Your GREATNeighbourhoodPromiseCarlton and Carlton Hill

2014-17

At Gedling Homes we want all ourneighbourhoods to be great placesto live. We want them to look great,have great services, feel safe and bea place for both work andrecreation.

We believe that both GedlingHomes and our tenants have animportant role to play in shapinghow our neighbourhoods grow anddevelop. Through reviewing andimproving services we provide toour tenants, we feel we can have apositive 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 review 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.

Carlton & Carlton Hill

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Carlton Hill Shopping Parade

Gedling Homes’ Properties in Carlton & Carlton Hill

Occupied properties

Occupied: 528

Empty: 31

General needsaccommodation

Bungalow: 6

Flat: 151

House: 177

Maisonette: 2

Ethnicity

White British: 455

BME: 29

Unknown: 44

Gender

Female: 337

Male: 191

Shelteredaccommodation

Bedsit: 4

Bungalow: 38

Flat: 181

Tenant age

18-29: 59

30-39: 50

40-49: 78

50-59: 70

60+: 249

Unknown: 22

Totalaccommodation

Bedsit: 4

Bungalow: 44

Flat: 332

House: 177

Maisonette: 2

Number ofproperties:

559

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*Data accurate as of November 2013

Carlton is located approximately 4 miles east ofNottingham and has a population of around 50,000residents. Carlton and Carlton Hill are GedlingBorough Council wards and comprise of the CarltonSquare and Carlton Hill areas.

There are a wide range of shops at the top of CarltonHill as well as pubs, bars and takeaway restaurants.Carlton Square offers further shopping opportunities aswell as a large 24 hour Tesco supermarket.

There is good access to local amenities and facilitieswith two large leisure centres, many churches, schools,doctors, dentists and community centres offering arange of events and activities. Carlton Hill recreationground offers a large green space for residents to enjoy.Buses run regularly into the city centre where a greaterrange of services can be accessed.

Community spirit in the area is high; people tend toknow their neighbours. A number of the residents wholive in Carlton also shop here and make good use of thecommunity facilities, helping to promote and maintain asense of togetherness.

This area is a mix of Gedling Homes’ properties,private owners and other social landlords. Ourproperties are made up of 1 bedroomed flats,bungalows and houses, as well as four shelteredschemes.

Your GREAT Neighbourhood

● Addison Road● Arthur Crescent● Belvoir Lodge● Campbell Drive● Carlton Hill● Church Street● Cornhill Road● Cromwell Street● Cross Street● Dale Avenue● Dale Lodge● Dale Road● Ernest Road● First Avenue● Forester Grove● Fraser Road● Garden Avenue● Greenhill Rise● Highfield Drive● Holly Avenue● Honeywood

Drive● Hooton Road

● Ivy Grove● Lilac Avenue● Lowater Street● Moreland Court● Myrtle Road● New Row● Norman Road● Oakdale Road● Onchan Avenue● Orchard Court● Primrose

Crescent● Primrose Street● Second Avenue● Southcliffe Road● Southdale Drive● Southdale Road● Standhill Road● Valley Road● Walton Court● Walton Crescent● Westdale

Crescent

Gedling Homes has properties in:

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Walton Court Allotment Site

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 toimprove 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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Foxhill Court, Hanging Basket Session

Indicator Brief Summary STARRating

GedlingHomes’Indicators

Percentage of tenancies in rentarrears

There are relatively few tenants in this area that haverent arrears

HHHHH

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

Tenants in this area have a high satisfaction level withtheir neighbourhood as a place to live

HHHHH

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

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

Across these areas the average time it takes to let aproperty is satisfactory

HHHH

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

There is a good level of educational attainment for pupilsin the neighbourhood

HHHH

Level of good health in theneighbourhood

Residents’ perception of their health is good, but not ashigh as in other areas

HHHH

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 in other areas. This may mean that people donot feel as safe and secure 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. The external data information relates toward data and is not necessarily representative purely of Gedling Homes’ tenants.

