aksa neighbourhood plans - bury

Great Homes Great Neighbourhoods Great People

Resource Housing Reg. No. 2111

10517A NCHT Nhood Plans BURY v8_. 24/06/2013 15:00

Bury

Your GREATNeighbourhoodPlan


aksa Homes, part of the NewCharter Housing trust Group, aimsto provide ‘Great Homes, GreatNeighbourhoods, Great People’ byplacing customers at the heart ofeverything it does.

We are committed to tacklinginequality whilst promoting andstrengthening communities in theareas where you live. We wouldlike everyone to work togetherto improve and shape ourperformance and the standardof services that we deliver.

To do this we have developed aneighbourhood plan for each ofour new neighbourhoods. this oneis yours.

This plan identifies the mainissues that affect yourneighbourhood and what weneed to do to address them.

Customers and partners havebeen involved in putting thisneighbourhood plan together andthey will be helping to monitor itsprogress every step of the way.

The plan will run for three yearsand will be reviewed annually.

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Your Great Neighbourhood Plan

Customers andpartners have beeninvolved in puttingthis neighbourhoodplan together.


Our Bury neighbourhood is close to the busyretail and market trading town centre.

Our neighbourhood consists of 71 houses and flatsin two key locations; 30 houses on Southbank Road(off Manchester Road near BelleVueTerrace) andHeywood Road/East Street neighbourhood. Bury is amajor town within Greater Manchester with a vibrantretail centre.There is plenty of green space and wellmaintained public places that all members of yourfamily can enjoy.

There is a mixture of large parks andsmaller children’s play areas; ClarencePark is about a mile away from thetown centre and borders Chesham

Woods and Nature Reserve.This offersfishing, skating, tennis and other activities.

There are also lots of children’s play areasfor different ages.

Both neighbourhoods consist of new build properties,meeting the demand for high quality affordable familyhomes.The majority are three and four bedroomproperties with front and back gardens.

These homes have good access to bus, rail and tramservices out of Bury Metrolink interchange, witheasy connections to Manchester city centre and theLancashire countryside.

Bury town centre has an impressive shopping centreand the renowned Bury market at its heart.

The area has good primary and secondary schoolsand the nearby Bury College offers A-level, highereducation and adult education programmes.

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Great place to live...


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We have identified a range of indicators that tellus about your neighbourhood. these indicators aredesigned to tell us how much support we need togive a neighbourhood and what specific areas arecausing the most problems so we can targetservices and resources to improve them.

We are using a simple star rating; 5, 4, or 3 stars;5 stars being the best rating. This is to help you seehow your neighbourhood is performing in differentareas. Each individual indicator we have used has itsown star rating.

Down your streetHere is a map and list of streets in yourneighbourhood to give you an idea ofexactly where your plan covers

What do we know about our homesand tenants in this area?

Bury


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Brighton Street

Fountain Street

Grundy Close

Grundy Lane

Kirkby Close

Manzoor Buildings

Palace Street

Pimhole Road

Southbank Road

Walmersley Road

% of current arrears

The neighbourhood has some areas where rentarrears are a problem, meaning some householdsmay be experiencing money management issuesor difficulties adapting to welfare reform. Thisshows that some households may need additionalsupport.

average time to re let a property

Properties in your neighbourhood are generallylet quickly, but some flats may be unpopular.

average number of repairs

The average cost of repairs per property issignificant and shows that some homeshave issues in terms of maintenance costs.

tenancy turnover

On average people who move into theneighbourhood stay in their homes for a long periodof time. This shows that people are happy living inthe area.


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% of ongoing anti-socialbehaviour cases

The neighbourhood has low levels of anti-socialbehaviour and neighbour nuisance cases.

Neighbourhood satisfaction

People's general satisfaction with theneighbourhood as a place to live is good butthere are some factors that could be improved.

Crime

The neighbourhood has significant levels of crime.Although levels of crime are not high, people do notalways feel safe in their neighbourhood.

employment

The neighbourhood has problems withemployment levels.This shows that people in theneighbourhood are having difficulty getting intowork and may not be well qualified for the jobsthat are available.

Household income

The neighbourhood has quite low levels of familyincome compared with regional averages.This showsthat a significant number of families are deprived andhave difficulty managing their money.

access to services

Residents have some shops and services close totheir homes, but not all.This shows that whileshopping can be done nearby there is some difficultygetting certain services close to home.


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According to the Government's'Bedroom Tax' rules, 44% of ourtenants in Bury are living in homesthat are too big for them.

According to the Government's

that are too big for them.


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Local knowledge: What we know about your neighbourhoodthe indicators we use at aksa point us in the right direction but we are really keen to hear from you.So we conducted a questionnaire and managed to talk to the majority of our tenants in their ownhomes.

We also talked about specific issues with groups of tenant representatives and used focusgroups to look at areas of our service, for instance, repairs and maintenance.


There are issues of low level anti-social behaviourand crime that have a negative impact upon theneighbourhood. Some people have talked aboutother crime in the area which is a concern. Thisis something which is currently being looked at.

