Your GREAT Neighbourhood Charter Gee Cross
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 o 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 Gee Cross neighbourhood is located to the east of Hyde within ten minutes walking distance of Hyde town centre and comprises of Cheetham Fold and Lilly Street; areas which are divided by the main road, Dowson Road. Entrance to the Cheetham Fold area is via two vehicular entrances, both off Dowson Road passing through a privately owned housing estate. The neighbourhood benefits from a local convenience store and a regular bus service to Hyde,Ashton and Manchester.There are also a few local shops in the Lilly Street area situated on Lumn Road and Lilly Street. The neighbourhood comprises of a mixture of property types, predominantly houses but with a few low rise flats, maisonettes and bungalows; the majority of the
property within the neighbourhood is owned by New Charter.There are also a number of garage sites throughout the neighbourhood available for residents to rent and a number of open spaces in the Cheetham Fold neighbourhood but there are no designated play areas for children. The area is well served by local shops and amenities which meet the needs of the community; including a large post office, a primary health care facility and two major supermarkets as well as being within travelling distance of the hospital which has an accident and emergency department. Access to public transport is exceptional; the neighbourhood is close to the railway station and a large modern bus station is situated in close proximity to the local doctor’s surgery and allows easy access to and from Manchester city centre.The community is served by three primary schools, Leigh Primary School, Gee Cross HolyTrinity Primary School and Dowson Primary School.The nearest high school is Alder Community High School which is approximately three miles away. Hyde town centre provides several banks, building societies, chemists, restaurants and businesses. A police station is located in the town centre with a dedicated local constabulary, Beat Manager and Police Community Support Officer presence in the area. It also contains a leisure centre offering swimming facilities and a local library.
03
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.
Newton Flowery Field
Hyde Central
Gee Cross
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.
Allen Avenue
Farm Lane
Lilly Street
Shaw Avenue
Back Bower Lane
Grange Close
Mottram Old Road
South Side
Baron Road
Grange Road South
New Ridd Rise
Stockport Road
Bears Wood Close
Greengate
Paddock Road
The Grange
Cheetham Fold Road
Hartshead View
Peel Street
Waverley Road
Coombes Avenue
Joel Lane
Pembroke Court
Werneth Avenue
Dale View
Kensington Gardens
Peveril Terrace
Donald Avenue
Knott Lane
Redgate
Dowson Road
Lanegate
Richmond Hill
% 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 home.
Average time to relet a property Generally the time it takes to let a property in the neighbourhood is too long which indicates a significant number of properties are proving to be unpopular. It can also take a relatively long time for people to be able to move into their new homes.
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.
05
% of live antisocial behaviour cases The neighbourhood experiences some antisocial behaviour or neighbour nuisance cases.This indicates that while 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 eople 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.
06
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 little access to shops and services near to their homes.This indicates that it can be difficult to shop for more than essentials or access advice or support in, or within a reasonable distance from 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 prevent it being as good a place as it could be. 07
Local knowledge: Auditing your neighbourhood While 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.
08
What our Neighbourhood team told us Antisocial behaviour is an issue in the neighbourhood; the majority is due to noise, inconsiderate behaviour and congregation in communal areas within the flats. More generally antisocial behaviour in other areas of the neighbourhood is more low level relating to youth nuisance, neighbour disputes and children playing in streets. Demand for houses in the neighbourhood is good. However there are problems letting flats and studio apartments due to antisocial behaviour problems and the actual size of some properties. The frequency which people move in and out of the neighbourhood is higher than usual because of this. The appearance of the neighbourhood is impacted by poorly maintained garage sites, some open grassed areas and issues with fencing. Fly tipping can also be a problem in some parts of the neighbourhood. There are currently no tenant groups or forums in the neighbourhood and the Neighbourhood team are keen to develop new ways of obtaining opinions from residents.
There is a lack of community facilities in the neighbourhood itself which is a barrier to community development and access to services generally.There is a Home and Community Hub based in Hyde town centre that is well used by local residents.
The Primary Health Care facility does provide good walk in access to health services.
