Your Homes Newcastle Decent Homes

Your Homes NewcastleDecent Homes

Halftime and still much to play forIt seems like no time at all since spring 2005 and the startof our Modern Homes improvement programme but we’renow 15,000 improvement packages closer to bringing allCouncil homes in Newcastle to the Government’s DecentHomes standard. So we’re at the halfway point in termsof timescale and task and I’d like to give you a briefupdate of how the programme is progressing and whatit’s going to mean for your area this year.2In addition to the informationabout schemes that have recentlybeen completed, or are just aboutto get underway, we have alsoincluded some brief pen pictures ofimprovement work we’ve supportedin communities across Newcastlein other ways. Those works arecomplementing the major arearegeneration programmes that arebeing delivered by some of ourkey partners in the city, with theoverall effect of a Newcastle thatlooks and feels better than at anypoint in living memory. For me thisfeels most obvious when I pass byany of the multi-storey blocks thathave been improved and I see clean,modern, inviting blocks that tenantscan feel proud to call their home.And that can only be a good thingfor our city.Why it’s harder to spend£100,000,000 per year thanyou’d thinkSamuel Johnson once said ‘Moneyand time are the heaviest burdensof life, and the unhappiest of allmortals are those who have moreof either than they know how touse”. At the start of the programmewe had a large amount of resourceto allocate in a very short space oftime. Spending that money in anappropriate manner, at the rightplaces and on schedule has provedto be a much more difficult taskthan any of us had anticipated; soI’d like to pay tribute to the rolethat YHN’s Investment Deliveryteam has played in keeping theprogramme on schedule and onbudget. The team has drivenforward improvements to the waywe award contracts as well; we’vereduced the number of contractorsthat are doing the work from twelveto six - and it’s reaping the cost andquality benefits that we had hopedfor.Having said that our two-packageapproach made for rather testingtimes in terms of performancemonitoring at the start of theprogramme - most homes inNewcastle require both internaland external improvements, so inthe early days the overall numberof homes that met the standard fordecency remained static. Howeverthat picture has started to changeand our approach is now payingdividends, as we’re achieving ourstrongest performance arounddecency to date. And virtually all

tenants have now been involvedin the programme in one way oranother - no one’s had to wait untilthe final years of the programme tobenefit from improvements to theirhome.Inspection result can’t be theend of our storyUndoubtedly you’ll have heard bynow about the result of our recentAudit Commission inspection. Theyrated us as providing an ‘Excellentservice with excellent prospects forimprovement’.The result isn’t going to make anyovernight differences to the waywe work, but we are exploring theadditional freedoms and flexibilitiesthe rating gives us. And - on a muchsimpler level – it’s great for our staffand Board to be recognised forbeing the best at what they do.We are still involved in the processof finalising the Audit Commission’sinspection report on our services.When that is complete, we willhave a clear idea of the furtherwork we need to do to continueimproving services for tenants andleaseholders. We can’t afford to siton our laurels - we shouldn’t see thisas the end of the journey, but ratherthe start of something exciting.So thank you for helping us getto three stars. If we continue towork together there’s no reasonwhy YHN can’t continue to improvewhat is now recognised as one ofthe most comprehensive housingservices in the country. I hope thatyou will continue working with usto improve the lives of tenants andleaseholders in Newcastle.Multi-storey blocks across the city are being improved –with impressive results.3

