Hillgate, Hilton and Ladbrooke

Your GREATNeighbourhoodCharter

At New Charter we would like allour neighbourhoods to be greatplaces to live. We would like themto look great, have great services,feel safe and be a place for bothwork and recreation.

To create great communities wewould like everyone to worktogether to decide how their localneighbourhood should develop andgrow in the future and to improveon the services they don’t like andmaintain those that they do.

To make sure this happens wehave produced a neighbourhoodplan for each of New Charter’s 32newly defined neighbourhoods andthis one is yours. The plan will run

for 3 years and will be reviewedannually with residents to assessour progress.

It identifies the main issues thataffect your neighbourhood andwhat needs to be done both by usand our partner organisations toaddress them. We want to focus allour efforts on making sure you havea great place to live so we will beworking just as hard with a range ofother organisations on some of thewider issues such as employmentand crime.

Remember, you are the experts inwhat it’s like to live in yourneighbourhood and you will be ourmost important partner of all.

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Your GREAT Neighbourhood Charter

You are the expertsin what it’s like tolive in yourneighbourhoodand you will be ourmost importantpartner of all.

The neighbourhood that includes the Hillgatearea;built more recently than other parts of the

neighbourhood during the mid 1970s, Hilton Crescent

and Ladbrooke Road are situated just to the north of

Ashton town centre and is clustered around three sides

of King GeorgeV playing fields with another large area

that is within the triangle of Mossley Road,Whiteacre

Road and Queens Road.

The area is fairly compact and self-contained but still

manages to include a wide variety of housing styles which

include traditional family detached homes of varying sizes

situated on wide tree lined streets,Victorian terraced

properties and a number of low rise blocks of flats and

bungalows.A large proportion of the properties within

the neighbourhood have been bought through the Right

to Buy and Right to Acquire schemes and in many areas

there is a roughly equal split between owner occupiers

and New Charter tenants.

The area is well situated; being fairly close to the town

centre where there are excellent transport links to

Manchester and other destinations.AshtonTown Centre

is serviced by both a main bus terminal and railway

station and the new Metrolink service currently under

construction will provide fast links to Manchester city

centre.

The neighbourhood is appealing and attractive with many

open green spaces not least of which are King GeorgeV

playing fields, containing bowling greens, football pitches

and a community run café. There are two well-regarded

primary schools within the boundaries of the

neighbourhood; Hurst Knoll and Mount Carmel Catholic

Primary School and three others just a short walk away.

For older children New Charter Academy and St

Damian’s RC High School are a little further away but still

within a comfortable walking distance. There are also

various places of worship within the neighbourhood.

There are very few local shops within the area; however

this is not really a problem due to the close proximity of

the town centre and further shops situated just outside

the neighbourhood area.

The neighbourhood is appealing and attractive with many

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GREAT place to live...

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We have identified a range ofindicators that tell us overall howgreat your neighbourhood is.These indicators are designed totell us how much support weneed to give a neighbourhoodand what specific areas seem tobe causing the most problems sothat we can target services andresources to improve them.

We are using a simple rating of 5, 4or 3 stars; 5 stars being the bestrating, so you can see easily howindividual sections within yourneighbourhood are performing.Each individual indicator we haveused has its own star rating whichwhen combined together producean overall star rating for yourneighbourhood.

The indicators range from the timetaken to relet houses toemployment and education. Youcan see them all below with anexplanation of what the ratingsmean for your neighbourhood.

Down your street

Here is a map and a list of streets included in your neighbourhood togive you an idea of exactly where your plan covers.

Does your neighbourhood have star quality?