09
What you told us
10
On average the people we spoke to rate the neighbourhood 8 out of 10 as a place to live.So while people are positive about the area there are still some quality of life issues that people think need to be addressed. On a more positive note some of the best features identified about the neighbourhood were;the bus service, proximity to Hyde town centre,it being clean and tidy, friendly neighbours and access to the countryside. The issues identified about the neighbourhood were; antisocial behaviour,dog fouling,parking;children’s behaviour and a lack of facilities for children and young people. People raised specific issues with us about Provision of better refuse bin storage for the flats The need for local shops and a chemist The need for a mum and toddlers group A lack of a youth base for older children A lack of children’s play areas No places to eat The need for an Internet cafe A children’s football pitch would reduce street disturbance A need for none charging cash machines Poor street lighting A lack of police visibility The need for a local community centre The poor condition of roads More broadly people saw lack of access to employment advice,adult education,and walk in advice services as having a negative impact on the neighbourhood.Access to banking services was a big issue as was access to computers.There was also a seen to be a need for a local base for community activities and a need for more community consultation.Finally lack of childcare facilities was a key concern.
Some of the best features identified about the neighbourhood were; the bus service, proximity to Hyde town centre, it being clean and tidy, friendly neighbours and access to the countryside. 11
What other organisations told us There are some health inequalities issues in the neighbourhood compared with the rest of Tameside particularly in terms of higher mortality and disability rates with particular links to coronary health and sedentary lifestyles. Provision of the right kind of services for young families and children is a particular area of focus as is the need to provide more support for young carers. Crime is seen as a significant issue in some areas with various forms of antisocial behaviour being the principle concern; opportunistic burglary and vehicle crimes were also frequent issues and the perception is that there are a lack of crime prevention measures in place. Employment levels are not a problem generally but access to employment and training are barriers for young adults.Young people in the neighbourhood also suffer from a lack of personal development opportunities. A variety of agencies thought that young people in the neighbourhood also suffered more generally in terms of access to a range of facilities and support services. It was also felt that more work in these areas would have a positive effect on youth related antisocial behaviour. More generally early years provision in the neighbourhood is seen as inadequate with a need for support for young families, as well as for childcare facilities.
12
There are also a number of isolated families with children who need additional help due to lack of extended family support. Agencies thought there could be problems for residents in terms of loss of income as part of the Government’s welfare reform. Access to mainstream services and amenities can be variable due to the location of the neighbourhood; there is also a lack of some drop in services because of a lack of community venues that may help to mitigate this. Better access and signposting to services and advice is needed.
What we saw together: Grassed area in front of Marler Road in a poor condition
Parking congestion
Fly tipping on an old garage site
Poor condition of communal drying areas
Closed off area of land on Smith Street Litter in some areas Refuse bins left on the streets in some areas which give the neighbourhood an untidy appearance Poor condition of gardens and fencing on Marler Road
Fly tipping in a number of areas Frequent dog fouling Some communal fencing needing painting Condition of pathways and lighting in the Lindale area
13
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
14
What?
Why?
When?
Increase physical surveillance in flats working with the Police and the Community Safety team 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.
October 2013
Work with 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 and vehicle crime.
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.
October 2013
Develop a neighbourhood wide Home Watch group with support from New Charter.
To increase the level of surveillance in neighbourhood and therefore increase the feeling of security and empowerment against crime.
June 2013
What?
Why?
When?
Review current facilities and activities for residents with Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council (TMBC) to identify potential community venues and the feasibility of providing more space for general community activities.
To ensure the neighbourhood has sufficient venues to host community activities and drop in services.
January 2014
Review current facilities and activities for young peopleTMBC in addition to the provision of general community facilities, activities and services.
Identification of a broader range of facilities is needed to improve quality of life and that of the community more generally.
January 2014
Work in partnership with New Charter’s Youth team and TMBCYouth Services 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.
June 2014
CleanCare to increase targeting of fly tipping and litter in identified areas.
To improve the appearance of specific areas experiencing litter issues.
June 2013
Undertake a joint review of childcare and early year’s 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.
June 2014
15
16
What?
Why?
When?
Work with partners to increase signposting of people to health advice and services. In addition work with Primary Care Trust to consider the general provision of health visitor services to young families and healthy activities.
To improve the quality of life for older residents and the general health of the neighbourhood and the support available.
June 2013
Work with partners to increase signposting of residents to health advice and service with a particular emphasis on 18-25 year olds.
To improve the health of residents in the neighbourhood and the support available.
July 2013
Undertake a review of the options for increasing shopping provision in the area and the provision of cash points.
To identify ways to improve local shopping options and access to cash.
October 2013
Work with TMBC to improve lighting in areas which currently encourage congregating and make residents feel vulnerable.
