Improvement scheme is “excellent news for Spotland”

Rochdale Boroughwide Housing, in partnership with Rochdale Council, is in the midst of implementing a borough wide environmental improvement scheme entitled “Creating Great Neighbourhoods”.

Spotland is the next estate that is going to be surveyed with a view to putting together a programme of environmental works.

Ward Councillor, Greg Couzens says this is “excellent news for Spotland.”

He said: “For the last three years I have been fighting for Spotland and Falinge to be the next “Priority Estate” much needed funding is required in this area, we came close last year but was taken out at the last minute due to lack of funding.

“Spotland is the next “Priority Estate” that is being looked at under the joint RBH/ RMBC “Creating Great Neighbourhoods” Environmental Improvement Project (CGN).”

As far as Spotland is concerned it has been agreed with the local housing team that a landscape designer be engaged to determine some estimated costs for various proposals as detailed below:

• Where required, the provision of new front and rear fencing (including 1.0m high steel fencing to the very fronts adjacent to the public footways)
• Where required, the provision of in-curtilage parking facilities
• Upgrading the landscaped area around the UU station at the entrance to Jutland Avenue (which is RBH’s responsibility to maintain)
• Upgrading the garage forecourt area to the garage site off Jutland Avenue

In addition, the landscape designer will be looking at other potential areas of works, namely:

• Provision of hard surfaces to the front gardens of the bungalows at 69-81 Molyneux Street and 1-7 Cinnamon Close, Spotland Bridge. This may include some additional fencing and steel works
• Upgrading the landscaping and possibly the drying facilities and boundary treatments at 2-30 Crowneast Street
• Upgrading the fencing around the multi use games area on Greave as well as refurbishing the play located items in front of the MUGA

Councillor Couzens said: “At this stage, it is not known what works will be taking place because we do have a rigid budget to stick to but before determining exactly what is feasible/ affordable we need to know how much all of the individual proposals and potential areas are likely to cost.

“The tenant led Environmental Steering Group will be ultimately responsible for approving any final specification of works.”

A letter sent to residents in the area, reads: “In the New Year, a company called Stephen Martlew Landscape Architecture will be on the estate looking at the condition of front and rear fencing and the presence/ quality of any in-curtilage parking facilities to all council owned dwellings. All proposals have been put together following discussions with the local housing team. The surveyors will be putting together a detailed survey and a specification of works that will then be tendered later in the year.

“At this stage, it is not known exactly what works will be undertaken because it will be necessary to determine both their cost and feasibility. Once a scheme has been put together you will be contacted with our proposals and invited to comment on them before any works are tendered.

“We will be surveying all fencing that bounds council dwellings including those which belong to adjoining privately owned properties. Subject to the consent of the owner(s) concerned and if it is felt that they are in sufficiently poor condition we may also include these adjacent privately owned boundaries in any project that is undertaken. Should any private owners want any work doing that is outside the scope of our project then, once the contract is up and running, if they approach the chosen contractor he will offer this at exactly the same price that RBH is being charged.”

The Creating Great Neighbourhoods (CGN) Scheme is a 4 year environmental improvement project that started in 2008/9 and was scheduled to finish in 2011/12, though it may well run into 2012/13.

The project is being jointly implemented by RMBC Strategic Housing Implementation Planning Team (IPT) and RBH.

The £9.425million project is being funded by a combination of a surplus in the Housing Revenue Account, the commission received from the water collection agreement with United Utilities and the existing capital programme environmental budgets.

The aim of this tenant led project is to complement the decent homes works that were successfully undertaken by RBH by improving the environment of many of Rochdale’s council estates.