Your GREATNeighbourhoodPromiseNetherfield and Colwick

2014-17

At Gedling Homes we want allour neighbourhoods to be greatplaces to live. We want them tolook great, have great services,feel safe and be a place for bothwork and recreation.

We believe that both GedlingHomes and our tenants have animportant role to play in shapinghow our neighbourhoods grow anddevelop. Through reviewing andimproving the services we provideto our tenants, we feel we can havea positive effect on our

neighbourhoods. We haveproduced a neighbourhood promisefor each of Gedling Homes’neighbourhood areas and this one isyours. It details the issues raised byyou and a commitment fromGedling Homes to renew anddevelop our services to contributeto improving your neighbourhood.

The promise will run for 3 years andwill be reviewed annually withtenants, to assess our progressagainst the actions.

Netherfield and Colwick

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St. George’s Centre

Gedling Homes’ Properties in Netherfield and Colwick

Occupied properties

Occupied: 310

Empty: 5

General needsaccommodation

Bungalow: 27

Flat: 93

House: 125

Ethnicity

White: 257

BME: 9

Unknown: 44

Gender

Female: 186

Male: 124

Shelteredaccommodation

Bungalow: 1

Flat: 69

Tenant age

18-29: 45

30-39: 30

40-49: 63

50-59: 39

60+: 100

Unknown: 33

Totalaccommodation

Bungalow: 28

Flat: 162

House: 125

Number ofproperties:

315

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*Data accurate as of November 2013

Netherfield and Colwick are three miles east ofNottingham and lie just outside the city boundary,within Gedling borough.

They are primarily residential areas but also contain anindustrial estate and the Victoria Retail Park, whichattracts a large number of visitors to its larger retailersand Sport Fitness Centre.

The main high street in Netherfield has a range ofshops, banks and takeaways along with otherbusinesses and service providers.

Along Victoria Road, the main access road throughNetherfield, there is a SureStart Centre and the LocoCentre which hold events and clubs for teenagers andyoung people.

The St. George’s Community Centre is also at the topof Victoria Road and holds various community eventsand has a café serving hot drinks and meals all day.

Buses run frequently throughout the day intoNottingham City Centre where a wider range ofservices can be accessed.

Gedling Homes properties in this neighbourhood aremade up of a mixture of 1 and 2 bedroomed flats; 2and 3 bedroomed houses, which are mainly terraced;and two sheltered housing schemes.

Your GREAT Neighbourhood

● Arthur Street● Asper Street● Bailey Court● Balmoral Road● Belvoir Road● Bourne Mews● Bourne Street● Britannia Court● Chandos Street● Chaworth Road● Clumber Avenue● Cooper Street● Curzon Street● Deabill Street● Dunstan Street

● Emerys Road● Forester Street● Godfrey Street● Green Avenue● Hodgkinson Street● Knight Street● Manvers Street● Meadow Cottages● Meadow Road● Midland Road● New Vale Road● Vale Road● Valeside Gardens● Wallet Street● York Street

Gedling Homes has properties in:

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Vale Road

Bourne Mews

Rating Your Neighbourhood

Working with our tenants we have identified a numberof areas that tell us how well we are performing in yourneighbourhood. These are called neighbourhoodindicators and will be used alongside the feedback wehave collected from tenants and residents. Theinformation will tell us what we need to focus on tohelp improve your neighbourhood.

We have also identified some external indicators whichwere identified as having an impact on the widercommunity.

Our tenants have told us to use a simple star rating,from 1-5, with 5 being the best. We will give a starrating to a range of indicators to identify a final,overall score for your neighbourhood.