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The indicators we use to rate your neighbourhood helpto point us in the right direction, but to further identifywhat needs doing we need local knowledge, to addressspecific issues and problems.

We have spoken to local people who live and work inyour neighbourhood. This is what we have been told:

Our Neighbourhood Team told us:● The level of street litter in these areas does

not appear to be a problem. However,Gedling Borough Council Waste Departmenthave advised that the communal bins at WaltonCourt are regularly overfilled and misused

● Fly tipping is an issue at Walton Court, Block B inthe bin area. Gedling Homes are currentlyinstalling an additional camera here to assist inidentifying those responsible and will work inpartnership with the council to eliminate thisproblem

● Dog fouling is an issue on the grassed areasaround Cromwell Street. Gedling Homes areworking with local Neighbourhood Wardens toreduce this problem

● The unoccupied office building in Carlton Squareis currently in a state of disrepair. This buildingimpacts on the appearance of the area andresidents have complained that the buildingattracts vandalism and other undesirablebehaviours

● Parking around Carlton Square is limited due torestrictions on the main road and lack ofallocated parking to the flats, this results inthe side streets being full of cars parked on thepavements

● We receive a high number of ASB complaintsfrom tenants living in Walton Court and WaltonCrescent ranging from low level noise nuisancethrough to serious criminal damage complaints

● The police have a large station in this area andthe police are visible in the local community withlocal daily patrols

Local Knowledge - Auditing Your Neighbourhood

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Walton Court ‘B’ Block

You told us:On average the people we spoke to rate theneighbourhood 8 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 shopping facilities

● Public transportation

● Having friendly neighbours

● Some of the worst features identified were:

● Crime and ASB

● Traffic issues, including parking

● Properties in a poor state of repair

● Concerns expressed included:

● Young people congregating around WaltonCrescent and the unoccupied office buildingin Carlton Square. Residents find itintimidating when they have to walk pastthem

● Some ASB issues around the WaltonCrescent area

● Street drinking during summer months

● Untidy gardens on Valley Road

● Lack of drop-in advice services, residentsstated they travel to Netherfield’s St.Georges Centre or the Ark in Gedling toaccess these

● Desired improvements included:

● More parking in the area surrounding CarltonSquare

● Improved appearance of streets and publicplaces

● Better access to advice services

● Reintroduction of the mobile library at oursheltered schemes

● Reduction in fly tipping and dog fouling

● Improve the security of the bin area atWalton Court, B Block

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St. Paul’s Church, Carlton

Other organisations told us:● The police have told us that there is a problem

with ASB related criminal damage includingdamage to cars

● The police have identified that noisy mopedbikes can be an issue as well as other noiserelated incidents including loud music

Together, we saw:● Small pockets of waste land in the area that

could be better utilised by the neighbourhood

● Fly tipping in a small number of areas

● Problems with communal bins atWalton Court, B Block

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Carlton Square

What? Why? When?

Target low level nuisance by an increased staffpresence and joint working with the Police in thespecific area identified. Where appropriatemanage low level noise and other inconsideratebehaviour generally in the neighbourhood

To reduce the incidents of ASB in theneighbourhood and improve tenants andresidents quality of life

March 2015

Introduce a restorative justice scheme withpartner agencies and utilising volunteers from thecommunity to help reduce levels of ASB and toproduce long lasting solutions to it

To engage communities in helping to solve theASB and the offending that affects them. Thiswill increase community engagement andprovide a voice for victims of crime and ASBand those who have been harmed eitherdirectly or indirectly

August2015

Work with partners to increase the signpostingof tenants to health advice and other supportservices

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

September2015

Consistently signpost and refer tenants and theirfamilies to training and income advice services,working with partners to develop people’semployment readiness

To improve services and maximise input intothe neighbourhood from other serviceproviders

September2015

Work with partners and other agencies tosupport initiatives to help improve theneighbourhood

To improve services and maximise input intothe neighbourhood from other serviceproviders

