The project sets out to implement urgent actions that have been highlighted around environmental problems and/or anti social behaviour. This initiative aims to tackle some of the major problems that contribute to the poor quality of the outdoor environment in the WEHM area and the difficulties this creates for the local community.
It is expected actions will be agreed through the HEAT Monitoring Group. Other relevant groups for example the HEAT Neighbourhood Management Drop in Surgery and the inter-agency Group will assess and feed ideas/actions into the HEAT Monitoring Group for final decision. This way ideas will come both from residents and the agencies with a focused resident group making the final decisions within the confines of the project budgets.
A priority list for actions will be drawn up and these will influence the Local Environmental Survey and the resident environmental improvements/issues form, which together will identify hotspots. The Inter-agency group and the Heat Monitoring group will review this form. The Monitoring group will take part in walkabouts of the area to assess the environmental issues in the WEHM.
An environmental improvements/issues form will be devised. This will give residents an opportunity to give their ideas on how to improve their immediate physical environment and suggest how to improve physical features that are contributing to anti-social behaviour problems in the immediate community. These forms will be readily available at the community points in the WEHM as well as in the NDC Office. These will form part of the publicity of the project, they will give details of what the project sets out to do and update on achievements and how residents can become involved. The project will be publicised in Your Shout and when activities are undertaken the project will actively chase publicity through the local press using the resources available through the NDCs Com 1 teams marketing officer.
Contact Details
Stinder Johl
New Deal for Communities Office
The Old Health Centre
Hillmorton Road
Wood End
Coventry, CV2 1SG
(024) 766 22964
Two residents have been handed the keys to their future, following their move into a new £5.6m housing scheme in the north-east of Coventry.
Kevin Hissey and Jason Brooks are among the first new residents to move into the Whitefriars Housing Group and Coventry City Council development.
By summer 2008 all 57 families will have joined them at the site of the old Manor Guildhouse, in Heather Road, Alderman’s Green.
Jason, a dad-of-two, said: “I am really pleased to have moved. I’ve got the garden I needed, an up-to-date kitchen and the storage space. My son and daughter have their own bedrooms and it’s bigger than our old house. I didn’t expect to be offered a brand new house, so it’s brilliant. It’s convenient for my children’s schools and with my neighbour moving to the area too, it’s perfect.”
The properties, available for affordable rent, include two, three and four bedroom homes and two bedroom bungalows and apartments. One of the bungalows has been specially designed for disabled occupants.
Kevin Hissey, student nurse and paramedic, said: “I’m really delighted with the move. The new house is a big improvement on my previous property as it’s much more spacious. It has also got a smaller garden which is much easier for me to handle between studying and my night shift placements, I live with my son and daughter who are also very happy with their new home.”
A Social Housing Grant of around £2.7m was made available from Coventry City Council's Strategic Housing Regeneration Fund towards the development, with Whitefriars funding the remaining £2.9m. Lovell, Whitefriars’ partner contractor, is carrying out the building work.
The development, which includes planned improvements to the nearby pond on Almond Tree Avenue, was funded with the intention to re-house residents from the local New Deal for Communities (NDC) area, affected by the wider £360million regeneration scheme taking place in their area.
Lynn Wassell, project director for the partnership, said: “We are delighted that the Alderman’s Green scheme has proved a success and that the first residents are settled in.”
Cllr Gary Ridley, cabinet member for Climate Change, Housing and Sustainability, said: "We're supporting lots of new housing projects around the city at the moment that will increase the amount of social housing that's available. I'm very pleased the Manor Guildhouse scheme is proving so popular. It is a good example of what can be achieved when the city council and housing associations - in this case Whitefriars - work together.”
February 4 2008
Residents from Knowsley, Liverpool, took a leaf out of the book of a Coventry regeneration project, during a visit to the city.
A group of 20 residents and representatives from the Merseyside city, which is the European Capital of Culture for 2008, visited the north-east of Coventry today.
The aim of the trip was to showcase the progress made so far in the £350m redevelopment of Wood End, Henley Green, Manor Farm and Deedmore. When completed, the project will see some 3,500 new homes built and extensive improvements in green space and community facilities.
Coventry’s project is one of the most radical, transformational housing regeneration schemes within the 39 NDCs areas across the country.
The Knowsley residents, who live in the North Huyton NDC area, met with residents from the Regeneration Action Team for the Coventry tour. They also heard from the partners involved in the project, including Whitefriars Housing Group, , Coventry NDC, Coventry City Council and Keepmoat plc.
