Your GREAT Neighbourhood Promise Kingswell, Killisick & Mapperley Plains 2014-17
Kingswell, Killisick and Mapperley Plains
At Gedling Homes we want all our neighbourhoods to be great places to live. We want them to look great, have great services, feel safe and be a place for both work and recreation. We believe that both Gedling Homes and our tenants have an important role to play in shaping how our neighbourhoods grow and develop. Through reviewing and improving the services we provide to our tenants, we feel we can have a positive effect on our 2
neighbourhoods. We have produced a neighbourhood promise for each of Gedling Homes’ neighbourhood areas and this one is yours. It details the issues raised by you and a commitment from Gedling Homes to review and develop our services to contribute to improving your neighbourhood. The promise will run for 3 years and will be reviewed annually with tenants, to assess our progress against the actions.
Gedling Homes’ Properties in Kingswell, Killisick, Mapperley Plains General needs Sheltered accommodation
accommodation
Number of properties:
380
Maisonette: 7
Flat: 34
Flat: 86 House: 253
Total accommodation
Occupied properties
Tenant age
Maisonette: 7
Occupied: 378
18-29: 25
Flat: 120
Empty: 2
30-39: 66
House: 253
Ethnicity
40-49: 80
Gender
50-59: 54 60+: 124 Unknown: 29
White British: 333
Female: 246
BME: 12
Male: 129
Unknown: 33
Unknown: 3
*Data accurate as of November 2013 3
Your GREAT Neighbourhood Kingswell, Killisick and Mapperley Plains are wards in the Arnold area of Gedling borough. These areas extend out towards Mapperley along Coppice Road and out towards Woodthorpe down Arnot Hill Road. In Killisick there are a small number of independent retail units on Beechwood Road, offering a butchers, hairdressers, post office, florist, cafe and newsagent. In Kingswell the shops on Rolleston Drive offer a variety of fast food and takeaway establishments. There is also a large Sainsbury’s supermarket just off Nottingham Road.
● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●
There are several primary and junior schools in this area and the Arnold Hill Academy. All have good reputations locally.
●
Killisick Park is a children’s adventure playground, multi gym and five a side football area which is frequently used by children of all ages. In the summer this space often entertains local events such as fairs and carnivals.
●
Kingswell, Killisick and Mapperley Plains are predominantly residential wards and have good access to local services, transportation links and Arnold town centre. This area is a mix of Gedling Homes properties, private owners and other social landlords. Our properties are predominantly family homes, but we also own 1 and 2 bedroomed flats in the area, along with one sheltered housing scheme at Tavill Field, Kilnbrook Avenue.
Bentwell Avenue
4
Gedling Homes has properties in:
● ●
● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●
Arnot Hill Road Ashdale Road Aylesham Avenue Beechwood Road Bentwell Avenue Birchfield Road Bonington Drive Brook Avenue Brook Gardens Brookfield Court Brookfield Road Cedar Grove Charnwood Lane Chestnut Grove Coppice Road Elm Grove Firbeck Road Gedling Grove Hallams Lane Hawthorn Crescent
● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●
Howbeck Road Kiddier Avenue Killisick Road Kilnbrook Avenue Kilvington Road Langford Road Leverton Walk Needham Road Nottingham Road Nursery Road Oakdale Road Pinewood Avenue Rolleston Drive Wardle Grove
Rating Your Neighbourhood
Working with our tenants we have identified a number of areas that tell us how well we are performing in your neighbourhood. These are called neighbourhood indicators and will be used alongside the feedback we have collected from tenants and residents. The information will tell us what we need to focus on to help improve your neighbourhood.