Waterloo & Lordsfield

Hillgate, Hilton& Ladbroke

Hazelhurst

Smallshawand Broadoak

Crowhill

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Albemarle Street

Alderley Street

Alexandra Street

Alger Street

Arlies Street

Bengal Square

Board Street

Burgess Avenue

Cairns Place

Cedar Street

Clarence Road

Clegg Place

Cottingham Drive

Curzon Road

Diamond Close

Egerton Street

Elm Grove

Evans Street

Garden Walk

Higher Green

Hilton Crescent

Holden Street

Hope Street

Hurst Brook Close

Kings Road

Kings Walk

Ladbrooke Road

Leam Street

Leesfield, HenriettaStreet

Lime Grove

Lower Green

Middle Green

Miller Street

Parry Walk

Pot Hill

Pot Hill Square

Princess Street

Queen Street

Raynham Street

Russell Street

Smithy Grove

Stanhope Street

Sycamore Crescent

Union Road

Waterloo Street

Whiteacre Road

Whitworth Close

% of current rent arrears

The neighbourhood has some areas where rent

arrears are a problem which means some

households may be experiencing money

management issues and could be at risk of losing

their homes. It also indicates some households may

need additional support.

Average time to releta property

The time it takes to relet a property is generally

good across the neighbourhood indicating that

properties are generally popular and people who

are eligible can move into their new homes relatively

quickly.

Average number of repairs

The average number of repairs per property is quite

high and indicates that properties do have some

issues in terms of maintenance costs and the need

to regularly replace components. Property damage

is also an issue in some homes.

Tenancy turnover

This shows that on average people who move into

the neighbourhood tend to stay in their homes for a

reasonable length of time although the length of stay

varies across the whole of the neighbourhood. It

also indicates that people are not as happy living in

some parts of the neighbourhood as they could be

with some choosing not to stay in the long term.

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% of live antisocialbehaviour cases

The neighbourhood experiences some antisocial

behaviour or neighbour nuisance cases. This

indicates that while the majority of New Charter

residents treat each other with respect there are

some incidents that do occur that have a negative

impact on people’s ability to feel secure in their

homes.

Neighbourhood satisfaction

People’s general satisfaction with the neighbourhood

as a place to live is good but there are some factors

that spoil their experience and affect their

enjoyment of the area.

Crime

People in the neighbourhood experience significant

levels of crime and vandalism in relation to other

neighbourhoods inTameside.Whilst levels of crime

could not be described as high people do not feel

as safe and secure as they should living in and

walking around some parts of the neighbourhood.

Health

The neighbourhood has some issues with peoples

health and disability levels compared with similar

neighbourhoods inTameside. This could indicate

that more people than usual may have mobility

problems of one sort or another, need some long

term medical support in their homes and perhaps

feel quite isolated.

Employment

The neighbourhood has significant problems with

employment levels compared with similar

neighbourhoods inTameside. This indicates that

many people in the neighbourhood are having

difficulty accessing the jobs market and a significant

number may not be well qualified for the jobs that

are available.

Education and skills

The neighbourhood has quite poor levels of

educational attainment and skills. This indicates that

it may be difficult for people to access the training

they may need to help gain employment or develop

their existing career prospects.

Household income

The neighbourhood has some problems with family

income levels compared with similar

neighbourhoods inTameside. This indicates that

some families may suffer the effects of deprivation

and have difficulty in making ends meet.

Access to services

People in the neighbourhood have access to some

shops and services from near to their homes. This

indicates that it can be difficult to shop for more

than essentials or access a good range of advice or

support in or close to the neighbourhood itself.

Neighbourhood overallstar rating

Overall the neighbourhood is a good place to live

but it does experience some problems that affect

people’s quality of life on a day to day basis. The

main aim for this neighbourhood is to identify the

right activities, services and initiatives that will help

address the specific issues that stop it being as

good a place as it could be.

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Local knowledge: Auditing your neighbourhoodWhile the indicators show us useful trends and point us in the right direction we need more localknowledge to identify some of the specific issues we need to address.

To gather this information we have conducted a neighbourhood audit asking the people who live andwork here to identify what they think the issues were.

There are some neighbour nuisance issues in the

neighbourhood mainly based around noise and

inconsiderate behaviour. There are also some

hotspots in the neighbourhood with more intense

antisocial behaviour issues including late night

noise disturbance, mopeds being driven

dangerously and some youth related issues

including vandalism.