Modern Homes ProgrammeOverall the 2007/08 programme completed work to 7,396 (target 7,925) properties making6,113 (target 5,670) of them decent. The number of completions is less than the target.This is due to £3.5m slippage into 2008/09 for the ramping down of construction partnerswith reduced allocation.WardTotal numberof propertiesTotal numberof decentpropertiesPercentageof propertiesthat are decent2007/08completionsBenwell & Scotswood 1533 464 30% 488Blakelaw 1691 553 33% 129Byker 3183 418 13% 431Castle 518 270 52% 225Dene 144 47 33% 0Denton 1472 420 29% 509East Gosforth 344 80 23% 95Elswick 2443 783 32% 574Fawdon 1898 630 33% 1077Fenham 1180 328 28% 326Kenton 1828 636 35% 135Lemington 917 257 28% 446Newburn 1128 262 23% 187North Heaton 454 178 39% 15North Jesmond 34 34 100% 31Ouseburn 1492 573 38% 578Parklands 142 80 56% 35South Heaton 784 102 13% 399South Jesmond 191 24 13% 4Walker 3930 1378 35% 331Walkergate 1127 357 32% 416West Gosforth 171 124 73% 134Westerhope 295 119 40% 5Westgate 1645 536 33% 263Wingrove 159 107 67% 21Woolsington 1772 1140 64% 5414

As we have adopted a two package approach (internal & external), properties will onlybecome decent once both packages have been completed.The projected total completions for 2008/09 is 7,348 with 5,447 properties being madedecent.2005-08 TOTAL 2008/09: PROPOSED ACTIVITYInternal ExternalWarmzone Proposed Proposed Proposedpackages packages schemes internal packages external packages336 434 157 5 74 8678 392 859 8 321 573260 1117 678 12 1252 149292 454 269 1 37 024 1 29 3 0 58563 585 523 2 17 72113 67 63 10 110 271963 398 112 6 529 458373 1043 834 11 526 188405 136 439 15 574 467302 255 535 5 40 442438 157 506 7 152 303268 686 466 2 235 3546 435 259 1 0 134 0 0 1 0 3894 562 89 6 95 26621 116 34 0 0 0320 196 251 5 89 286163 0 13 3 0 27386 516 1105 14 1026 229584 161 272 9 301 357150 145 27 2 0 23111 292 109 1 33 0198 1134 210 13 882 9104 115 5 2 3 91236 1209 459 3 0 320Information correct as of August 18, 2008.5

4000350040003000350025003000200025001500200010001500100050005000Benwell and ScotswoodBreakdown of total homes to homes made decentBenwell and ScotswoodBlakelawBlakelawBykerCastleDeneDentonBykerCastleDeneDentonEast GosforthEast GosforthElswickElswickFawdonFenhamKentonFawdonFenhamKentonLemingtonLemingtonNewburnNewburnNumber of homes in wardNorth HeatonNorth HeatonNorth JesmondNorth JesmondOuseburnOuseburnParklandsParklandsSouth HeatonSouth HeatonSouth JesmondSouth JesmondWalkerWalkergateWalkerWest GosforthWalkergateWesterhopeWest GosforthWestgateWesterhopeWingroveWestgateNumber of homes made decentWoolsingtonWingroveWoolsingtonTotal number of homes made decent32.5%32.5%6

Customer satisfaction with the Modern HomesProgramme, 2007/08Since the start of the programme we have used customer feedbackto improve our processes and procedures and the way individualtenants experience the programme. Customers comments havehelped us standardise the information that we and the constructorsuse, whilst Resident Liaison Procedures and Replacement Rules haveboth been amended in light of comments from customers.Every quarter our Property Committee receives a report which detailsthe levels of satisfaction of tenants whose homes have recently beenimproved. They also receive a detailed schedule of all issues raised, howwe have responded to those issues and how we’ve learnt from them.Representatives of the Committee have also visited estates where majorissues have been recorded as an additional check on whether our responseis appropriate, and to help us pre-empt those issues on future schemes.We have benchmarked constructors annually within the Strategic AlliancePartnership. This exercise takes into account the constructor’s performancebased on both cost and quality. The quality aspect of this exercise includesduration times, defects scores and also customer satisfaction (based on theYHN satisfaction results for completed schemes). The 2008/09 programmeis subject to quarterly benchmarking which will enable quality controlbefore large sums are assigned to each constructor. This will allow us toreassign resources where necessary.7