We have also identified some external indicators which were identified as having an impact on the wider community. Our tenants have told us to use a simple star rating, from 1-5, with 5 being the best. We will give a star rating to a range of indicators to identify a final, overall score for your neighbourhood. 5
Your GREAT Neighbourhood Rating STAR Rating
Indicator
Brief Summary
Percentage of tenancies in rent Gedling arrears Homes’ Indicators
There are relatively few tenants in this area that have rent arrears
HHHH
Percentage of customer satisfaction with their neighbourhood as a place to live (STAR survey)
Tenants in these areas have a high satisfaction level with their neighbourhood as a place to live
HHHHH
Turnover of stock
Tenants stay in the area for a longer than average amount of time
HHHHH
Average number of days to relet a Across the Kingswell and Killisick area, the average time property (excluding properties where it takes to let a property is satisfactory a major repair has taken place)
HHHH
Percentage of opened anti-social behaviour (ASB) cases per area against organisation average
The neighbourhood experiences very few ASB cases
HHHHH
Percentage of evictions per area
There is an average number of evictions in this area. This may indicate that some tenants are suffering financial difficulty
HHHH
There are a number of people within this area who are not economically active (employed, part-time, self-employed or seeking work)
HHH
External Employment - Percentage of people Indicators economically active Education- Percentage of pupils achieving 5 GCSE’s grade A-C including English and Maths
There is a good level of educational attainment for pupils HHHH in the neighbourhood but not as high as in some areas
Level of good health in the neighbourhood
Residents’ perception of their health is good, but not as high as in other areas
HHHH
Barriers to housing and services / accessibility to services
People in this area have good access to a range of shops and services from a variety of organisations close to their home
HHHHH
Crime & Safety - Offences and incidents
People experience an average level of crime when compared against other areas within Gedling borough
HHHH
Summary
STAR Rating
Gedling Homes have devised a detailed action plan which highlights many of the above areas. Work in these areas will be undertaken in the next 3 year period to improve Gedling Homes properties.
HHHH
The above information has been sourced from Gedling Homes’ own performance figures, the 2011 Census, Gedling Borough Council and the South Nottinghamshire Community Safety Partnership. The external data information relates to ward data and is not necessarily representative purely of Gedling Homes’ tenants.
6
Local Knowledge - Auditing Your Neighbourhood The indicators we use to rate your neighbourhood help to point us in the right direction, but to further identify what needs doing we need local knowledge, to address specific issues and problems.
●
The police carry out regular patrols and a number of operations in the area, Arnold also has its own police station. There is a visual police presence around Arnold with local officers patrolling the streets on a frequent basis. Gedling Homes works closely with the police to deal with joint issues
●
Gedling Borough Council’s Locality Coordinator is now working in Killisick and the following have been identified as key areas of work for partner agencies in this area:
We have spoken to local people who live and work in your neighbourhood. This is what we have been told:
Our Neighbourhood Team told us: ●
In Gedling Homes’ flats, there is insufficient bin storage; this means that bins are often situated in large numbers outside the main entrance to a block of flats. This gives an unattractive and unwelcoming entry to these blocks
●
Buses run to a regular and frequent timetable, and there are lots of local taxi companies based in and around this ward
●
Incidents of Anti-Social Behaviour are relatively low in this area, but when problems do occur it tends to be low level noise nuisance and neighbour disputes
●
Fly tipping continues to be an issue in the area, with the hotspots typically in the shared areas in Gedling Homes’ blocks of flats, and also our garage sites. Regular estate inspections are carried out to identify any fly tips and reports from tenants and residents are dealt with quickly and effectively
●
Engage with young people to increase academic attainment
●
Encourage employment opportunities for local residents through apprentices, volunteering, job clubs and skills improvement
●
Maximise the income of residents through debt management and benefit take-up
Outdoor Gym Equipment, Killisick
7
You told us:
●
On average the people we spoke to rate the neighbourhood 8 out of 10 as a place to live. Despite some concerns, the majority were positive about the area. ●
●
8
Concerns expressed included: ●
Some ASB on the Killisick Estate
●
Young people hanging around on the streets
●
Lack of facilities for children, especially older children
Some of the best features identified were: ●
The range of shops
●
Public transportation
●
Access to open spaces
Some of the worst features identified were: ●
Anti-social behaviour
●
Difficulties with parking
●
Dog fouling in some areas
●
Desired improvements included: ●
Greater provision for dog fouling bins within Gedling Homes locations
Other organisations told us: ●
To reduce problems with dog fouling and graffiti, Gedling Borough Council have adopted mobile patrols and a joint initiative with use of Police Community Support Officers and Neighbourhood Wardens in the Killisick area
●
The Police have employed sporadic measures such as vehicle checks, speed guns and mobile patrols to reduce speeding traffic around schools and in highly concentrated pedestrian areas as this is a current issue in the area
Together, we saw: ●
Small pockets of waste land in the area could be better utilised by the neighbourhood
9
Your GREAT Neighbourhood Promise What needs to happen? Neighbourhood and community
10
What?
