PCH newsletter Spring 2012.indd - Plymouth Community Homes

North Prospect
Regeneration News
CGI images of what phase 2 could look like
Barratt Homes to deliver Phase 2 of the regeneration
In March, Plymouth Community Homes appointed Barratt
Homes as the developer for Phase 2 of the regeneration of
North Prospect. The panel who selected Barratt included
local residents and stake holders.
Following on from their early successes in delivering Phase
1, Barratt Homes is well placed to move forward and take on
Phase 2 of the programme, continuing to build high quality
homes for the residents of North Prospect.
When finished, Phase 1 will include more than 230 new homes
and a state-of-the-art community hub. In comparison, Phase 2
is much bigger, costing around £44 million and delivering 344
homes, as well as improvements to the public open space.
Local residents will have a big part to play in the look and feel
of the new homes, the streets and public open space that are
being planned in Phase 2. Both Barratt Homes and Plymouth
Community Homes are keen to get input and feedback
from residents to make sure that what is eventually
built has the support of the community.
In the very near future, there will be plenty of
opportunities for residents to get involved in the
process - from public exhibitions with plans on display
and the team on hand to answer questions, to smaller
focus groups where the design is covered in more details.
The intention is to submit a planning application to the
City Council during the summer and if permission is
granted, work could start on the next stage of this
exciting project towards the end of the year.
If you have any questions, you can call the Barratt
project information line on 0800 298 7040.
refurbishment contractor revealed, boxing comes to
North Prospect and much, much more...

What’s
inside...
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
Boxing comes to
North Prospect
Making the Hub
more than just a
building
Resident exhibition
a success
New homes to be
handed over to PCH
Man for all seasons
Police update
Parks & open spaces
Have your say
PL2 rents for social
housing revealed
mi-space awarded
refurbishment
contract
Young people’s
activities
Boxing comes to North Prospect
Young people aged from 14 - 25 are being
encouraged to take part in a six week
boxing course at the old North Prospect
Primary School.
These sessions,
which are
suitable for
complete
beginners, are
part of the Sport
England funded
‘Sportivate’
programme run by
Plymouth City
Council’s Sports
Development Unit.
Phil Burgoyne, Regeneration Officer
for North Prospect, said: “This is a great
opportunity for young people in North
Prospect. It’s a chance for them to have a
go at something new and if they enjoy it,
there’s a real chance that regular sessions
could be introduced.
The boxing sessions are run by
Mayflower Amateur
Boxing Club and
offer the chance to
try the sport for
just £6 for the six
weeks. If Boxing is
popular with local
young people, we
will continue to
offer sessions in the
area.
If you are interested
please contact
Charlotte Brew -
Sports Development
Unit on 01752 307133.
Alternatively, you can email her at
charlotte.brew@plymouth.gov.uk
Making the Hub more than
just a building
Work has now started to build North Prospect’s very own heart
of the community – the Community Hub.
The hub will be built on the site of the blocks of flats that have
been demolished. With the start on the new building late last
month and an expected completion date for the community
space in summer of 2013, it is time to work together on what
activities will happen there and how it will be organised and
managed.
Plymouth Community Homes will be holding an event in North
Prospect before the end of May to help shape the hub to make
sure we provide real benefits for local people. We will get
information out to each household about when, where and
how it’s being organised. Watch this space!
Some of what is going into the hub is new – like the shop units
and the flats above. Much of what will be there, though, is
updating and bringing together what is already in the
neighbourhood. The Lark Surestart Nursery and the North
Prospect Community Learning facility will be moved from the
old school and the library will be bigger and better than the
present one at Greatlands Place.
Bringing the community and meeting space together
in new, easier to run premises will also provide real
benefits, but we need to make sure that the expertise
and commitment from current providers like the
Halcyon Centre and NPCL and the groups that use
them will be a key part of shaping the future.