Customer satisfactiononeType CustomerWard YHN Programme – name of estate of satisfaction Issues raisedwork results (%)Benwell & Acquired Property (Benwell) Misc Exterior 100 No issuesScotswood Betts Avenue Exterior 67 Floor tiles coming up.Pipes leaking under sink.Buddle Road (Violet St development) Exterior 100 No issuesFergusons Lane Bungalows 87 No issuesFergusons Lane Interior 76 Lack of communication fromconstructor. Workmanship issues.Blakelaw Blackett Ord/BISF Interior 85 Quality of workmanshipBlackett Ord Houses & Low Rise Exterior 75 Quality of workmanshipAcquired Property Fenham Exterior 100 No issuesLynton Chiltern Cragston Interior 70 Quality of workmanshipNorth Fenham Stamfordham Road Interior 87 No issuesRadnor Park Low Rise Interior 90 No issuesByker Acquired Property Misc pre 1919 89 Quality of workmanship(Commercial Road) Interior (electrical and plastering)Byker Dunn Terrace Sheltered Exterior 93 No issuesByker St Peter’s Road Exterior 100 No issuesByker Grace Street Spires Lane Exterior 93 Quality of workmanshipByker Town Exterior 98 No issuesRoman Ave/Orpington Ave NEEMA Interior 93 No issuesRoman Avenue/Orpington Avenue Interior 100 No issuesWelbeck Road/Scrogg Road/Westbourne Avenue Exterior 100 No issuessix 8Walker North of Grasmere Avenue1919 Duo Slab Interior 100 No issuesCastle Dinnington 1961 Bungalows Interior 94 Quality of workmanship - windowsDinnington 1919 Houses Interior 100 No issuesDinnington Interior 83 Quality of workmanship - windowsDinnington 1967 Low Rise Interior 100 No issuesDinnington 1946 Houses Exterior 100 No issuesDenton West Denton (steel windows) Interior 93 Quality of workmanshipWest Denton Interior 95 Quality of workmanshipWest Denton CDA South (A-B Roads) Interior 93 No issuesWest Denton CDA (C-E roads) Interior 92 No issuesWesterhope 1920’s Interior 50 Dampness in kitchen.Workmanship issuesEast Gosforth Church Road Estate Exterior 100 No issuesGrange Exterior 100 No issuesSalters Close Interior 100 No issuesElswick Acquired Property (Benwell)/Misc Exterior 96 Quality of workmanshipAcquired Property (Benwell)/Misc Interior 100 No issuesMill Lane Bentinck Street Interior 100 No issuesCruddas Park House Interior 89 Quality of workmanship. Drainageand plumbing problems. Kitchencupboards too high - tenantsunable to reach the top shelvesHawthorn Estate Mather Road Flats Interior 97 Communication -need for keytelephone numbers

twoType CustomerWard YHN Programme – name of estate of satisfaction Issues raisedwork results (%)Fawdon Lea Green Court Exterior 100 No issuesGrange (CPA 3&4) Exterior 100 No issuesGrange (CPA 3&4) Exterior 100 No issuesGrange (CPA 3&4) Interior 100 No issuesFenham St Cuthbert’s Green Interior 100 No issuesBlackett Ord BISF Interior 86 Quality of workmanshipBlackett Ord Bungalows 216 Exterior 100 No issuesBlackett Ord Houses & Low Rise Interior 75 Quality of workmanshipAcquired Property Fenham Exterior 100 No issuesLemington West Denton Copperas Lane Interior 43 Gardens not rectified after workcarried out/quality of workmanship/communicationWest Denton (Steel Windows) Interior 87 Quality of workmanshipTynevale Estate Lemington Exterior 100 No issuesNewburn Walbottle Interior 93 No issuesNewburn The Retreat Exterior 100 No issuesThrockley Central Interwar Interior 93 Problems with electrical andplastering work. ‘Did not clean upwell’. ‘Work not well supervised’.Walbottle Exterior 100 No issuesWalbottle Interior 86 No issuesWhite City Exterior 92 No issuesMount Pleasant Interior 84 No issuesNorth Heaton High Heaton Wilds Combined 80 Tenants were moved out duringthe work - issues aroundcleanliness on their returnNorth Jesmond Acquired Property/Sandyford Interior 75 Quality of workmanship. SpecialrequirementsLea Green Court Exterior 100 No issuesOuseburn Acquired Property/Sandyford Interior 75 Quality of workmanship. SpecialrequirementsTarset Street Guildford Place Exterior 100 No issuesNapier Street Exterior 100 No issuesMelbourne Court Interior 97 Quality of workmanship - plumbingShieldfield Vale House Interior 85 Quality of workmanship - toiletseats coming loose and extractorfansMilton Street Exterior 100 No issuesClarence Stoddart (Shieldf’d Centre) Exterior 86 Cleaning/respect issuesShieldfield (Wesley Street) 1940’s Interior 100 No issuesShieldfield (Wesley Street) 1940’s Exterior 100 No issuesShieldfield (Wretham Place) Interior 100 No issuesParklands Grange Exterior 100 No issueseightseven 9