Chair of the Regeneration Action Team, Martin Smith said: “The visit was very positive. The exchange of histories and experiences helped both groups gain further insight into the issues that were in common to both neighbourhoods, and reinforced the need for the massive regeneration required.
“Local residents gained much from the visit, in particular the reinforcement of the idea that we are not alone in the way we are tackling the problems our neighbourhoods have.”
An afternoon session saw residents from both areas sit down and discuss what was needed to ensure people living in their areas had the chance to influence the regeneration work and the importance of communication. Ideas discussed included training for residents, visits to other regeneration and redevelopment schemes and the importance of keeping people informed about what progress is being made.
Lynn Wassell, project director for the Coventry partnership, said: “It was great to host the visitors from Knowsley and share what has worked for us and them.
“Everyone who attended got a lot out of the day, particularly from the session on resident involvement. We have been very clear from the beginning of the project that we want local people to have a say in the work we do. There is a strong structure in place, right up to NDC Partnership level, to ensure that’s the case but exploring less formal engagement options was really useful.”
In addition to the new homes, work will also take place to improve the condition of those properties which will remain. New roads, community buildings, communal play areas and green spaces are all included in the proposals and more than £10 million will be spent in the area to improve public open spaces.
February 28 2008
Supporters of a community-based project got together on Friday to celebrate its achievements over the last five years, ahead of the official closing at the end of March.
The Drug & Alcohol Support Project (DASP), based on Hillmorton Road in Wood End, is due to come to an end on March 31st after receiving five years of New Deal for Communities funding, the Coventry DAAT Building Safer Communities monies and the Coventry Primary Care Trust Pooled Treatment Budget to support local people on the estates of Wood End, Henley Green, Manor Farm and Deedmore.
The volunteer based service has provided local support for people worried about their own or someone else’s drug or alcohol use and since opening in April 2003,has worked with over 1,400 individuals with drugs or alcohol related problems, with 586 who have benefited from DASP’s tailored training courses. On Friday 29th February staff held an open door celebration day to thank project supporters and partners for their help in the past five years.
Jan Phillips, community drugs worker from the Swanswell Trust, which helps run the project said: "Although it is sad DASP has come to an end, we hope the project's success will demonstrate the support and reach that a small community project can offer.
"DASP was particularly successful in engaging the local community and since the start it has relied entirely on volunteers, many of whom have also benefited from the project. The project has helped many individuals to make real change in their lives."
Henley Ward Councillor, Lynnette Kelly attended the celebration event for DASP. She said:
"The DASP project has been a tremendous success over the last five years and has played an important role in those peoples lives it has changed. There are many families and individuals who have benefited from the services and I hope the legacy lives on."
From April anyone concerned about drug use should contact the Community Drug Team at 8 Ironmonger Row or call 0800 783 0447/0247630135. For alcohol related issues you can contact the Community Alcohol Service at Swanswell House on Norton Street or call 02476226619.
For more information on the New Deal for Communities programme in Coventry, either call 024 7662 2964, visit www.coventryndc.org.uk or pop into their offices on Hillmorton Road in Wood.
Tuesday 4th March
Date: Wednesday 2 July 2008
Time: 5.00pm
Venue: Coventry Transport Museum
Event: Launch of Coventry's first Young Advisors scheme (see below release)
Interviews/photos: Interviews and photos with four Young Advisors, Deborah Bukasa (18), Becky Bacon (17), Conar Hennedy (15) and Kirsten Forbes (16).
Coventry New Deal for Communities Director, Afzal Hussain
National Young Advisors Charity Chief Executive, Gary Buxton
Ex-Young Advisor and now Regional Development Officer for the Young Advisors Charity, Trina Brooks.
News release in support
Young people's opinions hold real value
Giving your opinion on something and then being paid for it sounds like the perfect job! Well this is a reality for four young people from the NDC area of the City as they become Coventry's first Young Advisors.
The scheme, set up by the Department for Communities and Local Government to involve and empower local young people, has invested heavily in training and developing four young people from the NDC area to become Young Advisors - so they can charge £8 per hour for their expertise and guidance.
Promoting a positive image of young people in Coventry and the NDC areas of Wood End, Henley Green, Manor Farm and Deedmore, the new Young Advisors are launching their services at an event on the 2 July at the Coventry Transport Museum.
"The event will give us the chance to tell people why using the Young Advisors will benefit them", said Young Advisor Kirsten Forbes, aged 16 from Wood End. "We can offer help to organisations with things like youth proofing documents, consultation, training, advice and making links between adults and young people".
