Your GREAT Neighbourhood Promise Valley, Porchester, St. James 2014-17
Valley, Porchester, St. James
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 neighbourhood. 2
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 Valley, Porchester, St. James General needs Sheltered accommodation
accommodation
Number of properties:
656
Total accommodation
Bedsit: 46
Bedsit: 69
Bungalow: 2
Bungalow: 89
Flat: 128
Flat: 80
House: 242
Occupied properties
Tenant age
Bedsit: 115
Occupied: 622
18-29: 44
Bungalow: 91
Empty: 34
30-39: 70
Flat: 208
40-49: 72
House: 242
50-59: 85
Ethnicity
Gender
White British: 566
Female: 364
BME: 7
Male: 258
Unknown: 49
60+: 317 Unknown: 34
*Data accurate as of November 2013 3
Your GREAT Neighbourhood Valley, Porchester and St. James are three Gedling Borough Council wards in the Carlton area. They extend out towards Mapperley along Westdale Lane and into Porchester along Valley Road. There are a small number of independent retailers dotted around this neighbourhood, with the main shopping area at the top of Westdale Lane leading onto Mapperley Plains. There are various shops, banks, takeaways, supermarkets, bars and cafés, including businesses and other local services. The area has good local services such as the Mapperley Library and The Westdale Lane Toddler Group and Community Centre. There are regular bus services to Nottingham City and to Arnold.
Gedling Homes has properties in: ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●
There are several primary and junior schools in this area and the Carlton Academy for over 11’s. These schools all have good reputations locally, and the academy has recently been rated ‘good’ by Ofsted.
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The park on Valley Road has a playground for younger children and a large open space for ball games and general use.
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Our properties in this area include family housing, 1 and 2 bedroomed flats, there are also four sheltered housing schemes. St. Andrews House on Digby Avenue is currently being renovated and will be opened as an Extra-Care scheme in 2015, following major investment by Gedling Homes and Nottinghamshire County Council.
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Alpine Crescent Arnot House Bayliss Road Beck Street Bennett Road Bentick Road Bulcote House Carnarvon Grove Cavendish Crescent Cavendish House Cavendish Road Chesterfield Avenue Chesterfield Court Coningsworth Road Dale Avenue Dorket House Eastcliffe Avenue Featherstone Close Foxhill Road Fraser Square Glebe Road Gunthorpe Road
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Hallam Road Kenrick Road Kent Road Marwood Crescent Marwood Road McIntosh Road Moore Road Newton Road Portland Road Redland Grove Rushcliffe Avenue Rutland Road Sandford Road Shelford Road Simkin Avenue St. Andrews House Stanhope Road Welbeck Avenue Westcliffe Avenue Westmoore Close Westmoore Court Wheldon Avenue Wollaton Avenue Worth Street
Rating Your Neighbourhood
Cavendish Road Sheltered Scheme
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 how much and 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
HHHHH
Percentage of customer satisfaction with their neighbourhood as a place to live (STAR survey)
Tenants in this area have a high satisfaction level with their neighbourhood as a place to live
HHHHH
Turnover of stock
Tenants stay in the area for a shorter than average amount of time
HHH
Average number of days to relet a Across these areas the average time it takes to let a property (excluding properties where 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 an above average number of ASB cases compared to other areas
HHH
Percentage of evictions per area
Evictions in this area are high compared to other neighbourhoods. This may indicate that tenants living in this area are suffering financial difficulty
HHH
There is a good level of economic activity in this area (employed, part-time, self-employed, seeking work)
HHHH
Education- Percentage of pupils achieving 5 GCSE’s grade A-C including English and Maths
In comparison with other areas of Gedling borough there are some issues with the level of educational attainment
HHH
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
External Employment - Percentage of people Indicators economically active
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.