threeType CustomerWard YHN Programme – name of estate of satisfaction Issues raisedwork results (%)South Heaton Denmark Street Interior 98 Quality of workmanship - electricalTarset Street Guildford Place Exterior 100 No issuesSouth Jesmond Acquired Property Sandyford Interior 75 Quality of workmanship –floor tiles liftingShieldfield/Vale House Interior 85 No issuesJesmond Vale Interior 100 Radiators in porches taken outleaving them dampWalker Diamond Row Exterior 90 No issuesFairhaven (Walker Redevelopment) Exterior 100 No issuesFelling View Exterior 100 No issuesWalker North Of Grasmere Avenue1919 Duo Slab Exterior 100 No issuesWalkergate Acquired Property Misc pre 1919 Interior 90 Quality of workmanship - electricaland plasteringStotts Road Sheltered Milecastle House Exterior 91 No issuesStotts Road Finchley Court Exterior 100 No issuesWelbeck Road/Scrogg Rd/Westbourne Avenue Exterior 100 No issuesWoodside Avenue Acquired Property Combined 100 No issuesWest Gosforth Gosforth Mid Rise Interior 100 No issuesGraham Park Road Mid Rise Interior 100 No issuesWesterhope Westerhope 1920’s Interior 62 Workmanship issues and dampnessin propertyWesterhope Sheltered Bamburgh Exterior 100 No issuesWestgate Acquired property/Misc (Claremont Rd) Exterior 86 Quality of workmanshipRye Hill (Beech Grove Road) Interior 91 No issuesRye Hill Central multi’s Interior 100 No issuesAcquired Property Rye Hill East Exterior 100 No issuesArthur’s Hill Redevelopment New Mills 90 Poor door handle design. Qualityof workmanship - doors andwindowsArthur’s Hill Redevelopment New Mills Exterior 92 Quality of workmanship - doorsand windowsLeazes Court Interior 89 Quality of workmanship - kitchenunits, flooring and heatingWingrove Acquired Property Misc Exterior 88 Quality of workmanship(Claremont Road)Woolsington Newbiggin Hall Greendyke Area Interior 100 No issuesWesterhope 1920’s Interior 62 Workmanship issues. Dampness inpropertyNewbiggin Hall 1961 houses & Interior 85 Quality of workmanship - kitchenlow riseunits and electricaleight 10 sixnine seven

