The
key to the long-term revival of both Fitton Hill and Stockbridge
Village is getting other people to share our vision and confidence
in the estates. We want to forge new partnerships with both the
public and private sectors in order to improve the services we offer.
We know from experience
that the look of an area has a great impact on the feelings of
people living there. Working together with the local community we’ve transformed
Stockbridge Village from a decaying estate, with all the hallmarks
of a failed housing experiment, into a place people are proud
to call home. Tower blocks that were mostly empty in the mid 80’s
are now positively blooming thanks to Gardens in the Sky –
a Villages-backed gardening project that won a healthy environment
award this year. The community’s efforts even impressed
the North West in Bloom judges who praised our first-time efforts
in the Urban Village category of the competition.
Few people who saw the estate 20 years ago would have thought
this was possible – but through hard work and community
spirit the area has turned itself around. Community support is
just as vital in our mission to make Fitton Hill a better place
to live. That’s why the first thing we did there was go
out and listen to what local people thought needed done. Most
people thought that their homes were basically sound and only
needed a bit of a facelift. However, one area was just too run
down and people wanted something to be done about it. After extensive
consultation we launched a £2m re-housing and development
program. We have found new homes for most families and cleared
a large part of the site ready for redevelopment.
The key to the long-term revival of both Fitton Hill and Stockbridge
Village is getting other people to share our vision and confidence
in the estates. We want to forge new partnerships with both the
public and private sectors in order to bring in jobs and money
and help realise the communities’ potential. This process
is already happening.
In Fitton Hill the land we’ve cleared is being marketed
to potential developers and we’ve been impressed with the
level of interest and the quality of ideas. Our priority is to
make sure that the land gets put to the best use for the whole
community. There are several signs of growing confidence in Stockbridge
Village too. We’ve just sold to private developers, two
plots of land that were considered unsellable just a few years
ago. Similarly the Village’s former petrol station, which
had been vacant for a number of years, has now reopened as a car
wash, improving the local environment and creating local jobs.
There’s still a lot more that can be done though. We’ll
be actively seeking more investment in our communities and increasingly
our work will not just be about providing homes, it will be about
supporting businesses, shops, schools, amenities, transport links
and all the other things that make communities vibrant and exciting
places to live.
The way ahead NEIGHBOURHOOD Cliffs Tenants’ Association
treasurer, Lena Johnson: “Gardens in the Sky gives an incentive
to people in flats because it shows that flats can be made attractive
and make people passing by look up - in the same way that I always
stop and admire some of the beautiful gardens round here. It is
taking pride in things that is really important,”