Becky Bacon, also a Young Advisor aged 18 from Henley Green said, "It is great that we get paid for our opinions. We have found from being involved in our community for a while now that adults make assumptions about what young people think and need, and we are hoping people will now pay for young people's time and advice in the same way they pay for other advisers".
Work already underway for the Young Advisors include, feeding in to the city's teenage pregnancy strategy, shortlisting and recruiting for Coventry City Council, setting up a local young person's environmental project, carrying out consultation work on the NDC's Youth and Enterprise Centre and work commissioned from the Terence Higgins Trust to promote and advise young people on a new sexual health clinic in their area.
Tina Prashar, Regional Manager for the Terence Higgins Trust said, "This scheme is a fantastic way of putting real value on young people's input. The work the Young Advisors have done for us on our sexual health clinic has had a great impact. They are better able to engage other young people and have also given us some really good suggestions about how we should target our work in the future. Their contribution to our work is invaluable to the success of the clinic".
The Coventry Young Advisors scheme is being funded and managed by Coventry New Deal for Communities (NDC), the £54million regeneration programme in Wood End, Henley Green, Manor Farm and Deedmore. The NDC programme has already invested heavily in empowering young people on the four estates since 2001, through their Youth Forum and other diversionary projects. They received government funding for a Young Advisors pilot scheme in 2007, which had led to the National rollout of the scheme this year.
The Coventry Young Advisors launch event will take place at the Coventry Transport Museum on Wednesday 2 July 2008, 5.30pm – 8.00pm. The Young Advisors will be presenting their work and promoting their services to prospective customers. Anyone interested in attending can do so by contacting Coventry New Deal for Communities on 024 7662 2964 or email communications@coventryndc-wehm.org.uk
This Saturday marks a special day for residents of Henley Green in North East Coventry, as they celebrate holding their fifth annual Summer Fete ran purely by local people.
Henley Green Residents Association are putting the final touches to preparations for the event this weekend, which aims to celebrate community life in the area and the achievement of the association in running five successful annual events.
John Marriot, residents association member and chief organiser of the Henley Green Summer Fete said; "There is no doubt that this year will be a special year for the Fete. We hold the event every year on the Luscombe Road Fields, and this year we are very proud to be able to officially call it our Village Green.
"We are encouraging residents from Henley Green and neighbouring areas to come along and celebrate with us, although they may want to bring their wellies because we might be in for a bit of rain!
The event this year has been funded by Coventry New Deal for Communities (NDC); the government-funded regeneration programme working in the four areas of Henley Green, Wood End, Manor Farm and Deedmore.
NDC Community Involvement Manager, Johanne Thomas said; "Since NDC began in the area in 2001, we have continually worked with our residents associations to enable them to play an active role in decision-making both about the regeneration of the area and influencing local services. We are continuing to invest in local resident associations and funding their annual events will strengthen their presence in the area and help boost their membership, as well as equip them with the skills to continue fundraising and holding these events every year. We are proud sponsors of all of our resident associations and believe they can be strong examples of communities in control".
The free event this Saturday, 16 August 2008, runs from 1–5pm on the Luscombe Road Village Green, off Henley Road in Henley Green. It will feature children's inflatables, a bucking bronco, face painting, body art, stalls, cheerleaders, Irish dancers and a female vocalist.
Issued: 13.08.08
POLICE Community Support Officers (PCSOs) have been out and about in the New Deal for Communities (NDC) area of North East Coventry, in a brand new mobile police station purchased by the Coventry NDC regeneration programme.
The station regularly moves around Wood End, Henley Green, Manor Farm and Deedmore, collectively known as the NDC area, improving visibility and accessibility of the Police. Its flexible opening hours and mobility allows it to be responsive when needed and proactive in deterring crime and reassuring residents in hotspot areas.
Karen Buttle, Neighbourhood Services Manager for Coventry NDC, said: “The mobile station aims to improve resident engagement with the police in the NDC area.
We hope that the continued presence of the station will encourage more residents to interact with the police and have the confidence to report crime.”
The project began in mid July this year and has funding for the next five years for the NDC area of Coventry. Early indications show anti social behaviour incidences have already reduced since the station hit the streets and the profile of local PCSOs has improved.
Inspector Duncan Paton, from Stoney Stanton Road police station, said: “This is an ongoing opportunity for people to meet the PCSOs that work in their community and understand more about their role in the community.
