issues with peoples health and disability levels compared with similar neighbourhoods in Tameside.This could indicate that more people than usual may have mobility problems of one sort or another, need some long term medical support in their homes and perhaps feel quite isolated.
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Employment The neighbourhood has relatively good employment levels compared with similar neighbourhoods in Tameside. Education and skills The neighbourhood has relatively good levels of educational attainment and skills. This also indicates that people can access the training they may need to help them gain employment or develop their existing career prospects. Household income The neighbourhood has relatively good family income levels compared with similar neighbourhoods in Tameside. Access to services People in the neighbourhood have access to some shops and services from near to their homes.This indicates that it can be difficult to shop for more than essentials or access a good range of advice or support in or close to the neighbourhood itself.
Neighbourhood overall star rating Overall the neighbourhood is a popular place to live offering people a good quality of life and access to good services and facilities.The main aim for this neighbourhood is identifying the right activities, services and initiatives that will help it remain like this and deal with any issues that do arise quickly.
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Local knowledge: Auditing your neighbourhood Whilst the indicators show us useful trends and point us in the right direction we need more local knowledge to identify some of the specific issues we need to address. To gather this information we have conducted a neighbourhood audit asking the people who live and work here to identify what they think the issues were.
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What our Neighbourhood team told us The neighbourhood as a whole is a good place to live and does not have many general neighbourhood management issues however it does have some hotspot areas. Antisocial behaviour is not a major problem generally but there are issues in some areas in terms of youths congregating and consequent nuisance behaviour. Other issues are in terms of complaints from some blocks of flats, mainly a result of communal living and inconsiderate behaviour relating to tenancy conduct; with issues around the management of pets, excessive noise and littering. This can affect the quality of some communal areas. Demand for properties is good with the majority of homes being easy to let. Some areas of the neighbourhood can take longer to let due to the condition of communal areas, however they are still let within a reasonable period of time. Poor fencing is a problem in the Fairfield area in terms of its design, it’s effect on access, boundaries and appearance. Parking is a particular problem in some parts of the neighbourhood due to limited space and ongoing infrastructural works.There are also specific problems in one area with ease of access to enclosed car parks.
Poor refuse collection and recycling services are a problem for the majority of the blocks of flats. While crime levels are low generally, one small part of the neighbourhood seems to be a hotspot for burglary and would benefit from additional security. The Neighbourhood team does not work with any residents group in the area and there is therefore the need to gain input from residents.
The Fairfield area of the neighbourhood has access to some good youth support facilities.
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What you told us On average the people we spoke to rate the neighbourhood 8 out of 10 as a place to live so despite there being some issues people were still really positive about the area and their quality of life. On a positive note some of the best features people identified about living in the neighbourhood were: good access to local shops and amenities, great neighbours, appearance and the general peace and quiet of the area. The issues that people identified about living in the neighbourhood were; youths congregating in some areas, stray dogs and dog fouling, parking, traffic congestion and litter. People raised specific issues with us about:The need for more youth and children’s play facilities A lack of mums and toddlers provisions A lack of dog wardens Problems near the town centre with alcohol related incidents from nearby public houses Poor parking provision for residents Poor recycling service A lack of visible policing More broadly people saw the lack of access to computers, adult education, employment and benefits advice and drop in services as issues which had direct impact on the neighbourhood.
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On a positive note some of the best features people identified about living in the neighbourhood were: good access to local shops and amenities, great neighbours, appearance and the general peace and quiet of the area. 11
What other organisations told us There are significant health issues in the neighbourhood compared with the rest of Tameside particularly in terms of higher mortality and disability rates due to poor access to health services and non healthy lifestyles.There are also some issues with mental health and rates of teenage pregnancy in some parts of the neighbourhood are relatively high. Crime is seen as an issue in some parts of the neighbourhood in terms of antisocial behaviour; design and layout of some parts of the neighbourhood make them more vulnerable. Generally access to employment and training is not seen as an issue for the majority of people and household incomes are at relatively good levels compared to other similar areas in Tameside as a whole.There was a perception that some people may have problems accessing credit. Agencies thought there could be problems for residents in terms of loss of income as a result of the Government’s welfare reform.There were some concerns about a possible increase in loan sharking activity linked to this.