The frequency of which people move in and out

of the neighbourhood is low and it is easy to let

most properties. People who do want to move

usually want to remain in the area but need a

larger property.

The appearance of the neighbourhood is good

with many open spaces and trees. However there

is a significant problem with fly tipping and a

number of open areas that are subject to littering

and are in a poor condition. There are also

problems with the condition of some gardens and

also with dog fouling.

Parking is a problem in some parts of the

neighbourhood mainly due to lack of space in

some areas or associated with usage around

places of worship.

There are pockets of properties in the

neighbourhood who report high numbers of

repair issues and there are also some problems

with the condition of fencing in some areas.

There are issues in a small number of blocks of

flats with inadequate provision of communal

refuse bins. There are also issues around the

condition and appearance of some communal

drying areas.

Some properties in age designated areas have

been sold and are now rented privately which can

cause some lifestyle clashes.

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What our Neighbourhoodteam told us

The Neighbourhood team work wellwith the established residents groupand are also working with residentsthrough a gardening group. It is felt thatthere is a lack of opportunities to gainregular input from residents across thewhole neighbourhood.

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What you told us

On average the residents we consulted rate the

neighbourhood 8 out of 10 as a place to live. So while

people are positive about the area there are still some

quality of life issues that people think need to be addressed.

Some of the best features people identified about living in

the neighbourhood were: cleanliness and the ‘village’ feel of

the neighbourhood, generally a quiet area, friendly

neighbours and good access to town centre shops and

amenities.

The issues that people identified about living in the

neighbourhood were the level of dog fouling, fly tipping,

littering and youths congregating in some areas causing

problems.

People raised specific issues with us about:-

The condition of the car parks

Dampness in some flats

The standard of street cleaning

Overgrown privets and hedges

A lack of a youth club for older children

A lack of play facilities for younger children

A lack of access to computers and IT facilities

A lack of places to eat

A lack of visible policing

The need for more community facilities

More broadly people observed the lack of access to

employment and benefits advice, childcare,drop in clinics and

poor services for older residents as the issues which had

direct impact on the neighbourhood.

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Some of the best features people identified about living in theneighbourhood were: cleanliness and the ‘village’ feel of theneighbourhood, generally a quiet area, friendly neighbours andgood access to town centre shops and amenities.

There are some health inequalities in the

neighbourhood compared with the rest of

Tameside particularly in terms of higher mortality

and disability rates due to the age profile of the

population and non-healthy lifestyles.

Crime is an issue in the neighbourhood

particularly in relation to low level antisocial

behaviour partly from youths, but this is also

linked to issues spilling over from the town centre

in the evening as people pass through the area.

There have also been issues with burglary and

vehicle related crime in some areas and the poor

layout and design of the neighbourhood is also

seen as a significant contributing factor. It is

important not to overstate the seriousness and

frequency of crime in the neighbourhood.

Access to employment and training and poor

educational attainment are barriers for residents

within the neighbourhood and have a particularly

significant effect on young adults; a number of

agencies identified poor links to employers,

training providers and poor preparatory support.

A variety of agencies think that young people in

the neighbourhood also suffer more generally in

terms of access to a range of facilities as well as a

lack of personal development opportunities; more

work in these particular areas would have a

positive effect on youth related antisocial

behaviour. There is also a general lack of play

facilities for younger children.

Household income is an issue for some families

with agencies identifying problems with benefit

dependency.Agencies thought there could also be

problems for residents in terms of loss of income

as part of the Government’s welfare reform and

an increase in debt issues.

There are also thought to be differences in levels

of access to advice and support services across

the neighbourhood particularly in relation to

older and vulnerable people.

What other organisations told us

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What we saw together:

Appearance of the neighbourhood is generally

good

Significant litter observed around shops

The park in Higher Green looks very dilapidated

Other parking areas also look unsightly

Poor grass cutting

High level of dog fouling

Poor condition of the roads and pavements

Small passage ways in the Hillgate area make the

area feel insecure

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Target low level nuisance and youth

congregation by an increased staff presence

and joint working with the Police in the

specific area identified. Monitor low level

noise and other inconsiderate behaviour

generally in the neighbourhood.

