Report of the Chief Executive of Nottingham City Homes

Luke Walters, Area Housing Manager at Nottingham City Homes (NCH), updated the Committee on various news affecting NCH and NCH properties in the Area:

(a)  work at Kingston Court is on-going, and the Woodview Court scooter room is now complete;

(b)  the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) are writing an article for their journal regarding the replacement of rooves at Robin Hood Terrace;

(c)  scaffolding is going up at Morley Court, Haywood Court and Byron Court, and works are nearing completion;

(d)  communal bins are being trialled in some areas (as opposed to bin chutes). If the trial is successful this will be rolled out to other low rise blocks;

(e)  there has been a small delay to Energiesprong work due to a recent flood on Carlton Road – NCH wished to extend their thanks to everyone dealing with disruption during on-going works;

(f)  a blocked bin chute at Victoria Court is causing frustration for tenants whilst repairs are ongoing. The block caretaker is supporting residents to remove waste by other means;

(g)  a high rise safety day was recently held, with a demonstration of the sprinkler system, questions answered about lifts and the intercom system, and reassurances given to vulnerable residents;

(h)  works on the Victoria Centre roof garden are well underway, with completion anticipated for February 2019. A gardening club will be set up to get residents involved in ongoing maintenance of the garden;

(i)  the Tenant and Leaseholder Team have launched their Tenant Academy prospectus, which includes courses such as practical DIY workshops and Women in Construction;

(j)  the Tenants and Leaseholder award nominations are now closed, with many nominations received. The street and block champions’ initiative is also still going strong;

(k)  the block champion of the year, Betty Charlton of Curzon Court, made the final shortlist of only 30 people for the Co-Op Good Neighbour award;

(l)  a tree planting event has taken place at new build properties on Morley Place – apple trees have been planted between every other front garden, so that each property will be able to access fruit from half an apple tree;

(m)  tenant satisfaction with Anti-Social Behaviour levels is above target, with a strong focus on victim care. There is a strong partnership with Community Protection, and NCH colleagues are familiar with the referral pathway to Victims Support. Dealing with incidents effectively increases people’s confidence to report further or repeat incidents;

(n)  a Councillor asked for an update on repairs to the grass of the Courts in the St Anns ward. Contractors had previously parked on grass where local children had planted bulbs. The parking issue has ceased, but assurances were made that the land would be restored. This has not yet happened. Luke noted this issue to feed back.

RESOLVED to:

(1)  note the performance information in appendices 1 and 2;

(2)  note the remaining allocation of funds for 2017/18:

·  Dales  -  £20,127.38;

·  Mapperley  -  £0.00;

·  St Ann’s   -  £117,222.71;

(3)  approve the Area Capital Programme funding requests as below:

·  Cardale Road, Dales - Upgrade the existing planters, improve the visual appearance with new plants and shrubs. £8,000.00;

·  Alison Walk, St Ann’s - Install a 5ft high wooden fence to the garden perimeters to help shield from ASB and ongoing nuisance in this area. £16,642.00;

·  Furze Gardens, St Ann’s - Install intermediate fencing to each property, to give each tenant a secure and private back garden. £2,241.00;

·  Aster Road, St Ann’s - Install metal knee rail fencing to the green space to prevent cars from damaging the green space and parking illegally. £9,021.00;

·  Duncombe Close, St Ann’s - Install metal railings to the communal steps to help prevent people from falling. £6,325.00;

·  Wells Road Community Centre, Mapperley - Budget to support the re-development of the wells road community centre. £29,429.82.