Your GREAT Neighbourhood Charter Droylsden West
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... Droylsden West is an attractive and welcoming place to live, work and visit.The area lies to the west of the M60, providing a key geographical link between Manchester and Ashton-under-Lyne. Droylsden West is a largely urban area with only a few green spaces although the area does play host to a football ground and the Medlock Leisure Centre. New Charter accommodation in the neighbourhood consists mostly of two bedroomed flats, situated within three storey communal blocks.The flats are large and very attractive and benefit from the services of an on-site caretaker. Droylsden West also has a sheltered accommodation scheme for older people, Gardenfold House.There are current planning proposals to build new family houses, bungalows and disabled adapted accommodation within the area. The area also benefits from a Neighbourhood Home and Community Hub which is the heart of the
community, many community activities are run from the Hub including the Citizens Advice Bureau and Police surgeries.The neighbourhood has an active residents association; the Lincoln Avenue Residents Association who also base their activities at the Hub. School age children attend Moorside Primary School or Greenside Primary School, and then progress to Fairfield High School for Girls or the newly built Droylsden Academy. Droylsden shopping centre is very popular with the local community and benefits from a good mix of services and shops.There is also a large supermarket on Manchester Road in close proximity to the town centre. The transport links in Droylsden are excellent making it a very popular place to live, with a busy bus route running through the centre of town.The introduction of the new Metrolink will further improve these links providing routes to Manchester city centre and further spanning across Greater Manchester.
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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.
Adlington House, Lancaster Road Alford House, Lincoln Avenue Ashby House, Leicester Avenue Axbridge House, Somerset Road Aylsham House, Norfolk Avenue Bell Clough Road Blakeney House, Norfolk Avenue Bridgewater House, Somerset Road Brierfield House, Lancaster Road
Burwell House, Lincoln Avenue Byrom Court Cambridge Road Chatburn House, Lancaster Road Cheddar House, Somerset Road Clay Bank Clough Road Copperas Lane Cottage Walk Cranwell House, Lincoln Avenue Cromer House, Norfolk Avenue Cypress Road
Darwen House, Lancaster Road Dingle Drive Dorset Road Drayton House, Norfolk Avenue Dunholme House, Lincoln Avenue Dunster House, Somerset Road Eccleston House, Lancaster Road Edge Lane Edington House, Somerset Road Evedon House, Lincoln Avenue
Fold Avenue Fulbeck House, Lincoln Avenue Garden Avenue Gardenfold House, Moorside Street Glenville Terrace Gloucester Road Greenside Lane Hampshire Road Hilson Court Hindley Close Ivy Close Keighley Avenue Lancaster Road Leicester Avenue Lydgate Road
Market Street Moorside Street Oxford Avenue Parvet Avenue Royal Avenue Shrewsbury Road Somerset Road St. Johns Avenue St. Kildas Avenue Suffolk Avenue Sunnyside Court Sunnyside Road Surrey Avenue The Crescent The Quadrant Vale Road West Drive York Road
% of current rent arrears
Average number of repairs
The neighbourhood has a relatively low level of rent arrears which indicates that households are not experiencing noticeable money management issues or are accessing support if they need it.
The average number of repairs per property is relatively low and indicates that properties do not have any significant issues in terms of maintenance costs or property damage.
Average time to relet a property
Tenancy turnover
The time it takes to relet a property across the neighbourhood is generally good but there is room for improvement. Some properties take longer to let indicating that some properties are not as popular as others and it can also take some time for people to be able to move into their new homes.
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 neighbourhood. It does indicate 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 has a low level of antisocial behaviour or neighbour nuisance cases.This indicates that apart from the occasional incident New Charter residents treat each other with respect and behaviour within the community is relatively good. Neighbourhood satisfaction People’s general satisfaction with the neighbourhood as a place to live could be better and there are some significant factors that are spoiling their experience and their quality of life. Crime People in the neighbourhood experience high levels of crime and vandalism in relation to similar neighbourhoods in Tameside.This means that people do not feel as safe and secure as they should living in and walking around many parts of the neighbourhood. Health The neighbourhood has some issues with people’s 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 There are some issues with the level of educational attainment and skills in the neighbourhood.This also indicates that it may not be easy to access the training people 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 good place to live but it does experience some problems that affect people’s quality of life on a day to day basis.The main aim for this neighbourhood is to identify the right activities, services and initiatives that will help address the specific issues that stop it from being as good a place as it could be. 07
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 Antisocial behaviour can be an issue in the neighbourhood at times and mainly relates to youth nuisance activity in the area, particularly around communal areas and stairwells.This is not an issue in every block but there are a number of hotspots. There are also a range of more general issues that are the 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 relatively easy to let. However there is a turnover of people moving in an out of the neighbourhood mainly due to families needing larger accommodation but also related to neighbour nuisance and some antisocial behaviour. Poor refuse collection, refuse bin provision and recycling services are a problem for most blocks of flats.This is made worse by a complete lack of recycling bins or services in relation to flat blocks. There are significant crime levels in the neighbourhood relating to burglaries and theft of cars particularly around flat blocks and the environment needs to be made more secure.