To reduce the incidence of antisocial

behaviour (ASB) in the neighbourhood

and improve resident’s quality of life.

November 2013

Work with the Police and the Community

Safety team on target hardening, surveillance

of youth related nuisance, congregation in

communal areas and develop a more general

policing plan targeting burglary, vandalism and

car theft.

To reduce levels of vandalism and

increase feelings of security for customers

who feel vulnerable to crime.

Development of a long term crime

prevention strategy will ensure a

consistent policing approach.

November 2013

Develop a neighbourhood wide Home

Watch group with support from New

Charter and input from the existing group.

Increasing the level of surveillance in the

neighbourhood will increase the feeling of

security and empowerment against crime.

July 2013

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Neighbourhood and community management

What? Why? When?

What do we need to do to make this agreater place?The aim of this section is to identify the activities needed to improve thequality of life in the neighbourhood based on what we haveestablished and what you have told us. It’s effectively an action planwhich shows what needs to be done in more detail.

Carry out an audit to identify potential

community venues and look at the feasibility

of providing more space for community

activities.

To ensure the neighbourhood has

sufficient venues to host community

activities and drop in services.

October 2013

Review current facilities and activities for

young residents withTameside Metropolitan

Borough Council (TMBC) in addition to the

provision of general community facilities,

activities and services.

Identification of a broader range of

facilities for both groups is needed to

improve their quality of life and that of

the community more generally.

January 2014

Work in partnership withTMBCYouth

Services and New Charter’sYouth team to

develop more diversionary activities with

young people.

To reduce the level of antisocial behaviour

from youths by providing positive

activities and link youths to other services.

October 2013

CleanCare to increase targeting of fly tipping

and litter in identified areas as well as

continuing to work with Green Charter on

the maintenance of communal areas.

To improve the appearance of green

spaces and those areas experiencing litter

problems.

March 2013

Work withTMBC and the Community Safety

team to arrange positioning of physical

barriers e.g.A- Frames, to prevent motorcycle

riding on footpaths.

To increase community safety and reduce

scooter and motor bike related nuisance

within the neighbourhood.

April 2014

Undertake a joint review of childcare and

early years provision withTMBC teams.

To improve the quality of children’s

support services in the neighbourhood

and increase households ability to work

full or part-time.

July 2014

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What? Why? When?

Work with partners to increase signposting of

people to health advice and services. In

addition work with Health Services to look at

provision for older people and young families

in particular, provide better access to Mental

Health Support Services and improve

education links in schools in respect of

teenage pregnancy.

To improve the health of residents in the

neighbourhood, the support they receive

and the quality of life and independent

living for older residents.

October 2013

Consistently signpost and refer customers and

their families to employment and income

advice services working with New Charter’s

Great Opportunities programme and other

partners to develop work experience

placements for long term unemployed.

To increase resident’s opportunities of

gaining employment and maximising their

income.

April 2013

Work withTMBC to consider the introduction

of resident only parking restrictions in

identified areas.

To reduce traffic congestion and

bottlenecks in the neighbourhood.

July 2014

Work withTMBC to improve lighting in

alleyways, car parks and areas which make

people feel insecure or encourage

congregating.

To improve the feeling of security within

the neighbourhood.

March 2014

Increase the activities ofTMBC environmental

patrollers targeting dog fouling.

To reduce the level of dog fouling in the

neighbourhood.

September 2013

Work with a number of organisations and

stakeholders on initiatives identified in their

plans that will help improve the

neighbourhood.

To improve services and maximise input

into the neighbourhood from other

service providers.

December 2013

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What? Why? When?

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To reduce levels of vandalismand increase feelings ofsecurity for customers whofeel vulnerable to crime.Development of a long termcrime prevention strategy willensure a consistent policingapproach.