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Colwick Play Day

Indicator Brief Summary STARRating

GedlingHomes’Indicators

Percentage of tenancies in rentarrears

There are significant levels of rent arrears. This meansthat a relatively high number of tenants will beexperiencing financial hardship and are at risk of losingtheir home

HHH

Percentage of customer satisfactionwith their neighbourhood as a placeto live (STAR survey)

Tenants’ general level of satisfaction with the area, as aplace to live is average

HHH

Turnover of stock Tenants stay in this area for an average amount of time HHH

Average number of days to relet aproperty (excluding properties wherea major repair has taken place)

The average time it takes for us to let a property in thisarea is good

HHHHH

Percentage of opened anti-socialbehaviour (ASB) cases per areaagainst organisation average

The neighbourhood experiences an above averagenumber of ASB cases compared to other areas

HHH

Percentage of evictions per area Evictions in this area are high compared to otherneighbourhoods. This may indicate that tenants living inthis area are suffering financial difficulty

HHH

ExternalIndicators

Employment - Percentage of peopleeconomically active

Economic activity in this area (employed, part-time,self-employed, seeking work) is relatively high

HHHHH

Education- Percentage of pupilsachieving 5 GCSE’s grade A-Cincluding English and Maths

Educational attainment is good for pupils aged 16in this area

HHHHH

Level of good health in theneighbourhood

Residents’ perception of their health is good in this area HHHHH

Barriers to housing and services /accessibility to services

People in this area have good access to a range of shopsand services from a variety of organisations close to theirhome

HHHHH

Crime & Safety - Offences andincidents

People in this neighbourhood report a higher level ofcrime than for any other area within Gedling borough.This may mean that people do not feel as safe andsecure living in this area

HHH

Summary STARRating

Gedling Homes have devised a detailed action plan which highlights many of the above areas. Work in theseareas will be undertaken in the next 3 year period to improve Gedling Homes properties

HHH

Your GREAT Neighbourhood Rating

The above information has been sourced from Gedling Homes’ own performance figures, the 2011 Census, GedlingBorough Council and the South Nottinghamshire Community Safety Partnership. Because the external data informationrelates to ward data it is not necessarily representative purely of Gedling Homes’ tenants.

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The indicators we use to rate your neighbourhoodshelp to point us in the right direction, but to furtheridentify what needs doing we need local knowledge,to address specific issues and problems.

We have spoken to local people who live and workin your neighbourhood. This is what we havebeen told:

Our Neighbourhood Team told us● There are a number of privately owned

properties not in use. These affect theappearance of the area. They could be usedto provide much needed family accommodation.

● Car parking is seen as a problem in some partsof the neighbourhood, partly caused by thelarge percentage of terraced housing withoutdriveways. This has an impact on street cleaningand levels of litter in some areas.

● There is a problem with tenants and residentsleaving their bins on the pavement. This problemis particularly evident at Bourne Mews wherethere are too many bins with tenantscontaminating recycling bins. The provision ofpublic bins is good.

● The main high street in Netherfield has a rangeof shops, banks and takeaways, along withother businesses and service providers. The highstreet does have a number of empty units. In thespring of 2013 a Food Market was introduced onthe third Saturday of every month to encouragepeople to shop in the Town Centre.

There is also a large retail park close to the townarea that provides a wide range of shops.

● There are some ASB issues in theneighbourhood; mainly around noise nuisanceand inconsiderate behaviour. There is somealcohol related ASB in specific parts of theneighbourhood. Fly tipping and dog foulingis also an ongoing concern.

● There are a number of open spaces inNetherfield and Colwick. All of these openspaces are very well maintained by GedlingBorough Council with hardly any litter ordog fouling despite heavy use by families andyoung people.

● There are plenty of local services in Netherfieldand Colwick. They are on good bus routes andclose to the city centre.

Local Knowledge - Auditing Your Neighbourhood

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Shop on Victoria Road

Shop on Victoria Road

You told us:On average the people we spoke to rate theneighbourhood 7 out of 10 as a place to live.Despite some concerns, the majority werepositive about the area.

● Some of the best features identified were:

● The range of shops

● Access to transport

● Having friendly neighbours

● Some of the worst features identified were:

● Crime and ASB

● Young people congregating

● Poor quality of shops

● Concerns expressed included:

● Feeling unsafe at/or around the Co-op,on Dunstan Street, Victoria Street and theJackie Bells area

● Street drinking in summer months

● Too many cars parked on streets

● Bins being left on the street

● Poor access to employment advice andjobs in the area

● Unacceptable levels of dog fouling

● Desired improvements included:

● More facilities to keep young peopleoccupied

● Improved appearance of certain streets

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Bailey Court Gardens

Other organisations told us:● Crime and ASB is an issue in some parts of the

area, partly from youths and from somepeople with alcohol dependency issues. Theftfrom local shops has also been expressed as aconcern by the Police. Netherfield andColwick has the highest level of reportedcrime compared to any other area withinGedling Borough.