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Local Knowledge - Auditing Your Neighbourhood The indicators we use to rate your neighbourhood help to point us in the right direction. To further identify what needs doing we need local knowledge, to address specific issues and problems, we have spoken to local people who live and work in your neighbourhood. This is what we have been told:
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Gedling Homes receive a high number of ASB complaints in these areas; these are usually noise related. The Tenancy Services team have been working closely with the police to reduce some of these problems in the ASB hotspots at Westmoore Close and Valley Road areas
Our Neighbourhood Team told us:
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The Westmoore Close bedsits have a high turnover of tenants
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The police often carry out patrols and operations in the area. The local Police Community Support Officer (PCSO) regularly patrols Westmoore Close and has regular contact with the residents
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On inspection there was very little dog fouling in the area with residents making good use of the many dog bins supplied
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Gedling Homes land at Valley Road and Westmoore Close are problem areas for fly tipping and misuse of bins. The fly tipping on Valley Road normally occurs at the top end near the play area, at Westmoore Close it is mostly bin-side waste
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The level of litter around the area is good with evidence of adequate general waste bins and dog litter bins. However some small pockets have been identified as hotspots for litter; Cavendish Road near the cemetery; Fraser Square along the railings bordering The Richard Herrod playing field and the cut through from Cavendish Road to Marwood Crescent. To reduce litter in these hotspots, Gedling Borough Council and Gedling Homes regularly patrol and litter pick
Carlton Forum
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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. ●
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Concerns expressed included: ●
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Limited access to employment advice and assistance to get back to work
Desired improvements included: ●
Tenants taking more responsibility for their gardens
Some of the best features identified were: ●
Good access to shops
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CCTV required at Westmoore Close
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Good buses and transportation
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Better access to advice services
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Quiet location
Some of the worst features identified were: ●
Crime and ASB
Cavendish Road
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Foxhill Court, Foxhill Road
Other organisations told us:
Together, we saw:
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The police have received reports of noisy mopeds driving at high speed in this area
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Evidence of fly tipping in a small number of areas
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There are some problems with criminal damage. The police have received reports of damage to vehicles that were parked unattended overnight
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Low level ASB complaints due to a small number of inconsiderate tenants
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Some Gedling Homes gardens are not well maintained
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Some issues with recycling bins being contaminated in blocks of Gedling Homes flats 9
Your GREAT Neighbourhood Promise What needs to happen? Neighbourhood and community
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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
Target low level ASB and nuisance activity by using CCTV in doorways and shared areas in identified Gedling Homes flat complexes
To reduce the incidence of ASB in the neighbourhood and improve residents quality of life
Introduce a restorative justice scheme with partner agencies. Utilising volunteers from the community to help reduce levels of ASB and produce long lasting solutions
To engage communities in helping to solve ASB and the offending that affects them. This will increase community engagement and provide a voice for victims of crime and ASB, who have been harmed 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 within Gedling Homes areas; 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
March 2016
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
Westmoore Close
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Home
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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
Implement an external painting programme
To improve the appearance of Gedling Homes’ properties and of the neighbourhood
March 2016
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 2016
Improve and introduce where possible scooter storage in our schemes
To improve tenants’ quality of life
April 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
Undertake a review of the condition of all garage sites owned by Gedling Homes and produce a programme for future improvements
To improve the management, security and appearance of garage sites and improve parking provision
December 2015
Improve the green spaces in our Independent Living Schemes
To improve the scheme and area appearance
March 2015
Review the refuse storage provision for Gedling Homes’ flats and the recycling options available
To identify ways to reduce storage issues and the effect on neighbourhood 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
Introduce a sensitive or tailored lettings approach for properties with a high turnover
Maintain community stability, reduce turnover of properties once let and decrease neighbour disputes and reduce lifestyle clashes through unsuitable lets
March 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 2014
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 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
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
Neighbourhood team to continue with regular estate inspections (open to all tenants and leaseholders)
To provide regular monitoring of street level appearance and visible issues
June 2015
Increase the use and targeting of mediation services in neighbour disputes
To reduce neighbour disputes and improve neighbour relations
June 2015
Increase tenancy enforcement and support activity on untidy gardens and offer support and advice where this is needed
To improve neighbourhood appearance and the help available to residents for garden maintenance
September 2015
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Involvement and empowerment
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What?
Why?
When?
Set up a regular neighbourhood improvement group with tenants
To ensure services are more customer and neighbourhood focussed
March 2016
Develop and improve Community Regeneration initiatives within our neighbourhoods
To improve neighbourhood appearance and allow the community to target areas they think are a problem, to build a sense of community spirit
March 2016
Continue to work with Tenant and Resident groups, providing any support 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 2014
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
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
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
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!
Westdale Lane Baptist Church and Community Centre
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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