December2015

Review the use of Walton Court B block car parkwhich is currently not in use

To increase the number of car parking spacesin an area where it has been identified that itis a problem and improve generalneighbourhood appearance

April 2015

Neighbourhood Team to have dedicatedcommunity clean up days in areas that have beenidentified as having a persistent problem

To improve the appearance of identified areasand to assist towards increasingneighbourhood sustainability

December2014

Neighbourhood Team to increase targeting of flytipping and litter hotspots including the use ofsurveillance cameras on land owned by GedlingHomes

To improve the neighbourhood appearanceand quality of life for residents

March 2015

Work in partnership with Gedling BoroughCouncil’s (GBC) Neighbourhood Wardens toreduce dog fouling

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

March 2015

Your GREAT Neighbourhood Promise -What needs to happen?

Neighbourhood and community

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What? Why? When?

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

In consultation with GBC provide more dog binsin identified problem areas

To improve neighbourhood appearance andquality of life for residents

September2015

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Moreland Court

What? Why? When?

Work towards publishing a plan of internalimprovement of communal areas in ourapartment blocks

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

June 2015

Review scooter storage facilities withincommunal schemes

To improve tenants’ quality of life April 2016

Implement an external painting programme To improve the appearance of GedlingHomes’ properties and of theneighbourhood

March 2016

Review the refuse storage provision for flats andthe recycling options available

To identify ways to reduce storage issuesand the effect on neighbourhoodappearance

March 2015

Undertake a review of the condition of allgarage sites owned by Gedling Homes andproduce a programme for future improvements

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

December2015

Undertake a review of parking at our properties To improve parking provision in theneighbourhood, reduce congestion onselected roads and increase quality of life fortenants and residents

December2015

Consider all options available to improve theappearance of Gedling Homes’ properties

To improve the appearance of theneighbourhood and quality of life of tenantsand residents

March 2015

Improve the green spaces in our IndependentLiving Schemes

To improve the scheme and area appearance March 2015

Home

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Orchard Court

What? Why? When?

Continue to provide support to sustain tenanciesand wherever possible to prevent evictions

To help more tenants successfully sustain theirtenancies

June 2015

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

To reduce arrears in the neighbourhood andthe number of customers whose home is atrisk due to debt issues

June 2015

Continue to signpost and refer customers whomay benefit from the help of our Money Wiseteam

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

June 2015

Continue to provide increased support toidentified families and tenants and link them toour support and advice services

To help identified customers successfullymanage their tenancy and reduce lifestyleclashes with other residents

June 2015

Continue to signpost support services to tenantswho may be experiencing drug and alcoholrelated problems

To reduce levels of neighbour nuisance anddisputes and help identified tenants accesshealth support and services

September2015

Work with tenants to create a sense ofcommunity and reduce isolation throughbefriending

To help new tenants settle into theneighbourhood and create links to thecommunity and neighbours

March 2015

Review the need to develop a regular localhousing surgery

To make it quick and easy for residents toaccess services and for neighbourhood issuesto be dealt with

June 2015

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 tenant and residentgroups and provide any support they requireto develop their activities

To obtain detailed feedback from tenantsand residents specifically on services andwider neighbourhood issues, and workwith them jointly on neighbourhoodpriorities

September2015

Extend and improve activities for older tenantsvia Sheltered Scheme events

To improve community links betweenolder tenants in different parts of theneighbourhood and improve communityspirit and quality of life

September2015

Develop and improve CommunityRegeneration initiatives with ourneighbourhoods

To improve neighbourhood appearanceand allow the community to target areasthey think are a problem and to build asense of community spirit

March 2016

Extend our links with furniture recyclingcommunity enterprises to help new andexisting tenants furnish their properties

To improve community access toaffordable furniture, build communitynetworks and develop a community’sability to work on projects together

March 2016

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 you wouldlike to get involved in fulfilling the plan, please contactus:

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, ourtenants and leaseholders.

Final Thoughts

What happens next?

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Moreland Court Raised Beds

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

Carlton Hill Recreation Ground

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