Generally the appearance of shared areas and open spaces is fairly good. The Neighbourhood team work closely with Residents Associations based in Hindley Close, Lincoln Road and the Fold Avenue Residents Forum.
The Hub provides a very effective resource for drop in services and community activity for a large part of the neighbourhoods population.
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What you told us On average the people we spoke to rate the neighbourhood 7 out of 10 as a place to live. So while people are still being relatively positive about the area there are still quality of life issues that need to be addressed. On a more positive note some of the best features people identified about living in the neighbourhood were; its good access to local shops and amenities, great transport links, its clean appearance and good relationships with neighbours. The issues that people identified about living in the neighbourhood were; noise levels in the flats, traffic congestion, youths congregating near shops and poor children’s play facilities. People raised specific issues with us about:A lack of mums and toddlers provision Grass clippings left in shared areas after cutting Rubbish left after refuse bins are emptied and poor refuse bin provision Help with garden maintenance More children’s amenities A lack of visible policing More broadly people saw lack of access to computers, adult education, employment and benefits advice as things that had a direct impact on the neighbourhood.A lack of drop in clinics was noted by older customers as was a lack of childcare services by younger households.
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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 transport links, its clean appearance and good relationships with neighbours. 11
What other organisations told us There are some health issues in the neighbourhood in terms of the level of disability people have in relation to long term illness and disability, the age of the neighbourhood population and access to health services locally. Crime is a significant issue in many parts of the neighbourhood particularly in terms of theft and vandalism in flat blocks with the design and layout of these parts of the neighbourhood making them more vulnerable to crime.There was also felt to be road safety issues in the neighbourhood in terms of road usage and layout. Generally access to employment is relatively good but educational attainment and access to skills training is an issue in some parts of the neighbourhood. Household incomes are at relatively good levels compared to other similar areas in Tameside as a whole; even so 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 also concerns about a potential rise in loan sharking activities linked to this.
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There is thought to be a lack of facilities and activities for young people and children in the neighbourhood. There is also thought to be differences in levels of access to advice services across the neighbourhood particularly in relation to employment and training.
What we saw together: Garage sites look neglected and in poor condition Waste land on Royal Avenue and near Edge Lane is untidy and overgrown Fly tipping near large refuse bins Lack of parking at Royal Avenue and St Johns Avenue with people having to add driveways into gardens
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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 flats relating to neighbour disputes and inconsiderate behaviour supported by enhanced CCTV surveillance in antisocial behaviour (ASB) hotspots.
To reduce the incidence of ASB in the neighbourhood and reduce property turnover in affected areas.
November 2013
Work with the Police and the Community Safety team on target hardening, surveillance of youth related nuisance, congregation in communal areas and develop a more general policing plan targeting burglary, vandalism and car theft.
To reduce levels of vandalism and increase feelings of security for customers who feel vulnerable to crime. Development of 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 and input from the existing group.
Increasing the level of surveillance in the neighbourhood will 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.This includes identifying how the range of services and advice available at the Hub could be expanded.
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 to ensure people can access advice and drop in services.
March 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 link youths to other services.
August 2013
Work with TMBC Sports Trust on provision of increased keep fit activities and facilities.
To improve the health of residents in the neighbourhood and provide alternative activities for young people.
September 2013
CleanCare to increase the targeting of fly tipping and littering in identified areas especially communal refuse bins.
To improve the appearance of specific areas experiencing problems with litter.
March 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 customers to health advice and services with a particular focus on accessible and home based services for older and vulnerable customers.
To improve the health of residents in the neighbourhood and the support available to them.
June 2013
Consistently signpost and refer customers and their families to training and income advice services.
To increase residents chances of gaining employment and maximising their income.
April 2013
Working with New Charter’s Regeneration and Green Charter teams and TMBC explore the options of clearing the overgrown piece of open land near Edge Lane and redeveloping as a mini urban park in consultation with residents groups.
To improve neighbourhood and community appearance, play facilities and reduce fly tipping.
November 2014
Work with the Community Safety team and TMBC to review the need for and possible options in relation to road layout and traffic calming.
To increase road safety and reduce speeding in the neighbourhood.
October 2014
Increase the activities of TMBC environmental patrollers targeting dog fouling.
