WS3 Matters Summer 2015 - Walsall - whg
Transcription
WS3 Matters Summer 2015 - Walsall - whg
KEEPING YOU UP-TO-DATE WITH BUILDING IN BLAKENALL JULY 2015 MATTERS Jim Brown, aged 18, has turned his life around after becoming an apprentice carpenter on the Waters Keep development. For Jim’s full story and details of how you can take up an apprenticeship see page 11 of Round Your Way. A BRIGHT NEW FUTURE Inside... Improving your FOR BLAKENALL environment The diggers are on site and work is now well underway on our ambitious regeneration scheme in Blakenall. Your area will be totally transformed over the next six years thanks to £87 million of investment from whg and our building partners. More than 700 homes for sale and rent will be built in three phases to breathe new life into your community. Customers have already moved into 29 new homes off Turnstone Road (formerly Shakespeare Crescent) and are settling in well. The second phase of 412 homes is now being built by developer Keepmoat. Work is progressing well and the first will be let to customers by the Autumn. The whole development is due to be finished by March 2018. We are also currently making plans for another 300 homes on the site of the former Goscote Estate. As well as building great new homes, we also want to build a stronger community. We will be offering a wide range of support if you want to get back into employment, tackling fuel and child poverty and running schemes to help you improve your health and wellbeing. Over the coming months we will also improve your local environment to make it a better place to live, work and play in. We have already consulted with the local community on plans for The Lea and Swannies Field (see page 2 for more details) and we will be continuing to work with you to make sure you are happy with what we are doing. Carole Wildman Corporate Director – Growth at whg said: “This is the biggest regeneration project we have ever undertaken and over the next six years you will see your area transformed.” Page 2 Have your say! Page 3 Becoming a community champion Page 4 Community noticeboard Page 4 WE ARE RECRUITING COMMUNITY CHAMPIONS IN YOUR AREA SEE PAGE 4 You may recently have been asked for your views on possible improvements to Blakenall’s open spaces including The Lea, Swannies Field and the canal towpath. She said: “People are beginning to believe that things are going to change. A large number of residents wanted CCTV to protect the area and keep it nice into the future. We are currently looking at ways to fund a CCTV programme and meet residents’ wishes.” Thanks to the Black Country Growth Deal we have £1.5million to spend on improving these areas over the next 12 months. The most popular choices for Swannies Field include a green gym, skate park, play park, games area and new paths. On the Lea, residents would like to see new football pitches, benches, new paths, fencing and flowers. During April, Blakenall Community Action Group (CAG) volunteers, whg Community Champions, Councillors and other residents talked to over 250 local people about the planned improvements. A number of choices were suggested and residents were asked to score them. Connie Jennings, whg’s Social Inclusion Manager, said it was great to see the passion that local people have for their area. On the new Waters Keep development, the most popular choice was for a safe, secure play park. Residents also asked for towpath improvements, new access to the canal and new fishing spots. We would like to thank everyone who took the time to complete the survey. A full report is available if you are interested. Contact the Regeneration Team on 0300 555 6666. As part of the ongoing consultation we are inviting CAG members and other local residents to visit Castle Vale, a large regenerated estate in North Birmingham. Castle Vale has a community park in the heart of the estate which has stayed in great condition over the last 10 years, ensuring local families benefit. WE BELIEVE WE COULD LEARN FROM THIS SUCCESSFUL PROJECT. If you would like to join us on this free trip please contact Shazia Parveen on 0300 555 6666. We will provide transport and refreshments. SUMMER 2015 WS3 MATTERS 3 Have your say! Do you want to have a say on the changes that will be happening in Blakenall over the coming years? The group is made up of local residents, councillors and representatives from whg and Walsall Council. If the answer is yes, then join our Community Action Group (CAG) and make sure your voice is heard! It will meet every two months to give its feedback on the latest developments and plans as the regeneration work progresses. Meet the Chair Bob Thomas is Chair of the CAG. He grew up in Hardy Road and lived there until he was 21, when he moved to nearby Leamore. He has worked voluntarily in the area for many years and is currently a School Governor at Edgar Stammers and a volunteer within the FATL group. He said he really wants local residents to get involved in the group. “We really don’t just want the usual faces in this group - we want to make sure we are representing everyone’s views to whg and the developers. “I know lots of people will think this kind of group is not for them but it really is – this is your community and the decisions that are being taken now will affect your life and your children’s lives well into the future.” A wide range of people have already joined but we want more whg customers of all ages and from all