Resident exhibition a success
An exhibition on the regeneration of North Prospect
was recently held at the Halcyon centre, to further
update residents on what is happening on the estate.
Around 50 residents visited on the day, which
provided updates on all the phases of the
regeneration, the community hub and other useful
information.
Mike Nally, North Prospect Regeneration Manager
said: “The event was organised to make sure that the
residents of North Prospect are up to date with how
the programme is progressing. I think most of the
residents who attended found it informative and
we have received feedback, both positive and
negative, which we will take into consideration.”
The consortium was also in attendance during the
day and was available to offer support to residents
on a number of issues, from housing to community
safety. Jacky Clift, on behalf of the Zebra Collective,
organised a ‘sticky wall’, which gave residents the
opportunity to put up comments about the
regeneration and other issues.
Among the points raised was a desire for good
communication with the PCH regeneration team and
suggestions were made for how that might happen
better – clear information, time to explain properly, a
drop-in place to ask questions and display boards
with information constantly updated.
Agnes from Plymfed talked to people about whether they
would like to be part of the on-going discussions with PCH,
and Ghia from PATH interviewed individual people and
families about their own housing needs.
Barratt Homes and Mi-Space, the contractor who will do the
refurbishment of the tenanted homes in North Prospect, were
also on hand to provide information on the projects that they
are taking on.
Meanwhile, Mr Lonsdale and Mr Woodruff from North
Prospect both won a £25 shopping voucher to spend at the
North Prospect Mini Mart. Both completed a survey at the
resident information event and were picked out at random.
Pictured below is Mike Knowles, North Prospect Regeneration
Project Director presenting one of the vouchers to Mr Woodruff
with his prize.

New homes to be handed over to PCH
The first new homes in North Prospect will be handed over to
Plymouth Community Homes later this month as work on the
first phase gathers pace.
This means that families will be moving into new homes very
soon. The new homes are built to a higher standard and could
save families hundreds of pounds in fuel bills.
The Lord Mayor and Lady Mayoress opened the show homes
and marketing suites in January and since then Plymouth
Community Homes and Barratt have been working hard to
ensure that the first homes are handed over on schedule.
When the first phase of work is completed, there will be a total
of 148 energy efficient homes – 52 available for rent, 28 for
Homebuy (also known as shared ownership) and 68 for private
sale. Phase 1B, which started in February, will include the community
hub and apartments exclusively for the over 55’s. This
phase is due to complete in 2014.
Work on this project began in May last year and has received
backing from Plymouth City Council and more than £3.9m in
investment from the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA)
to support the delivery of 80 new affordable homes in the
area.
For more information on the regeneration project,
please contact the regeneration team on
08000 327 100 or email
npr@plymouthcommunityhomes.co.uk.

Man For All
Seasons in North
Prospect
Plymouth Community Homes has teamed up with
Luke Foster, owner of gardening maintenance
company Man For All Seasons, to ensure that the
empty properties and communal areas in North
Prospect have their garden areas cleared to allow
development work to progress without delay.
Luke will provide an essential service to the
regeneration project by working on the gardens -
he will ensure that shrubs are cut-back within the
correct seasons and that the grass levels are kept
to a minimum on sites due to be re-developed. By
maintaining the gardens in this way, we hope to
discourage slow worms, which are a protected
species, inhabiting the gardens and potentially
causing a delay to the re-development
programme.
Tracey Wheaton, Neighbourhood Housing
Manager for the Regeneration Team said: “The
environmental issues which surround such a large
regeneration project are complicated and can
often cause delays. However, at Plymouth
Community Homes we are very environmentally
aware and we make sure that we do things
correctly from the start.
“We are therefore delighted to have Luke and his
team on board. Through the environmental work
we have already completed along with Luke’s
involvement, we are ensuring that we undertake
our environmental responsibilities in a timely
manner. You will find Luke and his team working
in the area now.”
“
The environmental issues
which surround such a large
regeneration project are
complicated and can often cause
delays. However, at Plymouth
Community Homes we are very
environmentally aware we make
sure that we do things correctly
from the start.
“
Police Update
Luke and his team
The North Prospect Neighbourhood Policing team and
its partner agencies are currently working to resolve
issues involving a local group causing anti-social
behaviour. They are aware that there have been a
number of incidents of criminal damage and anti-social
behaviour on the North Prospect Estate.
They are encouraging residents to report all such
incidents – this will help them get the evidence needed
in order to work towards positive interventions and
enforcement action where appropriate. Devon and
Cornwall Police are working very closely with its partners
and together they take a hard stance in dealing with
these types of incidents.
You can contact the Police in the following ways – In
an emergency, call 999, for non-urgent enquiries
call 101 and to contact them via e-mail
plymouthwest@devonandcornwall.pnn.police.uk

