We are very lucky in Redlands to have some really dedicated Council officers working with us to improve the local environment. And Ashley Blackwood is one of them. He is the Neighbourhood Officer for Redlands which means he is the first point of contact for Council tenants. What's great about Ashley is that he doesn't just do what is in his job description - he goes the extra mile. We keep in close touch about things going on in the estate - in order to get the best for our residents.
For example, Ashley wrote to us a few weeks ago to say that mini-motos were becoming a problem again on the estate. It's useful to know this so we can encourage residents to report issues.
Ashley has been one of the officers we have worked closely with as part of our campaign to make Hexham estate a nicer place for local residents to live. Charlotte Roberts and Tom Martin from the Neighbourhood Team have also been amazing.
Before I was elected in 2006 the estate had been neglected for years by the Labour councillors for the area and has been allowed to get very run down due to lack of investment. We have been working hard over the years to get the Council to tackle anti-social behaviour and smarten the place up - thanks to the Decent Neighbourhoods Fund which we campaigned for this is now happening.
'Mini-Farm' Day to be held at Easter
Before Christmas Ashely organised a 'Hawk Day' on the estate as part of RBC's efforts to tackle pidgeon nuisance. This week Ashley wrote to us with another great idea: he is organising a 'mini-farm' day on the estate to take place on Easter weekend- on Easter Saturday between 12 and 4pm. The plan is that there will be lambs, pigs and goats for the kids and hopefully stalls too. Neighbourhood Warden Carol Shepherd - another community stalwart - will be helping out on the day and sorting out hot food. If you live in the area and would like to get involved please drop Ashley a line: ashley.blackwood@reading.gov.uk
Improving parking and road safety
We have been campaigning for years to get Reading Borough Council to sort out parking problems on the estate. Progress has been frustratingly slow as the size of the estate means options for improvement are limited.
A recent survey carried out by RBC found parking to be one of the top three issues for residents living on the estate. There is little or no parking enforcement and no residents' parking so the Council needs to be creative to tackle problems related to parking. Road safety and speeding is also a major issue and we are keen to see speeds reduced.
You may remember a few months back we went on an estate walkabout with senior officers from RBC Housing and Highways to see what could be done to tackle parking problems residents were facing. We heard from Ashley this week that following our meeting focus groups with residents on the estate have been held and the following next steps have been provisionally agreed:
- In order to reduce parking problems for residents around Hexham Community Centre, double yellow lines around the Hexham Road Community Centre, starting on the Hexham Road wrapping round up towards Bamburgh Close are planned. A small break in double yellow lines will be placed on Bamburgh Close outside the Community Centre to allow limited parking for staff and visitors.
- In order to allow buses to turn more easily, double yellow lines are to be installed at the top of Corbridge Road by the junction with Newcastle Road outside number 34-28 Corbridge Road. (Residents have been parking on the path here and any parking on the road is preventing the bus from turning into the road). A residents car park is situated to the rear of these properties and all have a garage or car port.
- Double yellow lines to be installed on Newcastle Road where the road bends to the right outside number 62. All of these properties have a driveway and garage. The parking that is done on the path and road here obstructs the view and could cause an accident with oncoming vehicles.
Residents have been telling us that parking on pavements and cars blocking driveways is a major problem on parts of the estate. To help provide better parking across the estate the Housing Department will be paying for the following areas to be re-lined so that clear parking bays can be provided:
- Car park by 199-211 Newcastle Road
- Car park by 109-145 Newcastle Road
- Car park area rear of 127-133 Hadrians Walk East
- Car park by 16-22 Morpeth Close
- Car park top of Bamburgh Close by 56-90 Bamburgh Close
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