Why?
When?
Target low level nuisance by an increased staff presence and joint working with the Police in the specific area identified. Where appropriate manage low level noise and other inconsiderate behaviour generally in the neighbourhood
To reduce the incidents of ASB in the neighbourhood and improve tenants and residents quality of life
March 2015
Introduce a restorative justice scheme with partner agencies and utilising volunteers from the community to help reduce levels of ASB and to produce long lasting solutions to it.
To engage communities in helping to solve the ASB and the offending that affects them. This will increase community engagement and provide a voice for victims of crime and ASB and those who have been harmed either directly or indirectly
August 2015
Increase the signposting of tenants to health advice and other support services
To improve the health of tenants in the neighbourhood and make them aware of the support that is available
September 2015
Consistently signpost and refer tenants and their families to training and income advice services, working with partners to develop people’s employment readiness
To improve services and maximise input into the neighbourhood from other service providers
September 2015
Improve and focus our Caretaking service on the areas identified by our tenants
To ensure that tenants get the best possible service from our Caretaking team and to maximise their impact on the neighbourhood
March 2015
Work with partners and other agencies to support initiatives to help improve the neighbourhood
To improve services and maximise input into the neighbourhood from other service providers
December 2015
Neighbourhood Team to increase targeting of fly tipping and litter hotspots including the use of surveillance cameras
To improve the neighbourhood appearance and quality of life for residents
March 2015
Continue to work in partnership with Gedling Borough Council’s (GBC) Neighbourhood Wardens to reduce dog fouling
To reduce incidents of dog fouling in the neighbourhood and raise awareness of the issue in the community
March 2015
What?
Why?
When?
In consultation with GBC provide more dog bins in identified Gedling Homes problem areas
To improve neighbourhood appearance and quality of life for residents
September 2015
11
Home
12
What?
Why?
When?
Work towards publishing a plan of internal improvement of communal areas in our apartment blocks
To improve the appeal of properties and the quality of life of existing tenants
June 2015
Improve and introduce where possible scooter storage in our schemes
To improve tenants’ quality of life
April 2016
Implement an external painting programme
To improve the appearance of Gedling Homes’ properties in the neighbourhood
March 2016
Undertake a review of the condition of all garage sites and produce a programme for future improvements
To improve the management, security and appearance of garage sites and improve parking provision
December 2015
Undertake a review of parking at our properties
To improve parking provision in the neighbourhood, reduce congestion on selected roads and increase quality of life for tenants and residents
March 2016
Consider all options available to improve the appearance of Gedling Homes’ properties
To improve the appearance of the neighbourhood and quality of life of tenants and residents
March 2015
Improve the green spaces in our Independent Living Schemes
To improve the scheme and area appearance
March 2015
Tenancy What?
Why?
When?