Work withTMBC to increase the number of

communal refuse bins around blocks of flats

in the area.

To reduce fly tipping, improve the

neighbourhood appearance and the

quality of life for residents.

January 2014

Focus additional resources on trees and

overgrown shrubs.

To improve the appearance of the streets

and the neighbourhoods.

July 2013

Work in partnership withTMBC on the

development of parks and open spaces.

To improve outdoor amenities for

residents and their families.

February 2015

What? Why? When?

Increase the use and targeting of mediation

services in neighbour disputes.

To reduce neighbour disputes and improve

neighbour relations.

April 2013

Increase tenancy and neighbourhood

enforcement on activities that affect quality of

life e.g. noise nuisance and pet ownership with

a focus on garden maintenance.

To improve the quality of life for the

majority of our residents as well as

identifying and reducing unacceptable

conduct.

April 2013

Develop a gardening tool hire service and a

gardening club as a social enterprise venture

for all residents in the neighbourhood.

To increase access to advice and

equipment to maintain gardens.

July 2013

Visit older and vulnerable customers annually

to assess any support or adaptations needs.

To maintain the quality of life and

independent living for older residents.

April 2013

Provide increased support to identified

vulnerable customers and link them to

specialist support and advice services as well.

To help identified customers successfully

manage their tenancy and reduce lifestyle

clashes with other residents.

April 2013

Make targeted calls to customers in rent

arrears to address the arrears and signpost to

advice services.

To reduce arrears in the neighbourhood

and therefore reduce the number of

customers whose home is at risk due to

debt issues.

April 2013

Signpost and refer customers who may

benefit from the help of New Charter’s

Welfare Benefits Advice team.

To reduce the number of evictions for

non-payment of rent and provide help and

advice on managing finances.

January 2013

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Tenancy

What? Why? When?

Hold regular housing surgeries within the

neighbourhood.

To make it easier and quicker for

customers to access services and ensure

neighbourhood issues are dealt with

promptly.

February 2013

Neighbourhood team to carry out quarterly

neighbourhood inspections (open to

residents).

To provide regular monitoring of street

level appearance and visible issues.

March 2013

Target customers who may be affected by

welfare reform and provide advice and

support.

To increase awareness of potential issues

and help reduce debt and/or financial

problems caused by welfare reform.

January 2013

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We aim to... Improve the quality of life for the majority ofour residents as well as identifying and reducingunacceptable conduct.

What? Why? When?

Review the damp issues and window fittings

in identified properties and develop a

programme to address these issues.

To improve the condition of the

properties and ensure they are safe and

heat efficient and that tenants’ quality of

life are not affected.

October 2014

Undertake a review of local play facilities

provision in consultation with residents.

To ensure children have well placed safe

places to play.

October 2014

Develop a programme to improve the

condition of communal drying areas.

To improve neighbourhood appearance

and quality of life for residents.

August 2013

Undertake a fencing and boundary review of

the further work required in the

neighbourhood to homes and communal

areas.

To assess if the fencing is adequate in

terms of security and appearance and

identify specific work needed to clarify

boundaries.

July 2013

Develop a programme for any security

orientated improvement works required to

the lighting of car parks, pathways, alleyways

and any other area identified as part of a

wider review undertaken with partners,

working withTMBC where applicable.

To increase feelings of security in the

neighbourhood and improve

neighbourhood appearance of communal

and car parking areas.

September 2014

Undertake a review of the condition of

access roads to car parks withTMBC and

identify works required.

To improve ease of access to garage sites

and improve parking availability for

residents.

November 2014

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Home

What? Why? When?

Review the parking provision for customers

on identified streets.

To identify any additional parking spaces

required and the potential options for

provision.

July 2014

Review the number of repairs issues in the

neighbourhood.

To identify if there are any underlying

issues in term of buildings, components,

design or usage that need to be

addressed.

April 2013

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What? Why? When?

To ensure children havewell placed safe placesto play.

Continue to work with the regular residents

group and provide any support and

assistance they require to develop their

gardening group and other activities.