● Gedling Borough Council’s Locality Plan forNetherfield, identified the following as beingkey areas of work for partner agenciesworking in this area:

● Preventive work around alcohol and drugs

● Reducing in the number of smokers

● Reducing the level of violence anddomestic abuse

● Tackling the consequences of higherdeprivation amongst families, such asobesity and educational attainment

● Creating employment opportunities

● Reducing deprivation and social isolationamongst older people

● Encouraging leisure participation inNetherfield

● Supporting positive mental health amongstNetherfield residents

Together, we saw:● Evidence of fly tipping in a small number

of areas

● Problems with dog fouling in particular places

● Problems with waste and bins at BourneMews

● Too many bins left on streets

● Parking issues and high number of cars

● A small number of boarded upunfurnished properties

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Bourne Mews allotment

What? Why? When?

Target low level nuisance by an increased staffpresence and joint working with the Police in thespecific area identified. Where appropriate managelow level noise and other inconsiderate behaviourgenerally in the neighbourhood

To reduce the incidents of ASB in theneighbourhood and improve residents quality oflife

March 2015

Introduce a restorative justice scheme with partneragencies and utilising volunteers from the communityto help reduce levels of ASB and to produce longlasting solutions to it

To engage communities in helping to solve theASB and the offending that affects them. This willincrease community engagement and provide avoice for victims of crime and ASB and those whohave been harmed either directly or indirectly

August 2015

Continue to support Gedling Borough Council in theprovision of youth diversionary activities

To reduce the level of ASB by providing positiveactivities and link young people to other services

September2015

Increase the signposting of tenants to health adviceand other support services

To improve the health of tenants in theneighbourhood and make them aware of thesupport that is available

March 2015

Consistently signpost and refer tenants and theirfamilies to training, employment and income adviceservices, to work with partners to develop youngpeople’s employment readiness

To improve services and maximise input into theneighbourhood from other service providers

September2015

Improve and focus our Caretaking service on theareas identified by our tenants

To ensure that tenants get the best possibleservice from our Caretaking team and tomaximise their impact on the neighbourhood

March 2015

Work with partners and other agencies to supportinitiatives to help improve the neighbourhood

To improve services and maximise input into theneighbourhood from other service providers

December2015

The Neighbourhood team to increase the targeting offly tipping and litter hotspots within Gedling Homesareas including the use of surveillance cameras

To improve the appearance and quality of life forresidents

March 2015

Your GREAT Neighbourhood Promise -What needs to happen?

Neighbourhood and community

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What? Why? When?

Work in partnership with Gedling BoroughCouncil’s (GBC) Neighbourhood Wardens to reducedog fouling

To reduce incidents of dog fouling in theneighbourhood and raise awareness of the issuein the community

September2015

In consultation with Gedling Borough Council providemore dog bins in identified areas

To improve neighbourhood appearance andquality of life for residents

September2015

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Colwick Park

What? Why? When?

Work towards publishing a plan of internalimprovement of communal areas in our apartmentblocks

To improve the appeal of properties and thequality of life of existing tenants

June 2015

Improve and introduce where possible scooterstorage in our schemes

To improve quality of life April 2016

Implement an external painting programme To improve the appearance of Gedling Homesproperties in the neighbourhood

March 2016

Consider all options available to improve theappearance Gedling Homes’ properties

To improve the appearance of theneighbourhood and quality of life of tenants

December2015

Undertake a review of the condition of all garagesites owned by Gedling Homes and produce aprogramme for future improvements

To improve the management, security andappearance of garage sites and improveparking provision

December2015

Improve the green spaces in our Independent LivingSchemes

To improve the scheme and area appearance March 2015

Review the refuge storage provision for GedlingHomes flats and the recycling options available

To improve the appearance of theneighbourhood and quality of life of tenants andresidents

March 2015

Home

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What? Why? When?