To improve the appearance of the neighbourhood and increase residents feelings of security.
March 2014
Work in partnership withTMBC on the maintenance issues around roads and grass verges.
To improve the appearance and appeal of the neighbourhood.
November 2013
Work in partnership with TMBC to develop a management plan for open and green spaces.
To improve the appearance of unused green spaces in the neighbourhood and develop complementary working with TMBC.
August 2014
What?
Why?
When?
Work with TMBC Sports Trust on the provision of increased keep fit activities and facilities.
To improve the health of residents in the neighbourhood.
June 2014
Increase the activities of TMBC environmental patrollers targeting dog fouling.
To reduce the level of dog fouling within the neighbourhood.
July 2013
We aim to... Reduce the level of antisocial behaviour from youths by providing positive activities and links to other services.
17
Tenancy
18
What?
Why?
When?
Apply the community contribution criteria from New Charter’s Allocation Policy to ensure a sensitive lettings approach to reduce lifestyle clashes thorough unsuitable lets.
To maintain community stability, reduce turnover of properties once let and decrease neighbour disputes and reduce lifestyle clashes thorough unsuitable lets.
April 2013
Increase the use and targeting of neighbourhood mediation services for disputes.
To reduce neighbourhood disputes and improve neighbour relations.
May 2013
Target fast track enforcement for serious ASB perpetrators with targeted resources from New Charter’s Tenancy and Support Services team.
To remove quickly disruptive tenants and improve quality of life for other residents protecting demand for properties.
March 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.
July 2013
Continue to deliver the Key toYour Door programme for customers under 35 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 and visits 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 tenants whose home is at risk due to debt issues.
January 2013
Hold a regular housing surgery in the neighbourhood.
To make it quick and easy for residents to access services and for neighbourhood issues to be dealt with.
March 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
Neighbourhood team to carry out quarterly neighbourhood inspections (open to residents).
To provide regular monitoring of street level appearance and visible issues.
January 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... Reduce potential for lifestyle clashes and unsuccessful conduct of tenancy.
19
Home
20
What?
Why?
When?
Improve the security and appeal to households of identified properties that are difficult to let.
To reduce nuisance in shared areas and improve demand for properties.
January 2014
Implement New Charter’s improvement programme for garage sites.
To improve the management, security and appearance of garage sites and improve parking provision.
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 2013
Consider the conversion of studio properties into one bedroom flats.
Reduce the number of hard to let properties in the neighbourhood and reduce turnover.
March 2015
Undertake a review of the work required to fencing and boundaries caused by persistent criminal damage.
To assess if existing fencing is adequate in terms of security and the appearance and identify any specific work need to clarify boundaries.
September 2013
Consider the improvement options for refuse bin storage provision in blocks of flats.
To improve the quality of life for residents and neighbourhood appearance around the flats.
October 2013
What?
Why?
When?
Working in partnership with Tameside Sports Trust, consider the feasibility of developing enclosed outdoor football courts.
To reduce low level nuisance from children’s games in the street and improve sports facilities for children.
March 2014
Review the parking availability for residents in identified streets working closely with TMBC.
To identify any additional parking spaces required and the potential options available.
January 2014
To improve the quality of life for residents and neighbourhood appearance around the flats. 21
Involvement and empowerment
22
What?
Why?
When?
Develop a regular residents group and provide increased support 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.
June 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.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.
June 2013
Set up a neighbourhood improvement group with residents.
To ensure services are more customer and neighbourhood focused.
July 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 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
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?
evelop a community working group to look at the use of green areas and the feasibility of converting them into more active areas for play and recreation.
To obtain feedback from the residents as to what they would like to see in respect of green areas and increase residents input into neighbourhood management decisions.
July 2013
Consider the feasibility of setting up a community cafe incorporating a community shop or activity centre and youth club; run by community volunteers with some New Charter support initially and support from TMBC Volunteering Service.
To improve the provision for both young and older residents, generating access to facilities that support community activities, building community networks and developing the community’s ability to work on projects with others.
May 2014
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... Improve the provision for both young and older residents, generating access to facilities that support community activities, building community networks and developing the community’s ability to work on projects with others. 23
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.
24
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 =
448
Properties by type Houses
192
Bungalows
20
Flats
236
Black Minority Ethnic
2.93%
Under 16
23.94%
55+
22.07% 18 - 25
15.29%
Number of residents =
752 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.
26
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
27
Resource Housing Reg. No. 2111