The residents of Bradley ward will soon be getting their consultants' designed survey,
www.pendletoday.co.uk/ViewArticle2.aspx?SectionID=8&ArticleID=1119534But hey up, residents in Middlesborough decided to do their own survey - residents came up with a resounding NO to demolition. Have a read of this and check out their website here!!
www.homeregeneration.com"The survey team consisted of 7 residents and all 3 Gresham ward councilors. In a joint effort we were able achieve something the council’s highly paid consultants seemed unwilling to attempt:
Go out and speak to residents at their doors, secure in their own surroundings
We are grateful to all residents who spent time to answer questions at their doorstep, sometimes in dreadful weather conditions.
All 3 councilors observed the survey and were happy with our conduct and the methods employed. Nearly all those who answered the door freely agreed to take time to answer the questions and put their names to the survey.
The message of the survey is a resounding NO to demolition – astonishingly 96% opposed demolition.
· 96% against demolition preferring renovation and improvement
· 2% for demolition
· 2% don’t know or don’t care about the issue.
Two thirds of those who took time to answer questions were from home owning households and the remaining third tenants. A large proportion of tenants were students of the University and many expressed sympathy for the local community.
Almost all home owners expressed their concern about the possibility of going into further debt to find replacement homes. Nearly all would prefer grants to improve their existing property. Likewise nearly all tenants would refuse to pay higher rents.
Most (owners and tenants) wanted to see improvement to the street and environment. Regeneration ideas included:
More Greenery with a preference to small trees rather than flower beds. Some would like Gardens, but agreed that this would be difficult without some clearance. Some pointed to unused buildings (not houses and homes) stores and disused shops that should either go or returned to use as dwellings.
Improved street cleaning including twice weekly refuse collection
Many call for investment in the alleyways. There was even a suggestion that walls could be replaced with a green open space.
Removing problem landlords was a common desire.
Some suggested that external decoration should conform to strict standards and more regularly maintained.
Many made mention of SHEILD and the need to bring rented properties up to the same standard of maintenance of houses that are owner occupied.
Many wanted improved policing and more effective enforcement with extension of ASBOs
Even the intrusion of CCTV was not viewed as necessarily a bad thing
Someone even suggested an integrated burglar alarm system connected to all houses and back to a central police control.
Many expressed annoyance that talk of demolition (and subsequent ‘bad press’) as cast a bad image that may be hard to shake off and feared for the value of their number one asset – their home
Noise is a problem especially late at night and heavy vehicle tariff during early morning delivery runs.
Another surprising finding was the concern about the number of unused or empty shops on Linthorpe Rd. One respondent suggested that one side of Linthorpe Rd be cleared so that the thoroughfare could be widened to take traffic away from the housing streets. Many of these businesses could then be relocated to the very much under occupied Cleveland Centre shopping arcade. This could then allow for more closed ‘cul-de-sac’ streets.
83% did not know that Executive Council Meetings were open to the public. More actually knew about the website – 21% of respondents.
When asked were they would move to the most common response was either:
‘Staying put’ or in the ‘town centre’
A small number of very vocal residents expressing real defiance such as:
‘I’m going nowhere. You’ll only get me out of here in a box’
Some answered this question in a less serious mood:
‘USA’, ‘Australia’, ‘Linthorpe Village’ and exotic even ‘Parliament Road’
We thank all those people who turned out to help in very atrocious weather conditions. We acknowledge the participation of all three Gresham Ward Councilors and Chair of the Community Council our thanks also to them.
We feel our survey demonstrates resoundingly that Gresham residents want to stay put in their current homes. We call upon our councilors to take these views forward to the executive council meeting and our Mayor. "
More Greenery with a preference to small trees rather than flower beds. Some would like Gardens, but agreed that this would be difficult without some clearance. Some pointed to unused buildings (not houses and homes) stores and disused shops that should either go or returned to use as dwellings.
Improved street cleaning including twice weekly refuse collection
Many call for investment in the alleyways. There was even a suggestion that walls could be replaced with a green open space.
Removing problem landlords was a common desire.
Some suggested that external decoration should conform to strict standards and more regularly maintained.
Many made mention of SHEILD and the need to bring rented properties up to the same standard of maintenance of houses that are owner occupied.
Many wanted improved policing and more effective enforcement with extension of ASBOs
Even the intrusion of CCTV was not viewed as necessarily a bad thing
Someone even suggested an integrated burglar alarm system connected to all houses and back to a central police control.
Many expressed annoyance that talk of demolition (and subsequent ‘bad press’) as cast a bad image that may be hard to shake off and feared for the value of their number one asset – their home
Noise is a problem especially late at night and heavy vehicle tariff during early morning delivery runs.
Another surprising finding was the concern about the number of unused or empty shops on Linthorpe Rd. One respondent suggested that one side of Linthorpe Rd be cleared so that the thoroughfare could be widened to take traffic away from the housing streets. Many of these businesses could then be relocated to the very much under occupied Cleveland Centre shopping arcade. This could then allow for more closed ‘cul-de-sac’ streets.
83% did not know that Executive Council Meetings were open to the public. More actually knew about the website – 21% of respondents.
When asked were they would move to the most common response was either:
‘Staying put’ or in the ‘town centre’
A small number of very vocal residents expressing real defiance such as:
‘I’m going nowhere. You’ll only get me out of here in a box’
Some answered this question in a less serious mood:
‘USA’, ‘Australia’, ‘Linthorpe Village’ and exotic even ‘Parliament Road’
We thank all those people who turned out to help in very atrocious weather conditions. We acknowledge the participation of all three Gresham Ward Councilors and Chair of the Community Council our thanks also to them.
We feel our survey demonstrates resoundingly that Gresham residents want to stay put in their current homes. We call upon our councilors to take these views forward to the executive council meeting and our Mayor."