Parking is a problem in some streets withnon-residents parking inconsiderately.

Potholes and uneven surfaces on someroads and pavements are a problem.

There have been issues of abandoned vehiclesand nuisance.

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What our teamat aksa told us

The Aksa team felt that homes andtheir nearby environment aregenerally good but there is a needto improve some outside areas, forexample the look of gates, fencingand bin stores.


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What you told us

On average, the people we spoke to rated theneighbourhood 8 out of 10 as a place to live.While people are positive about the area thereare still some issues that need to be looked at toimprove quality of life.

Some of the best features about living in theneighbourhood were: access to shops, publictransport, green spaces and property condition.

The issues to improve about living in theneighbourhood were: litter, fly-tipping and noisenuisance.

People raised specific issues about:

Lack of access to employment advice

Lack of walk-in advice services

Concern about graffiti removal

A lack of leisure and library services

Important reasons identified as to whysome tenants would not move from theneighbourhood are:

Community spirit in the area

Nearby shops and services

Easy access to the town centre


67% of our Bury tenants would like to stay in theirneighbourhood and are unlikely to move.

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There are concerns that crime is not alwaysreported in the area.This may be affecting thequality of life of some residents.This crime islinked to drug and gang activity.

There are some significant health issues in thearea with higher mortality rates, stress and mentalhealth issues.This is due to poor access to theright kind of health services. Making sure peoplehave access to good health services is a priority.

Household income is an issue with agenciesidentifying problems with levels ofunemployment. Many people also rely onbenefits.These could be problems for residentsin terms of loss of income through theGovernment's welfare reform.

There are a significant number of older and retiredresidents living in the Bury neighbourhood.A focus on health and older person’s serviceswill be expected in the future.

There are also a group of young families withchildren who need additional help. Better accessto services is important to ensure that thosemost in need are supported.

What other organisations told us

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What we saw together

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Vandalism to fencing and broken glass.

Parking issues; abandoned vehiclesand houses not using parking spacesprovided.

The difference between wellmaintained and poorly cared forgardens.

Communal areas that need work,for example internal decorationand landscaping.

Overgrown trees and plants.

Boundary areas aroundproperties are not clear.


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Neighbourhood management

Work in partnership with the police andother agencies to improve security in areasthat are vulnerable to drug related crime.

To reduce anti-social behaviour andincrease security for residents.

November 2013

Work in partnership with the police andBury Council to increase physical presencein the neighbourhood targeting hot spotsof anti-social behaviour.

To increase levels of surveillance in theneighbourhoods and encourage peopleto work together.

October 2013

Carry out a review of how we deal withanti-social behaviour complaints ensuringthat appropriate enforcement action istaken for those who break the rules oftheir tenancy.

To ensure effective housing managementservice delivery.To improve quality of lifefor those residents who may be affected.

September 2013

Work in partnership with the police andother agencies to develop a long-termcrime prevention strategy for theneighbourhood.

To develop long-term crime preventionstrategy whilst increasing securityfor residents.

December 2013

What? Why? When?

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 theneighbourhood based on what we have established and what you have told us. It is effectivelyan action plan which shows us what needs to be done in more detail


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Introduce a home/street watchscheme to the neighbourhood.

To encourage residents to speak to usmore and increase our knowledgeand intelligence.

September 2013

Aksa continues to promote quarterlyestate inspections and to encouragegreater tenant involvement to helpwith this.

Greater involvement from residents toensure issues of concern are addressed.

July 2013

Review Aksa’s allocation policy andreview how we let our homes.

To ensure that homes are let to thosepeople/families most in need whilstencouraging people to give somethingback to their community.

August 2013

Carry out an environmental inspection ofcommunal landscape areas and work closelywith Green Charter,Aksa’s in-house groundsmaintenance team.

To ensure areas are well kept andmaintained to improve overallappearance of the neighbourhood.

September 2013

Carry out an inspection to all communalareas and landscaping.

To ensure that all communal areasare well maintained.

September 2013

Look at how we tackle the removal ofgrafitti.

To improve the appearance of theneighbourhood.

August 2013

What? Why? When?


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What? Why? When?

Look at a range of drop-in and adviceservices in the neighbourhood.

Increase awareness and take up ofservice provision.

October 2013

Start our ‘Stepping into work’ employmentprogramme and set up a work club in theneighbourhood.

To provide help, support and guidanceto residents with training opportunitiesand finding work.

September 2013

Promote volunteering and work experienceopportunities via our volunteering programme.

To offer valuable work experiencewith Aksa and local businesses.

October 2013

Signpost and refer customers who maybenefit from additional support in debtadvice and money management via ourCitizens Advice Service Scheme.

To increase awareness of help andsupport to reduce debt and/orfinancial problems.

August 2013

Develop a programme that offers tenantsthe opportunity to learn practical skills onbudgeting, for example, cooking healthymeals on a budget.

To provide more practical help forcustomers in managing money.

September 2013

Refer customers affected by welfare reformto our advice team for help.