To reduce the level of dog fouling in the neighbourhood.
September 2013
Work with a number of organisations and stakeholders on initiatives identified in their plans that will help improve the neighbourhood.
To improve services and maximise input into the neighbourhood from other service providers.
October 2013
What?
Why?
When?
Focus additional resources on trees and overgrown shrubs and review long term tree maintenance issues.
To improve the appearance of the streets and the neighbourhoods and reduce the inconvenience posed in some areas.
May 2013
Work with TMBC to review the refuse bin service in the neighbourhood generally and with a particular emphasis on recycling.
To reduce incidence of fly tipping and littering in the neighbourhood, improve neighbourhood appearance and improve the quality of life for residents.
February 2014
Work with residents on setting clear service standards for environmental services working with TMBC where relevant.
To improve customer satisfaction with these services and develop complementary working with TMBC.
October 2013
To reduce levels of vandalism and increase feelings of security for customers who feel vulnerable to crime by developing a long term crime prevention strategy to ensure consistent policing approach.
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Tenancy What?
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Why?
When?
Apply the community contribution criteria from New Charter’s Allocation Policy to ensure a sensitive lettings approach to reduce lifestyle clashes through unsuitable lets.
To maintain community stability, reduce turnover of properties once let and decrease neighbour disputes.
April 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 identify and reduce unacceptable conduct.
June 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 customers.
September 2013
Provide increased support to identified vulnerable customers and link them to specialist support and advice services.
To help identified customers successfully manage their tenancy and reduce lifestyle clashes with other residents.
April 2013
What?
Why?
When?
Continue with the regular housing surgery.
To make it quick and easy for residents to access services and ensure neighbourhood issues are dealt with.
March 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.
January 2013
We aim to... Improve the quality of life for the majority of residents as well as to identify and reduce unacceptable conduct.
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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
Implement the improvement programme for overgrown garage sites.
To enhance the appearance of the neighbourhood, reduce fly tipping and improve parking availability.
September 2013
Undertake a review of local play facilities provision in consultation with residents.
To ensure children have well placed safe places to play.
October 2014
Develop a programme for any improvement works required to New Charter communal areas and lighting provision to improve appearance.
To increase feelings of security in the neighbourhood and improve neighbourhood appearance of communal areas.
September 2013
Proposal to build fifteen new in-fill properties within the neighbourhood.
To improve the choice of and access to family and more mobility friendly housing in the neighbourhood.
January 2014
Undertake a review on the number of repairs issues in terms of out of hours calls in the neighbourhood.
To identify if there are any underlying issues in term of buildings, components, design or usage that need to be addressed.
April 2013
Undertake a review of the parking availability for customers in identified streets working closely with TMBC.
To identify any additional parking space that is required and potential options to include green parking.
January 2014
What?
Why?
When?
Develop an improvement programme for other smaller patches of land with a view to convert to something more community focused with customer consultation i.e. children’s play area.
To improve neighbourhood appearance, provide additional services, reduce causal littering and fly tipping.
November 2014
Explore the possible improvements to the external and internal front doors for identified blocks.
To improve the standard of homes in the neighbourhood, improve residents’ quality of life and security.
December 2014
To ensure children have well placed safe places to play. 21
Involvement and empowerment What?
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Why?
When?
Continue to work with the regular residents groups and provide any support they require to develop their activities.
To obtain detailed feedback from residents specifically on service and wider neighbourhood issues and work with them jointly on neighbourhood priorities.
January 2013
Ask interested residents 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. 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.
March 2013
Set up a neighbourhood improvement group with residents.
To ensure services are more customer and neighbourhood focused.
May 2013
Develop customer inspections on key customer identified issues.
To increase customer led monitoring of issues by getting the ‘customer eye’ view.
March 2013
Develop a focus group or coffee morning with older residents.
To identify specific issues that affect older people in the neighbourhood and develop social networks for older residents.
May 2013
Set up a neighbourhood Facebook page.
To encourage a different type of dialogue between residents with each other and with staff.This will help with regards to reporting, supporting and discussion.
May 2013
What?
Why?
When?
Carry out mini scrutiny audits on services with residents which will be passed to New Charter’s Tenants Scrutiny Panel.
To help the tenant scrutiny group to look at how neighbourhood wide services perform together which will help the organisation improve the way they work together.
September 2013
Look at developing a customer led mum and toddlers group based at the Hub.
To improve childcare provision, improve community links for young families and increase the community’s ability to develop projects.
June 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.
March 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 =
590
Properties by type
Houses
144
Bungalows
16
Flats
425
Maisonettes 5 Black Minority Ethnic
4.28%
Under 16
15.29%
55+
36.09%
18 - 25
12.23%
Number of residents =
981 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