Parks and Open Spaces in North Prospect
In summer 2011, 191 residents and visitors took part in a survey about parks and open spaces in North Prospect.
These areas are an important part of the overall regeneration of the area so we will take into account the findings
from this survey when planning future improvements. Thanks to everyone who took part in this survey – without
your help, this information would not have been compiled.
Some of the results included:
• Titchy Park in Greatlands Crescent is the most used park
in North Prospect, with 70% of those surveyed saying
they used it. It received an overall satisfaction rating of 8
out of 10.
• Half of those surveyed used Cookworthy Green and it also
has the highest number of daily users. It received an
overall satisfaction rating of 7 out of 10.
• Overall 27% said they were very satisfied about the
quality and quantity of parks and open spaces available
to them. Only 5% were either fairly or very dissatisfied.
• When asked to identify the three most important issues
that stop you or your family using other parks and open
spaces, you said the main problem was other users,
followed by distance and vandalism.
• When asked what you would change about parks and
open spaces in North Prospect, most respondents
suggested improvements to Cookworthy Green. These
included providing new play equipment, places for older
people and more seating. Other concerns raised included
anti-social behaviour of other users and inconsiderate
dog owners.
Have you got more to say about Parks and open spaces in
North Prospect or would you like to have a say in future
improvements and activities?
All residents are invited to the first meeting of the North
Prospect Parks Forum on Wednesday 18th April at 5.30pm
at the Halcyon Centre on Dingle Rd or contact Karen
Renshaw at Plymouth City Council on 01752 306243
or email Karen.renshaw@plymouth.gov.uk
Have your Say
At February’s North Prospect and Weston Mill
neighbourhood meeting, the following three
priorities were set:
1. Anti-social behaviour by a particular group of
young people.
2. Street problems e.g. blocked drains, inconsiderate
parking.
3. Trees – Overgrown, blocking daylight, causing
problems to pavements.
Do you agree with these priorities? Do you have
questions for the Council, Police or Plymouth
Community Homes or want to see other issues
considered? If so please come along to the next
neighbourhood meeting on Wednesday May 9th
at 6pm at Oak Villa Sports and Social Club, Ferndale
Road.
Since February’s meeting, the following progress
has happened:
• Meeting with agencies held to discuss anti-social
behaviour and damage to property
• Actions agreed to deal with anti -social behaviour
• Neighbourhood Warden has reported 65 blocked
drains for clearing
• Request made for yellow lines in North Prospect to
be repainted
• Concerns about trees raised with Plymouth City
Council
If you would like more information please ring
Karen Renshaw Plymouth City Council’s
Neighbourhood Manager for North Prospect on
01752 306243

PL2 rents for social
housing revealed
The rents for the first new homes in North Prospect
have now been released.
The first homes will be handed over to Plymouth
Community Homes this month, with families being
able to move in very soon. These new rents will
come in affect from 1st April 2012.
Despite the increase of 6.1 per cent, the rent for
PCH tenants is among the lowest in Plymouth.
Tracey Wheaton, Neighbourhood Housing Manager
for Regeneration, said: “Although our rents are
rising, we are still offering high quality social
housing at a much more affordable rate than other
housing associations across the country.
“Our aim is to provide high quality housing at
affordable rents and by offering our new homes at
these prices we are doing just that.”
Social rents from 1st April
2012/13
2 bedroom 3 person flat £87.86
2 bedroom 4 person House £90.99
3 bedroom 5 person House £100.59
4 bedroom 6 person House £108.11
All the rented properties will be advertised
through Devon Homes Choice (DHC), a choice
based letting system prior to them being ready for
letting. If you wish to be considered for the new
build you will need to place a bid in DHC.
If you need help in bidding please contact the
Neighbourhood Housing Team on Telephone
08000 327 100 or pop into Plymouth Community
Homes at the marketing suite on Ham Drive.
Mi-space awarded
refurbishment contract
The contract that will see 300 homes owned by Plymouth
Community Homes refurbished has been awarded to Mi-space.
Mi-space, who are part of West Country firm Midas
Construction, were awarded the £12m contract to upgrade the
homes in North Prospect following a robust tender evaluation
in February.
Mi-space will carry out structural repairs to give properties a 30
year life, including re-roofing, cladding external walls, central
heating, re-wiring, fitting new UPVC windows and doors, as well
as kitchen and bathroom replacement.
“
The work that they will carry
out will improve the homes of our
residents, modernise standards
and reduce fuel bills
Leon Harris, Development Manager for the North Prospect
regeneration, said: “Mi-space has a very good reputation in
refurbishment works and we are very happy to have them on
board for this project.
“The work that they will carry out will improve the homes of
our residents, modernise standards and reduce fuel bills.”
Refurbishment work on the estate will begin in the spring and
will be completed in 4 years time. Home owners in North
Prospect will also have the opportunity to get involved with
the refurbishment programme and have their own homes
improved.’
For more information, please contact the
Regeneration Team on 08000 327 100 or email
npr@plymouthcommunityhomes.co.uk
“
Drop in sessions change location
The drop in sessions have now moved location and will be held at the Plymouth Community Homes marketing suite
on Ham Drive instead of the old North Prospect School.
The sessions will be held on: • Monday and Friday 9:30 – 11am • Wednesday 1pm – 4pm
The drop in sessions give residents, who are affected by regeneration, the opportunity to speak to the Regeneration
Team about their housing needs or about the regeneration programme in general. You can also contact the team
on 08000 327 100 or email npr@plymouthcommunityhomes.co.uk