We are always available for crime prevention advice and confidential support. This station reinforces our presence in the area.”
This project is part of a wider serious harm project funded by Coventry NDC in partnership with the police, tackling crime and the fear of crime in the area. Previous joint projects have tackled issues including domestic violence, burglary and HATE crime.
Tuesday 19 August 2008
The latest milestone in the £350m regeneration of the north-east of Coventry has been reached with an outline planning application lodged with the council planning department.
It is expected that a decision by city planners on whether the plans get the go-ahead will be made around Christmas 2008.
The huge scheme would see up to 3,328 new homes built over 12-15 years in Wood End, Deedmore, Henley Green and Manor Farm. Details have been finalised with the involvement of local residents.
The plans for the redevelopment of the area have been produced by a consortium of developers, Bovis Homes, Keepmoat Ltd and Persimmon Homes in partnership with the Whitefriars Housing Group, Coventry City Council and Coventry New Deal for Communities.
Lynn Wassell, Whitefriars’ project director, working on behalf of Whitefriars, Coventry City Council and NDC, said: “The Coventry partners were happy to give the submission their seal of approval. We have all been working towards this for some time so it is a real milestone to have got to the stage where the plans are submitted.
“The redevelopment of north-east Coventry will have a huge and transformational long term impact on the people who live and work there and will provide high quality homes and significant investment in open space and play provision. To help residents during the process, we are also opening a Whitefriars’ office in the area.
“Thank you to all the residents who have helped us to get to this stage and given their time to influence the plans.”
The project would see a number of properties in the area demolished and replaced with new ones and up to 2,500 new properties for sale.
Councillor Gary Ridley, Cabinet Member (City Development), said: "This important regeneration scheme is a wonderful opportunity for the people who live in the area and this is a major step forward. The number of proposed new homes, both for sale and rent, will provide existing and new residents with a range of housing choices not available at the moment and will help us to make lasting change now and for future generations."
In addition to the new homes, work will also take place to improve the condition of those properties which will remain. New roads, community buildings, communal play areas and green spaces are all included in the proposals and several million pounds will be spent in the area to improve public open spaces.
As the project develops, Whitefriars is set to open an office on September 15. The base, on Hillmorton Road, will be staffed by the regeneration team. Residents, including non-Whitefriars’ tenants, will be able to view the outline planning proposals, find out the facts behind the redevelopment and discover ways they can get involved. The office will be open from 10am to 3pm from Monday, Wednesday and Friday, and 11am to 4pm Thursday. Late night opening on Wednesdays, up until 7pm, will also be available via appointment.
Whitefriars owns and manages more than 2,000 homes in the NDC area.
September 15 2008
Event: Tour around the £11million building, 3 months before completion.
Date: Thursday 25 September 2008
Time: 2.45pm
Venue: Leisure and Neighbourhood Centre site entrance, Winston Avenue, Henley Green, CV2 1EB
Organisers: Coventry New Deal for Communities (NDC) in partnership with Coventry City Council
Details: There will be a tour of the site, photo opportunities inside and outside the building and interviews available with NDC and City Council Officers behind the project, contractors building the centre, NDC Partnership Board representatives, including local residents and Cabinet Member for Regeneration, and local Ward Councillors
News release in support:
Next Thursday (25 September), a small group of residents will get their first glimpse inside the £11million state-of-the-art Leisure and Neighbourhood Centre being built on their doorstep in North East Coventry.
Three months before its completion and with the roof now in tact, residents from the New Deal for Communities Partnership Board, who approved funding for this flagship project, will be the first people to take a tour around the outside and inside of the centre.
The large boomerang shaped building stands on the corner of Winston Avenue and Deedmore Road in the heart of the NDC area. Once complete, it will boast a fitness gym, aerobic exercise room, four-court sports hall, a full size artificial turf pitch and two multi use games areas. In addition, the community can enjoy facilities including a café, crèche, IT suite, classrooms and access to local NDC, Social Services, Neighbourhood Management and Wood End Advice Centre offices.
It’s the first time residents will have seen the inside of the building since its start on site in January this year. Thursday will give them and fellow agency representatives from the Partnership Board, an opportunity to see how the building is configured as a leisure and neighbourhood facility, how rooms will be laid out and where community spaces are being created.
Coventry NDC, the £54million regeneration programme working in the areas of Wood End, Henley Green, Manor Farm and Deedmore, funded this large-scale capital build project following consultation with local residents about what they wanted to see in their local area.