To obtain detailed feedback from

residents specifically on service and wider

neighbourhood issues and work with

them jointly on neighbourhood priorities.

January 2013

Ask interested customers to be street

representatives whose role will be to report

any issues they or other residents are

concerned about in their street or the wider

neighbourhood. The Neighbourhood team

will also contact the street representatives

once a quarter to check progress and

provide support.

This will provide a way for customers to

report any issues to staff and to have

them addressed promptly. This will also

help improve the day to day service.

March 2013

Develop customer inspection on key

customer identified issues.

Customer led monitoring of issues by

getting the ‘customer eye’ view.

May 2013

Develop a focus group or coffee morning

with older residents.

To identify specific issues that affect older

people in the neighbourhood and

develop social networks for older

residents.

May 2013

Set up a neighbourhood facebook page. To encourage a different type of dialogue

between residents with each other and

with staff. This will help with regards to

reporting, supporting and discussion.

May 2013

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Involvement and empowerment

What? Why? When?

Consider the feasibility of setting up a youth

club and mother and toddler group run with

community volunteers with initial support

from New Charter.

To improve youth and family access to

facilities, build a community network and

develop the community’s ability to work

on projects with others.

May 2014

Hold weekend community information events

or fun days 4 times a year and hold seasonal

activities at Easter and Halloween.

To improve the neighbourhood

appearance and increase community spirit,

building positive relationships with

neighbours and increasing the community’s

knowledge of what services and

opportunities are available.

April 2013

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What? Why? When?

We aim to... Improve the neighbourhood appearance andincrease community spirit, building positive relationships withneighbours and increasing the community’s knowledge ofwhat services and opportunities are available.

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What next?Great progress we hope!!

Work has already begun in yourneighbourhood on the various actionsoutlined in Your Great NeighbourhoodCharter as well as in our other 31 NewCharter neighbourhoods. We would likethe Great Neighbourhood Charters tomark the start of a new phase of activityaimed at ensuring that all ourneighbourhoods are the great places thatwe all want and know they can be.

We will be reviewing the Charter frequently this

year and we will keep you updated on the

progress, you will have the opportunity to be

involved in this so please watch out for

advertised activities or requests for feedback.

However there is no need to wait until then…

if after reading this you have any questions

comments or suggestions or if you would like to

get more involved in helping us identify what we

could achieve in your neighbourhood please

contact us and give us your thoughts.

You can do this by ringing 0161 331 2000 or

contacting us via your preferred method, we can

also arrange for someone to call and visit you in

your home if you would prefer, we would really

like to hear from you.

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1090

Number ofresidents =

Neighbourhood Fact FileHere are some facts andfigures about the peopleand properties that makeup your neighbourhoodwhich we thought you mayfind interesting.

600Number ofproperties ownedby New Charter =

Under 16

19.45%

18 - 25

12.94%

55+

30.55%

Black

Minority

Ethnic

7.98%

Properties by type

Houses 272

Bungalows 25

Flats 303

We hope that over the next three years through the actionsoutlined in your Great Neighbourhood Charter we will reallymake a visible difference to your neighbourhood, making itmore attractive for those living or thinking of living in it andimprove residents’ quality of life.

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

Final Thoughts

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Contact us

Home and Community Hubs

2 Henrietta Street,Ashton

9 Albert Street, Denton

12 Clarendon Street, Hyde

63 Grosvenor Street, Stalybridge

Head office:New Charter,

Cavendish 249,

Cavendish Street,

Ashton-under-Lyne

OL6 7AT

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Main switchboard:0161 331 2000

Emergency housing & repairs calls:0800 027 0828

If you need an emergency repair during the following times:

- Before 8am and after 6pm Monday to Friday

- During weekends and Bank Holidays

Antisocial behaviour helpline:0800 027 0522

(24 hours a day)

contact@newcharter.co.uk

www.newcharter.co.uk

newchartergroup

@newchartergroup

@

Resource Housing Reg. No. 2111