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A variety of agencies thought that young people in the neighbourhood needed more support in terms of accessing support services and supported activities. It was also felt that more work in these areas may impact on youth specific antisocial behaviour. There was also seen to be different levels of access to advice services across the neighbourhood particularly in relation to employment and training.
What we saw together: Generally the neighbourhood has a good appearance with nice grassed areas and well maintained shared areas Poor fencing in the Fairfield area
Fly tipping in some areas Some litter hotspots in particular areas of the neighbourhood
Boarded over old store areas around Kings Walk area as well as some generally boarded properties, the shared areas are also in poor condition here
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What do we need to do to make this a greater place? The aim of this section is to identify the activities needed to improve the quality of life in the neighbourhood based on what we have established and what you have told us. It’s effectively an action plan which shows what needs to be done in more detail.
Neighbourhood and community management
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What?
Why?
When?
Increase physical officer surveillance in and around the flats relating to youth nuisance, neighbour disputes and inconsiderate behaviour supported by enhanced CCTV surveillance in antisocial behaviour (ASB) hotspots.This includes the use of targeted exclusion orders.
To reduce the incidence of ASB in the neighbourhood and reduce property turnover in affected areas.
October 2013
Work in partnership with the Police and the Community Safety team on target hardening, surveillance of youth related nuisance and congregation in communal areas and develop a more general policing plan to include burglary, criminal damage and nuisance associated with people passing through the neighbourhood to and from the town centre.
To reduce levels of vandalism and increase feelings of security for customers who feel vulnerable to crime. Developing a long term crime prevention strategy will ensure a consistent policing approach.
November 2013
Develop a neighbourhood wide Home Watch group with support from New Charter.
To increase the level of surveillance in the neighbourhood and therefore increase the feeling of security and empowerment against crime.
June 2013
What?
Why?
When?
Review current facilities and activities for both young and older residents with Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council (TMBC) in addition to the provision of general community facilities, activities and services.
Identification of a broader range of facilities for both groups is needed to improve their quality of their life and that of the community more generally and make sure people can access advice and drop in services.
November 2014
Work in partnership with TMBCYouth Services and New Charter’sYouth team to develop diversionary activities with young people.
To reduce the level of antisocial behaviour from youths by providing positive activities and links to other services.
August 2014
Work with TMBC to review the refuse collection service in the neighbourhood generally and with particular emphasis on recycling facilities and the provision of extra communal bins in hotspot areas.
To reduce incidents of fly tipping and littering in the neighbourhood and improve the neighbourhood appearance and quality of life for residents.
April 2014
CleanCare to increase targeting of fly tipping and littering in identified areas.The team will also target and intensively clean identified internal communal areas in harder to let flats.
To improve the appearance of specific areas experiencing problems with litter and the appeal and turnover for some flats.
April 2013
Undertake a joint review of childcare and early years provision with TMBC teams.
To improve the quality of children’s support services in the neighbourhood and increase households ability to work full or part-time.
July 2014
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What?
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Why?
When?
Work with partners to increase signposting of people to health advice and services. In addition work with Health Services to look at provision for older people and young families in particular, to provide better access to mental health support services and improve education links in schools in respect of teenage pregnancy.
To improve the health of residents in the neighbourhood, the support they receive and the quality of life and independent living for older residents.
September 2013
Establish a strategy to consistently signpost and refer customers and their families to income advice services.
To increase residents ability to maximise their income.
April 2013
Increase the activities of TMBC environmental patrollers targeting dog fouling.
To reduce the level of dog fouling in the neighbourhood.
June 2013
Work with a number of organisations and stakeholders on the initiatives identified in their plans that will help the neighbourhood.