Local resident and NDC Partnership Board member Alan Tyrell said; "When we did the consultation there was an overwhelming response from people wanting to see a facility in the area for sport and leisure. Residents on the board were obviously in favour of this too and we started work to ensure this vision for residents was delivered. We are excited because it signals the start of real physical change in the area, ahead of the housing redevelopment which is also progressing well. We want this area to be a place people want to visit and this centre will offer a big attraction for people across the North East".
Councillor Gary Ridley, Cabinet Member (City Development) at Coventry City Council said; "This handsome new building is fantastic for the NDC area. There has never been a leisure centre in this area before and it shows our on going commitment to providing high quality leisure and sports facilities in the heart of local communities. I am sure it will be well used by local people and with a wide range of facilities I am sure there will be something for everyone."
£10million of funding came from the NDC Programme with a further £1million from the Football Foundation, Sport England and FIFA. The project has also been managed and supported by Coventry City Council, who will take over the running of the centre once completed in December.
Issued Friday 19 September 2008
A young peoples environmental group from Coventry could be winning an award at this year's RegenWM awards, an annual event which recognises regeneration in the region.
Eco Way To Go have been short listed in the Environmental and People Category for the annual awards ceremony being held on the 8th of December. The group formed after young people from the Coventry New Deal for Communities (NDC) area decided they wanted to do something for their local environment, a topic which came top of the list following a consultation in the area.
Coventry NDC and Whitefriars Housing Group teamed up to provide training and equipment for the group who have cleared 1 tonne of rubbish from their area this year.
Nicole Heaney, Youth Support Officer from NDC said: "To be short-listed is great news for Eco Way To Go as young people feel they play an important role in looking after their area.
"We will all have our fingers crossed on the night and want to thank the RegenWM judges for recognising the group as a worthy contender for the award."
Elliot Forbes, a member of Eco Way To Go said:" It is excellent news to hear that we have been put up for an award in the whole of the Midlands county. We only found out recently and were ecstatic to find out that we had been shortlisted. Over the last few months we have been doing some community work involving cleaning up the area and saving frogs from a little pond."
Afzal Hussain, NDC Director said: "Eco Way To Go demonstrate community spirit in the NDC area. Residents are very proud of where they live and enjoy getting involved in initiatives to benefit the area."
Coventry NDC's Multi Action Task Team – a partnership between NDC, Whitefriars Housing and West Midlands Police have also been short listed in the 'Most Transferable Good Practice Category'.
For more information on the New Deal for Communities programme in Coventry, either call 024 7662 2964 or pop into their offices on Hillmorton Road in Wood.
Two community-led projects supported by Coventry New Deal were highly commended at this year's RegenWM awards, an annual event which recognises successful regeneration projects in the region.
Young people's environmental group, Eco Way To Go were short listed in the Environment and People Category at the awards earlier this month alongside the Multi Agency Task Team, a partnership team driven by NDC, Whitefriars Housing and Coventry City Council, to create a rapid response service to local problems in the NDC area.
Both projects were showcased at the awards and presented with highly commended certificates for their work within the community and the results they had achieved over the last year.
Judges described Eco Way To Go as 'a passionate involvement of participants with real impact on life-changing benefits. There is also excellent involvement as a community green space project and good environmental impact' and the Multi Agency Task Team as "a robust description of joined up multi-agency working which is benefiting the local community."
Eco Way To Go formed after young people from the Coventry NDC decided they wanted to do something for their local environment, a topic which came top of the list following a community consultation in the area. Since they started back in April, the group has taken part in regular clean ups and have cleared around one tonne of rubbish from the NDC area.
The Multi Agency Task Team was formed in October 2006 to address the need for partnering principal agencies in the area together to deal with day to day neighbourhood management issues like grounds maintenance, anti-social behaviour, tenant enforcement, fly tipping and graffiti. The task team has been successful in tackling problems including a River Sowe clean up where 123 tonnes of debris was removed by the Environmental Agency after MATT contacted them.
Afzal Hussain, NDC Director said: "Both Eco Way To Go and the Multi Agency Task Team demonstrate how community involvement and regeneration projects go hand in hand to improve services for local residents and it is wonderful that this has been recognised by RegenWM.
"Coventry NDC was the only organisation to have two separate projects short listed on the night and we look forward to competing again next year."
For more information on the New Deal for Communities programme in Coventry, either call 024 7662 2964 or pop into their offices on Hillmorton Road in Wood.
Issued 16.12.08