Continue to provide support to sustain tenancies andwherever possible prevent evictions

To help more tenants successfully sustain theirtenancies

June 2015

Continue to signpost and refer customers who maybenefit from the help of our Money Wise team

To reduce the number of evictions for non-payment of rent and provide more help and adviceon managing finances

September2015

Continue to make targeted calls and visits tocustomers in rent arrears. Provide advice andassistance to enable the customer to pay the rent dueand come to a sustainable agreement to repay anyarrears owed

To reduce arrears in the neighbourhood and thenumber of customers whose home is at risk due todebt issues

June 2015

Continue to provide increased support to identifiedfamilies and tenants and link them to our support andadvice services

To help identified customers successfully managetheir tenancy and reduce lifestyle clashes withother residents

June 2015

Continue to signpost support services to tenants whomay be experiencing drug and alcohol relatedproblems

To reduce levels of neighbour nuisance anddisputes and help identified tenants’ access healthsupport and services

September2015

Work with tenants to create a sense of communityand reduce isolation through befriending

To help new tenants settle into the neighbourhoodand create links to the community and neighbours

March 2015

Neighbourhood team to continue to carry out regularinspections (open to all tenants and residents)

To provide regular monitoring of street levelappearance and visible issues

June 2015

Increase the use and targeting of mediation services inneighbour disputes

To reduce neighbour disputes and improveneighbour relations

June 2015

Target fast track enforcement for serious ASBperpetrators with targeted resources from ourTenancy Services team

To remove disruptive tenants quickly and improvethe quality of life for other residents, protectingdemand for properties

December2014

Tenancy

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What? Why? When?

Set up a regular neighbourhood improvementgroup with tenants

To ensure services are more customer andneighbourhood focussed

March 2016

Continue to work with Tenants and Residentsgroups and provide any support they require todevelop their activities

To obtain detailed feedback from tenants andresidents specifically on services and widerneighbourhood issues, and work with themjointly on neighbourhood priorities

September2015

Promote ‘Grow your Own’ schemes for ourtenants

Promote Health and Wellbeing October 2015

Develop and improve Community Regenerationinitiatives within our neighbourhoods

To improve neighbourhood appearance andallow the community to target areas they thinkare a problem and to build a sense ofcommunity spirit

March 2016

Extend our links with furniture recyclingcommunity enterprises to help new and existingtenants furnish their properties

To improve community access to affordablefurniture, build community networks anddevelop the community’s ability to work onprojects together

March 2016

Extend and improve activities for older tenants viaSheltered Scheme events

To improve community links between oldertenants in different parts of the neighbourhoodand improve community spirit and quality oflife

September2015

Develop a Time Bank scheme where tenants canprovide skills and support to each other

To build community cooperation networks,increase community spirit, self-help, improveinter-generational links and build respect

March 2015

Involvement and empowerment

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Work has already begun in your neighbourhood on thevarious actions outlined in Your GREATNeighbourhood Promise.

We will be reviewing the plan frequently and will keepyou updated on the progress with an annual report.You will have the opportunity to be involved in this soplease watch out for advertised activities or requestsfor feedback.

However, if you have something to say, don’t wait forus to call you! If after reading this you have anyquestions, comments or suggestions, or if youwould 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 visityou in your own home.

We look forward to hearing from you.

Thank you!

We hope that over the next three years, through theactions outlined in Your GREAT NeighbourhoodPromise, we will really make a visible difference to yourneighbourhood.

We believe that the key to achieving the goals set out inthis plan is to continue working together, with you,our tenants and leaseholders.

Final Thoughts

What happens next?

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Phone: 0115 905 1515

Email: enquiries@gedlinghomes.co.uk

Website: www.gedlinghomes.co.uk

Facebook: www.facebook.co.uk/gedlinghomes

Twitter: @Gedling_Homes

Write: Gedling Homes, Gedling House,Wood Lane, Gedling, NG4 4AD

Contact Us

Victoria Retail Park

In person:

Customer Contact Centre,The Civic Centre,Arnot Hill Park, Arnold,Nottingham, NG5 6LU.

Opening times are9am to 5pm Monday to Thursday,9am to 4.30pm Friday