To reduce rent arrears and thenumber of residents at risk of losingtheir homes due to debt issues.

July 2013

You and your family


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What? Why? When?

Develop a programme of activities thathelp tenants to keep warm and reducetheir fuel bills.

To provide help and advice to reducefuel bills and awareness on howto save energy.

October 2013

To hold regular housing adviceneighbourhood drop-ins.

Offer a face-to-face service in theneighbourhood to help deal with issueslocally.

July 2013

We aim to... provide morepractical help for customersin managing money.


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Home

What? Why? When?

Monitor our property improvementprogramme and make sure that peopleknow about it.

To improve the standard of homes andimprove residents quality of life.

January 2014

Investigate the causes of damp andcondensation in identified homes.

Help people to stop damp and adviceon how to solve the problem if ithappens.

January 2014

Great Homes events to be held regularlyto look at repairs and maintenance servicelevels and satisfaction.

To promote wider understanding oftenant and landlord responsibilities.

April 2014

Look at the option of improvingwasteland areas.

To improve the overall look of theneighbourhood and ensure thatwasteland is used.

February 2014

Carry out a review of parking facilitieswithin the neighbourhood working inconjunction with Bury Council.

To tackle parking issues within theneighbourhood to find a solution.

August 2013


What? Why? When?

January 2014

To tackle parkingissues within theneighbourhood tofind a solution

Develop a programme of improvementworks to improve the appearance ofcommunal areas.

To improve the appearance ofshared areas.

Monitor Green Charter in-house groundsmaintenance service and encourage tenantsto get involved.

To ensure service delivers a highstandard and customer feedbackis encouraged.

September 2013

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Community involvement

What? Why? When?

Work with partners to developcommunity activities in the area.

February 2014

Encourage Bury tenants to joinAksa’sTenant PanelTeam.

March 2014

Set up a neighbourhood improvement teamto monitor the grounds maintenance serviceand have Aksa customer representation onthe monitoring panel.

November 2013

Develop street representatives to thoseinterested customers whose role will beable to report issues they or otherresidents are concerned about in theirneighbourhood.

December 2013

To increase awareness and participationin services available.

To ensure equal representation acrossAksa Homes neighbourhoods.

To monitor grounds maintenance serviceand ensure high standards are kept.

To help in dealing with key issuespromptly and increase customerled monitoring.

Look at other venues for drop-in sessionsfor tenants in Bury.

April 2014To develop wider partnerships for thebenefit of our tenants.


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What? Why? When?

Set up a neighbourhood ServiceImprovement Group to provide a systemfor bringing customer views to staff.

Consult with customers on theidentification of locally agreed servicestandards – the Aksa standards.

March 2014

Promote the Aksa CommunityInvestment Fund.

To assist community groups toaccess funding for developingcommunity activities.

October 2013

We aim to... assist community groups to access funding fordeveloping community activities.

To continue to consult customers andprovide a variety of ways of providinginformation and feedback. Promote newtechnology where possible andencourage involvement.

To encourage a different type ofcommunication between otherresidents and staff.To provide alternativesupport to those not able to attendformal meetings.

November 2013


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What next?

A great start!

aksa Homes is making a start on the different issues outlined in your Neighbourhood Plan.Our partner, New Charter Housing trust Group, is also involved in helping improve your area.

Some work has already started but we will be reviewing the plans regularly through the year so keepan eye out for updates. In your great neighbourhood plan, as well as in our other five Aksa Homesneighbourhoods, we would like to mark the start of a new phase of activities aimed at ensuring that allour neighbourhoods are great places to live.

In the meantime, if you have any comments or suggestions or would like to get involved in helping us toachieve change in your neighbourhood then please contact us.You can do this by ringing 0161 620 2992or contacting us via your preferred method.


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Ages of our residentsliving in Bury.Ages of our residentsliving in Bury.

age profile of our residents

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Neighbourhood fact file

Here are some facts and figures about the people andproperties that make up your neighbourhood.

16-2012.0%

21-5955.3%

0-1523.0%

60 & over9.7%


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71Properties by type

Houses 62

Flats 9

Number ofproperties ownedby aksa Homes =

ethnicity of our residents

Ethnicity of ourresidents living in Bury.

Flats 9

ethnicity of our residents

Ethnicity of our residents living in Bury.

Pakistani67.5%White 7.5%

Other23.7%

Black 1.3%


We hope the actions outlined in your great neighbourhood plan willmake a great difference to you, your family and your neighbours.

You have told us what matters most to you to improve theappearance of your neighbourhood and your quality of life.

We believe that the key to success will be to continue to work togetherwith you to achieve this.

Final thoughts

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Contact usaksa Office (Connect)0161 620 2992

anti-social behaviour hotline:0800 027 052224 hours a day

aksa Office:Aksa HomesAksa House2 Medtia SquarePhoenix StreetOldhamOL1 1AN

[email protected]

www.aksahomes.co.uk

facebook.com/aksahomes

@AksaHomes

Head Office:New Charter GroupCavendish 249Cavendish StreetAshton-under-LyneOL6 7AT


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