To improve services and maximise the input into the neighbourhood from other service providers.
September 2013
Working with TMBC look at the introduction of parking restrictions for non-residents and general parking provision.
To reduce traffic congestion and traffic bottle necks in neighbourhood.
July 2014
To reduce levels of vandalism and increase feelings of security for customers who feel vulnerable to crime. Developing a long term crime prevention strategy will ensure a consistent policing approach.
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Tenancy What?
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Why?
When?
Apply the community contribution criteria from New Charter’s Allocations Policy to ensure a sensitive lettings approach and to reduce lifestyle clashes through unsuitable lets.
To maintain community stability, reduce turnover of properties once let and decrease neighbour disputes.
April 2013
Increase the use and targeting of mediation services in neighbour disputes.
To reduce neighbour disputes and improve neighbour relations.
June 2013
Increase tenancy and neighbourhood enforcement on activities that affect quality of life e.g. Nuisance, upkeep of gardens, noise and pet ownership.
To improve the quality of life for the majority of residents as well as to identify and reduce unacceptable conduct.
June 2013
Apply targeted fast track enforcement for serious ASB perpetrators with targeted resources from New Charter’s Tenancy and Support Services team.
To quickly remove disruptive tenants, improve the quality of life for other residents and protect demand for properties.
April 2013
Visit older and vulnerable customers annually to assess any support or adaptations needs.
To maintain the quality of life and independent living for older residents.
October 2013
Continue to deliver the Keys toYour Door programme for customers under 25 in terms of ensuring their readiness for tenancy and to identify any support required.
To reduce potential for lifestyle clashes and unsuccessful conduct of tenancy.
April 2013
What?
Why?
When?
Make targeted calls to customers in rent arrears to address the arrears and signpost to advice services.
To reduce arrears in the neighbourhood and therefore reduce the number of customers whose home is at risk due to debt issues.
April 2013
Provide increased support to identified vulnerable customers and link them to specialist support and advice services as well.
To help identified customers successfully manage their tenancy and reduce lifestyle clashes with other residents.
March 2013
Develop a regular housing surgery.
To make it quick and easy for residents to access services and for neighbourhood issues to be dealt with.
February 2013
Neighbourhood team to carry out quarterly neighbourhood inspections (open to residents).
To provide regular monitoring of street level appearance and visible issues.
March 2013
Target customers who may be affected by welfare reform and provide advice and support.
To increase awareness of potential issues and help reduce debt and/or financial problems caused by welfare reform.
March 2013
We aim to... Improve the quality of life for the majority of residents as well as to identify and reduce unacceptable conduct. 19
Home What?
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Why?
When?
Improve the security of doors and internal communal areas in flats where issues have been identified and undertake any remedial works that may improve the appeal of properties.
To reduce nuisance in communal areas and improve demand for more difficult to let properties.
March 2014
Review the shuttering policy and identify alternative security measures for existing properties that are shuttered.
To improve neighbourhood appearance and kerb appeal.
August 2013
Undertake a review of local play facilities provision in consultation with residents.
To ensure children have well placed safe places to play.
October 2013
Develop a programme for improvement works required to New Charter communal areas or lighting provision to improve the appearance of these areas.
To increase the feeling of security in the neighbourhood and improve neighbourhood appearance in communal areas.
September 2013
Undertake a review of the fencing provision, quality and boundaries to identify actions required.To include the design and addition of new fencing to areas where needed.
To increase feelings of security and quality of life for residents, reducing neighbour disputes and improving neighbourhood appearance.
March 2014
Consider the provision of letter boxes to properties in identified blocks.
To reduce inconvenience and improve customers quality of life.
November 2013
What?
Why?
When?
Undertake a review of parking availability for customers in identified streets working closely with TMBC and consider use of green parking spaces where appropriate.
To identify any additional parking space that is required and potential management options for exiting areas.
January 2015
Develop an improvement programme to address the condition, lighting and security of existing car parks.
To improve neighbourhood appearance and increase residents feelings of security.