Continue to provide support to sustain tenancies and wherever possible prevent evictions
To help more tenants successfully sustain their tenancies
June 2015
Continue to make targeted calls and visits to customers in rent arrears. Provide advice and assistance to enable the customer to pay the rent due and come to a sustainable agreement to repay any arrears owed
To reduce arrears in the neighbourhood and the number of customers whose home is at risk due to debt issues
June 2015
Continue to provide increased support to identified families and tenants and link them to our support and advice services
To help identified customers successfully manage their tenancy and reduce lifestyle clashes with other residents
June 2015
Continue to signpost support services to tenants who may be experiencing drug and alcohol related problems
To reduce levels of neighbour nuisance and disputes and help identified tenants’ access health support and services
September 2015
Work with tenants to create a sense of community and reduce isolation through befriending
To help new tenants settle into the neighbourhood and create links to the community and neighbours
March 2015
Neighbourhoods team to continue with regular estate inspections (open to all tenants)
To provide regular monitoring of street level appearance and visible issues
June 2015
Target fast track enforcement for serious ASB perpetrators with targeted resources from our Tenancy Services team
To remove disruptive tenants quickly and improve the quality of life for other residents, protecting demand for properties
December 2015
Increase the use and targeting of mediation services in neighbour disputes
To reduce neighbour disputes and improve neighbour relations
June 2015
Continue to signpost and refer customers who may benefit from the help of our Money Wise team
To reduce the number of evictions for nonpayment of rent and provide more help and advice on managing finances
June 2015
13
Involvement and empowerment
14
What?
Why?
When?
Continue to work with Gedling Borough Council’s Locality Co-ordinator and provide support to develop their initiatives
To build on partnership working and improve appearance of and facilities for the neighbourhood
June 2015
Set up a regular neighbourhood improvement group with tenants
To ensure services are more customer and neighbourhood focussed
March 2016
Continue to work with Tenants and Residents groups and provide any support they require to develop their activities
To obtain detailed feedback from tenants and residents specifically on services and wider neighbourhood issues, and work with them jointly on neighbourhood priorities
September 2015
Extend and improve activities for older tenants via Sheltered Scheme events
To improve community links between older tenants in different parts of the neighbourhood and improve community spirit and quality of life
September 2015
Along with partners consider the provision of diversionary activities for young people during school holidays
To reduce instances of ASB by young people in the area during school holiday periods
July 2015
Introduce project work where young people help improve neighbourhood appearance or help other tenants
To build community cooperation networks, increase community spirit, self-help, improve inter-generational links and build respect
March 2015
Develop a Time Bank scheme where tenants can provide skills and support to each other
To build community cooperation networks, increase community spirit, self-help, improve inter-generational links and build respect
March 2015
Develop and improve Community Regeneration initiatives with our neighbourhoods
To improve neighbourhood appearance and allow the community to target areas they think are a problem and to build a sense of community spirit
March 2016
Extend our links with furniture recycling community enterprises to help new and existing tenants furnish their properties
To improve community access to affordable furniture, build community networks and develop a community’s ability to work on projects together
March 2016
Final Thoughts We hope that over the next three years, through the actions outlined in Your GREAT Neighbourhood Promise, we will really make a visible difference to your neighbourhood.
We believe that the key to achieving the goals set out in this plan is to continue working together, with you, our tenants and leaseholders.
What happens next? Work has already begun in your neighbourhood on the various actions outlined in Your GREAT Neighbourhood Promise. We will be reviewing the plan frequently and will keep you updated on the progress with an annual report. You will have the opportunity to be involved in this so please watch out for advertised activities or requests for feedback. However, if you have something to say, don’t wait for us to call you! If after reading this you have any questions, comments or suggestions, or if you would like to get involved in fulfilling the plan, please contact us:
Phone: 0115 905 1515 Email: enquiries@gedlinghomes.co.uk Twitter: @Gedling_Homes Facebook: facebook.com/gedlinghomes We can also arrange for someone to call and visit you in your own home. We look forward to hearing from you. Thank you!
15
Kilnbrook Avenue, Killisick
Contact Us Phone:
0115 905 1515
In person:
Email:
enquiries@gedlinghomes.co.uk
Website:
www.gedlinghomes.co.uk
Customer Contact Centre, The Civic Centre, Arnot Hill Park, Arnold, Nottingham, NG5 6LU.
Facebook: www.facebook.co.uk/gedlinghomes Twitter:
@Gedling_Homes
Write:
Gedling Homes, Gedling House, Wood Lane, Gedling, NG4 4AD
Opening times are 9am to 5pm Monday to Thursday, 9am to 4.30pm Friday