Young People’s activities in North Prospect*
There’s more to do for young people than you think! These sessions are run specifically for young people and delivered
locally in North Prospect. Don’t forget that there are other activities available throughout Plymouth.
When Activity and Age Who and Cost Where
MONDAY
4pm – 4.30pm
4.30pm – 5.30pm
5.30pm – 6.30pm
6.30pm – 7.30pm
6pm -7.15pm
7.30pm – 9pm
4.30-8pm
TUESDAY
10am-12noon
4.30pm-8pm
6pm – 7pm
7pm – 8pm
WEDNESDAY
10.45am – 11.45am
4.30pm – 6pm
4.30-8pm
Starts Wed 22nd Feb for
6 weeks 6.30pm – 8pm
THURSDAY
4.30pm - 6pm
5.30pm – 7.00pm
4.30pm-8pm
FRIDAY
12noon -1pm
10am-12noon
SATURDAY
Every Saturday 10am –
12 noon
Alternate Saturdays
Saturdays in February
11,18 and 25 11am– 3pm
Dance Under 5’s
Dance 6yrs – 11yrs
Dance 12yrs and over
Dance any age
Girls Brigade 5–11yrs
Girls Brigade 11-18 yrs
Activ8 Community Gym,
women & girls only
Activ8 Community Gym,
women & girls only
Activ8, Young People’s Gym
Football 8-12 yrs
Football 13 yrs and over
Women and girls only
Group for young people interested
in being youth leaders Over 14yrs
Activ8, Community gym for young
people. Age 11-18yrs
Boxing. Ages 14-25yrs
Youth club & activities Age 8-11yrs
Youth Matters Youth drop in &
internet cafe Age 11 yrs and over
Activ8, Young People’s Gym
Women and girls only
Young Parents group – Bring little
one for chill out, chat and meet
up with friends. Age under 25
Activ8, Community gym for young
people. Age 11-18yrs
Different activities and visits
Conservation days to clear the
woods of invasive species!
*All details accurate at time of printing,
but details are subject to change
Kimberley @ Dance Steps £1per session
Kimberley @Dance Steps £1per session
Kimberley @Dance Steps £1per session
Get Fit To Music £1per session
Chris @ Morice Baptist Church
Chris@ Morice Baptist Church
Kay and Marie @ Activ8 £2 per session
Kay and Marie @ Activ8 £2 per session
Kay and Marie @ Activ8 £1 session
Dan @ Plymouth Sports Academy Free
Dan @ Plymouth Sports Academy Free
Kay and Marie @ Activ8 £2 per session
Dan, Phillipa and Kimberley @ Future
Prospects
Kay and Marie @ Activ8 £1 per session
Tel 01752 307008. £6 for 6 sessions.
Run by Mayflower Boxing Club
Janet @ Future Kidz £1 per session
Tracey @ NPCL and PCC Youth Service
20p per session
Kay and Marie @ Activ8 £1 per session
Kay and Marie @ Activ8 £2 per session
Julie@Sure Start Children’s Centre
Kay and Marie @ Activ8 £1 per session
Freespirit Youth project Tel 07906307683
For more information contact Tom at
BTCV on 07739447976
Halcyon Centre
Halcyon Centre
Halcyon Centre
Halcyon Centre
Morice Baptist Church, Ham Drive
Morice Baptist Church, Ham Drive
Scott Business Park, Beacon Park Rd
Scott Business Park, Beacon Park Rd
Unit 31 Scott Business Pk, Beacon Pk Rd
Games Area, Old North Prospect School,
Cookworthy Rd
Scott Business Park, Beacon Park Rd
Halcyon Centre
Unit 31 Scott Business Pk, Beacon Pk Rd
Old Dining Hall, Old North Prospect
Community School, Overdale Rd
Halcyon Centre
North Prospect Community Learning
Centre, Foliot Rd
Unit 31 Scott Business Pk, Beacon Pk Rd
Scott Business Park, Beacon Park Rd
Jan Cutting Healthy Living Centre
Scott Business Park, Beacon Park Rd
Halcyon Centre
Meet us at Ham House at 11am or follow
the signs down through the woods
North Prospect Regeneration Team, Pymouth
Community Homes, The Vicarage, St James the Less,
Ham Drive, Plymouth,PL2 2NJ Telephone: 08000 327 100
Email: info@plymouthcommunityhomes.co.uk Web: www.plymouthcommunityhomes.co.uk
Charitable Industrial and Provident Society Registration No: 30637R