January 2014
To improve neighbourhood appearance and kerb appeal. 21
Involvement and empowerment What?
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Why?
When?
Develop a regular tenants and residents forum.
To obtain detailed feedback from residents specifically on service and wider neighbourhood issues.
May 2013
Ask interested customers to be street representatives whose role will be to report any issues they or other residents are concerned about in their street or the wider neighbourhood.The Neighbourhood team will also contact the street representatives once a quarter to check progress and provide support.
This will provide a way for customers to report any issues to staff and to have them addressed promptly.This will also help improve the day to day service.
May 2013
Set up a neighbourhood improvement group with customers.
To ensure services are more customer and neighbourhood focused.
June 2013
Develop customer inspections on key customer identified issues.
To increase customer led monitoring of issues by getting the ‘customer eye’ view.
July 2013
Develop a focus group or coffee morning with older residents.
To identify specific issues which affect older people in the neighbourhood and develop social networks for older residents.
August 2013
What?
Why?
When?
Set up a neighbourhood facebook page.
To encourage a different type of dialogue between residents with each other and with New Charter staff.This will help with regards to reporting, supporting and discussion.
May 2013
Develop a community agreement with residents on what the community believes its values are; how people should treat each other and what is acceptable behaviour.
To improve community spirit in the neighbourhood, reduce inconsiderate behaviour and low level nuisance.
July 2013
Hold weekend community information events or fun days 4 times a year and hold seasonal activities at Easter and Halloween.
To improve the neighbourhood appearance and increase community spirit, building positive relationships with neighbours and increasing the community’s knowledge of what services and opportunities are available.
April 2013
We aim to... Increase customer led monitoring of issues by getting the ‘customer eye’ view.
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What next? Great progress we hope!! Work has already begun in your neighbourhood on the various actions outlined in Your Great Neighbourhood Charter as well as in our other 31 New Charter neighbourhoods. We would like the Great Neighbourhood Charters to mark the start of a new phase of activity aimed at ensuring that all our neighbourhoods are the great places that we all want and know they can be. We will be reviewing the Charter frequently this year and we will keep you updated on the progress, you will have the opportunity to be involved in this so please watch out for advertised activities or requests for feedback. However there is no need to wait until then‌ if after reading this you have any questions comments or suggestions or if you would like to get more involved in helping us identify what we could achieve in your neighbourhood please contact us and give us your thoughts. You can do this by ringing 0161 331 2000 or contacting us via your preferred method, we can also arrange for someone to call and visit you in your home if you would prefer, we would really like to hear from you.
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Neighbourhood Fact File Here are some facts and figures about the people and properties that make up your neighbourhood which we thought you may find interesting.
Number of properties owned by New Charter =
494
Properties by type
Houses
168
Bungalows
21
Flats and Maisonettes 305 Black Minority Ethnic
3.71%
Under 16
17.4%
55+
32.37% 18 - 25
14.97%
Number of residents =
862 25
Final Thoughts We hope that over the next three years through the actions outlined in your Great Neighbourhood Charter we will really make a visible difference to your neighbourhood, making it more attractive for those living or thinking of living in it and improve resident’s quality of life. We think the key to success will be to continue to work together with you to achieve this.
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Contact us Main switchboard: 0161 331 2000 Emergency housing & repairs calls: 0800 027 0828 If you need an emergency repair during the following times: - Before 8am and after 6pm Monday to Friday - During weekends and Bank Holidays Antisocial behaviour helpline: 0800 027 0522 (24 hours a day)
@ contact@newcharter.co.uk www.newcharter.co.uk newchartergroup
Home and Community Hubs 2 Henrietta Street, Ashton 9 Albert Street, Denton 12 Clarendon Street, Hyde 63 Grosvenor Street, Stalybridge
Head office:
New Charter, Cavendish 249, Cavendish Street, Ashton-under-Lyne OL6 7AT
@newchartergroup
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Resource Housing Reg. No. 2111