News
Click on the headings below to view details of the listed news items.
- Brent council builds a sustainable communal garden for its tenants.
To view the article, please click
here
To view the article, written by Mathew Frith of Peabody, please click
here
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here
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here
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here
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here
The strategy is open for consultation until 7th February. If you are interested in contributing to a response that Neighbourhoods Green are putting together please email us at
info@neighbourhoodsgreen.org.uk. To view the strategy, please click
here
The Neighbourhood Play Toolkit was conceived to develop and pilot a practical, comprehensive set of resources for improving public neighbourhood play spaces and services for children and young people. Five local community groups took part in developing and piloting the resources, which sought to bring together 'play development' and 'community development'. To view the findings please click
here
For further information please click
here
To view a copy of the magazine please click
here
Launch of new Respect Standard for Housing Management. The Standard provides an outline of the key components to delevering Government targets around building stronger communities and responding to anti-social behaviour.
For more information, please click
here
Residents give the thumbs up to new award winning project. A £3.5m landscape project by HTA Architects has won the National Home Improvement Council Award. The environmental improvement scheme worked across four estates in Hackney, east London. Working with Sanctuary Housing Association, the landscape team at HTA Architects transformed previously run-down areas between the blocks of flats.
For more information on the scheme, please click
here
The 'Outdoors for All?' Action Plan, run by the Countryside Agency on behalf of Defra, is aiming to boost the number of young people, people with disabilities and those from ethnic minorities make use of outdoor recreational activities over the next ten years.
The draft plan is based on findings from the Diversity Review that showed the positive impact of the outdoors on people from the target groups, and it outlines new ways of working with outdoor organisations to increase participation.
"The Action Plan is all about working in partnership to show what the British countryside has to offer everyone. People are not making the most of even their local urban green spaces never mind the wider countryside. We need to know why and what we can do to encourage them", said Biodiversity Minister Barry Gardiner, launching the consultation at the Queen Elizabeth Conference Centre this week.
"Being outdoors brings so many benefits -
from a sense of well being and inspiration, to exercise and learning about the natural environment. I am determined that we should do everything possible to give people of all ages and from all walks of life equal opportunity to enjoy and benefit from outdoor activities" added the Biodiversity Minister. For more information visit:
http://www.defra.gov.uk/corporate/consult/outdoorsdiversity/
Strong housing management which improves the quality of lives of residents whilst making a major contribution to delivering sustainable communities is at the heart of a Government consultation launched today. please click
here
New powers to deal with environmental crime under the new Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act have come into force. These can cover everything from noisy burglar alarms to abandoned trolleys and the perennial problem of litter. For more information please click
here
The Housing Corporation is committed to working with the Mayor to tackle anti-social behaviour, including graffiti, vandalism and litter crime. This ties in with the new Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act, giving local authorities and the Environment Agency more powers to deal with this type of neighbourhood nuisance. To view the full report please click
here
New CD-ROM format resource for all those developing local play spaces. This toolkit, produced by the Children's Play Council at the National Children's Bureau, aims to help local groups and play services increase children and young peoples access to good play opportunities. To reserve a copy of the toolkit, please email:
mcharles@ncb.org.uk
The Government has published a Code for sustainable homes. The Code increases standards over and above building regulations, building on the approach of the EcoHomes standard and will set star ratings for home buyers on the energy efficiency and environmental sustainability of new homes. Local authorities are also being encouraged to promote the use of the Code on public sector land and strategic sites. The Government intends that all other housing procured by the public sector should be built to Code standards. The Government are also encouraging a rapid take up of the Code by the private sector and will monitor take up on an annual basis. For more information, please visit:
http://www.dti.gov.uk/construction/sustaincode/codeconsult.doc
London's mayor could play a bigger role in affordable housing policy, learning and skills services and planning, under proposals being considered by the government. To read the full story please click here
http://www.newstartmag.co.uk/news890.html
Richard Rogers and members of the Urban Task Force this week published a report 'Towards an Urban Renaissance' which provides a progress report on the recommendations of the original 1999 Urban Task Force report.
http://www.urbantaskforce.org/UTF_final_report.pdf
Residents in deprived neighbourhoods are getting lower standards of street cleaning and refuse collection services than residents in more affluent areas, according to research for the Joseph Rowntree Foundation. This is in spite of the greater range and severity of problems they face, particularly regarding graffiti, litter, fly-tipping, and poorly maintained public spaces.
The study, by the University of Glasgow for the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, found environmental services staff working in deprived neighbourhoods were overwhelmed by persistently high levels of rubbish and litter. Accoring to the report, Local Authorities do not routinely deploy services and resources which are sufficient to meet the needs of such neighbourhoods. This is due to difficulty in negotiating between these needs and the competing and well articulated demands from residents of better off neighbourhoods.
The report 'Cleaning up neighbourhoods: Environmental problems and service provision in deprived neighbourhoods' is
available on the web at
http://www.jrf.org.uk/bookshop/eBooks/1861348169.pdf
This report is a review of current green space policies, initiatives and practices in the context of social housing. It focusses on key issues which social housing providers should either be considering or taking account of in their operations. It also identifies some key gaps that Neighbourhoods Green will endeavour to highlight to ensure that the green spaces owned and managed by the sector do not lose out from future funding regimes, policies and guidance. To download a copy please click
here
This regional housing strategy sets out the Government Office's priorities for housing investment in London and a framework for allocating resources over the period 2005-16. Please click
here to view the strategy report.
Entries are now being invited for the latest round of the Deputy Prime Minister's Awards for Sustainable Commnuities. The awards recognise people, projects and initiatives that contribute to making towns, cities and communities, including those in rural areas, better places in which to live and work. They pay tribute to those people whose commitment and enthusiasm are making a significant contribution towards the building of thriving and successful communities. All projects and initiatives must demonstrate active involvement of the community including business and/or residents. For more information on the awards and to apply online please visit:
http://www.bura.org.uk
Three 'How To' guides are now available from the ODPM's Liveability team. The guides cover town centres, residential areas and parks and open spaces. The three titles now available are as follows:
July 2005
- London 21 announces new programme to tackle environmental inequalities for communities in London - July 2005
The programme aims to look at differences in environmental inequality and what these differences mean to those living in affected areas. The programme will look at what action can be taken to improve areas of a poor quality and allow people to compare their areas to other parts of the city. For more information visit
www.london21.org.uk
Decent homes, Decent spaces, a report to highlight the need to improve the green and open spaces in and around social housing, was launched by Jon Rouse, Chief Executive of the Housing Corporation, on 9th June 2005. The launch also announced the Neighbourhoods Green project and its web-site. Speaking at the Peabody Trust's green Tachbrook Estate in Pimlico, Jon Rouse spoke of the need for the good practice within the sector to be disseminated and embedded, and that the Corporation would be keen to support the Neighbourhoods Green project in this work at a strategic level. To view the press release for the launch
click here.
Decent Homes Decent spaces can be downloaded from this website. To view the publication please
click here