backgrounds to make sure the whole community is represented. If you are interested, contact Connie Jennings at whg on 0300 555 6666. Meet the Vice Chair Stella Pettifer is a Blakenall resident who works at the Harden Road Community Centre. She said: “I got involved with the Community Action Group because I work with the people who are going to be affected by the changes around here, “I don’t want the community to be left out or left behind by the regeneration of the area so I think it is really important that if you are local you join and have your say.” Stella Pettifer and Bob Thomas MAINTAINING YOUR COMMUNITY Our Waters Keep development will provide 412 great new homes for sale and let by 2018. Making sure the area stays in great condition is a top priority for us and whg will be taking responsibility for maintaining the estate – whether you buy or rent your home. Anyone who buys a home at Waters Keep will pay an annual estate charge which will contribute to services including grounds maintenance, cleaning and play area maintenance.whg customers will of course receive these services within their rent. Lyndon Parkes from whg said: “Waters Keep is the single largest development whg has undertaken and we are going to deliver estate and neighbourhood services that will benefit homeowners as well as whg customers. We are working with community representatives and local organisations to make sure we find the stewardship approach that works best for both us and local people. “You should feel really confident that we have a long-term commitment to maintaining the area.” The first homes at Waters Keep will be available in Autumn of this year and there will be a mixture of one bedroom apartments and two, three and four bedroom houses available during the three year development programme. We will be marketing the sale homes over the coming months. If you would like to rent a home from whg, use our choose&move service at www.whg.uk.com or call 0300 555 6666. 4 WS3 MATTERS SUMMER 2015 BECOMING A COMMUNITY CHAMPION JOB BOARD gave me back my confidence Goscote Community Champions x 2 posts Fixed-term contract ending March 2016 Maximum of 24 hours per week. Do you: • Like talking to people? • Want a varied working day? • Enjoy being out and about? • Live or have a strong connection to the WS3 area? If the answer is yes and you have previous experience as a volunteer, a carer or life experience which has required you to help and support others, then a job as a Community Champion might be for you. We are looking for two new Community Champions to work in Walsall, particularly the Blakenall area. You will be part of our Employment and Training Team and will be involved in all activities within the ongoing Goscote Regeneration Programme. If you are: • Flexible and able to respond to change • Passionate about your community • Able to work well in a team and use your own initiative • Committed to undertake training to improve your skills • Ready for a new challenge Then we want to hear from you! To apply for this job you don’t need formal qualifications but a genuine willingness to help other people. For an informal chat please contact Aaron Lawrence at whg on 0300 555 6666. Katie Powell and son Liam Katie Powell is a Community Champion in Blakenall. She said: “I first got involved with whg when I took the Regeneration Team’s ‘Be Who You Can Be course’. I had four children, I had been living in a hostel and I hadn’t worked in ten years so my confidence was at rock bottom. “After I had taken the course I was offered a volunteer position with the Community Champions and after nine months I was a made a permanent, paid member of the team. “I was so nervous on my first day I cried but I was supported every step of the way. I love working in my local community and helping people – I have been in their shoes, so I understand the challenges people are facing. “It feels good to be making a positive difference to the area my children will grow up in.” ard o b e ic t o N y it Commun organisations ere are lots of th t bu it, ow e of classes, kn a wide rang ide to just You may not ng ri fe of l area y gu in your loca pport. Here is our hand su d an ps grou . some of them Blakenall Community Centre Ryecroft Community Hub Ryecroft Hub was set up in 2000 to offer a range of support to the community. It now hosts groups including Walsall Coronets Marching Band, Satori mixed martial arts, church groups, fostering care groups, training organisations and boxing and wellbeing clubs. Address 28 and 40 New Forest Road Walsall, West Midlands WS3 1TR Tel: 01922 234 080 The centre provides general community facilities, sports facilities and youth activities for local people. Address Blakenall Row, Blakenall, WS3 1LW Tel: 07590 463 453 Harden R oad Community Centre A valuable resource for the wh communit ole y, it offers a pre-sch tea-time c ool, lubs, you th clubs, communit y table-to p sales a access to nd training c ourses. It does a sc also hool run to Shelfie School o ld n a daily basis. Address Harden R oad Com munity C Swannies entre Field Goscote Tel: 0759 0 463 45 3 Stan Ball Centre Electric Palace The Centre provides training, support and leisure activities for young people. Address Elmore Row, Bloxwich, WS3 2HR Tel: 01922 477 499 A centre for older adults which offers day care, recreational and physical activities and room hire. Address Stan Ball Centre, Abbotts Street Bloxwich, Walsall WS3 3AZ Tel: 01922 403351