Improvement programme yearoneNumber Programme year Programme yearWard YHN Programme – name of estate of internal externalproperties improvements improvementsBenwell and Acquired properties - Heaton Railway Str 1 2008/09 2006/07Scotswood Betts Avenue 8 2007/08 2008/09Deneside (Stone Row) 15 2008/09 2010/11Jubilee Estate 1 2009/10 2008/09Miscellaneous acquired properties 14 2008/09 2006/07Miscellaneous acquired properties 9 2008/09 2006/07Upper Delaval (Benwell Dene) 35 2008/09 PaintingBlakelaw Blackett Ord houses and low rise 16 2005/06 2008/09Blackett Ord houses and low rise 1 2006/07 2008/09Blakelaw Chessar Avenue ‘165’ 134 2008/09 2005/06Blakelaw multi’s 191 2008/09 2008/09Blakelaw multi’s 193 2008/09 2008/09Lynton/Chiltern/Cragston 69 2006/07 2008/09Radnor Park houses and bungalows 68 2006/07 2008/09Radnor Park low rise 27 2006/07 2008/09Rye Hill West 1 2008/09 PaintingByker Allendale Road Sheltered 43 2008/09 2008/09Allendale Road Sheltered 45 2008/09 2008/09Benson Road 71 2008/09 2010/11Byker - Cheviot/St Michaels Mount 192 2008/09 2011/12Byker - Headlam Green/Chirton Wynd 136 2011/12 2008/09Byker - Kendal Green/Brock Square 1 2005/06 2008/09Byker - Kendal Green/Brock Square 236 2009/10 2008/09Byker Janet Square/Street 41 2010/11 2008/09Byker Wall 387 2008/09 2009/10Cresswell Street 98 2008/09 2010/11Cresswell Street Sheltered/Margaret Collins 35 2008/09 PaintingHarriet Street 17 2008/09 2008/09Harriet Street 17 2008/09 2008/09Keebledale Avenue Sheltered 2 2008/09 2008/09Miscellaneous acquired properties pre 1919 76 2006/07 2008/09Tarset Street/Guildford Place 25 2008/09 2006/07Walker/North of Grasmere Avenue 1919 Duo Slab 114 2008/09 2006/07Walker/North of Grasmere Avenue1919 Trad and Dorlorco 270 2008/09 2005/06Walker/North of Grasmere Avenue1967 houses 11 2009/10 2008/09Castle Dinnington - Airey houses 37 2008/09 2005/06Dene Acquired properties - Chillingham - High Heaton 1 2005/06 2008/09Benton Lodge/Benton Park Road/Newton Park 38 2009/10 2008/09Benton Lodge No fine houses 19 2009/10 2008/09Denton Kenton Bar bungalows 1 2009/10 2008/09Stock Green 17 2008/09 2005/06West Denton Dorrans 72 2009/10 2008/09sixelevenseven 11

twoNumber Programme year Programme yearWard YHN Programme – name of estate of internal externalproperties improvements improvementsEast Gosforth Church Road Estate 6 2008/09 2006/07Church Road Estate low rise 33 2010/11 2008/09Church Road Estate non traditional 26 2010/11 2008/09Hollywood Avenue 35 2011/12 2008/09Rydal Road Estate 51 2005/06 2008/09Salters Close 17 2006/07 2008/09South Gosforth 48 2008/09 2008/09South Gosforth 45 2008/09 2008/09South Gosforth bungalows 4 2008/09 2008/09South Gosforth bungalows 4 2008/09 2008/09Elswick Cruddas Park multis Part A 262 2008/09 2008/09Cruddas Park multis Part A 262 2008/09 2008/09Durham Street 18 2008/09 PaintingHawthorn Estate/Mather Road houses 63 2008/09 2006/07Jubilee Estate 195 2010/11 2008/09Miscellaneous acquired properties 10 2008/09 2006/07Rye Hill West 4 2008/09 2006/07St Pauls Estate 177 2008/09 PaintingFawdon Coxlodge low rise 41 2008/09 2009/10Fawdon/Conewood 36 2008/09 PaintingKenton Bar bungalows 1 2009/10 2008/09Kenton Fawdon 37 2008/09 2006/07Kenton No Fines 93 2009/10 2008/09Miscellaneous acquired properties 4 2006/07 2008/09Regent Farm (Cpas 3 and 4) 72 2007/08 2008/09Regent Farm (Cpas 3 and 4) mid rise Whalton Court 19 2007/08 2008/09Fenham Acquired properties - Slatyford 6 2008/09 2008/09Acquired properties - Slatyford 6 2008/09 2008/09Blackett Ord bungalows 10 2007/08 2008/09Blackett Ord houses and low rise 58 2005/06 2008/09Denmark Street 5 2008/09 2008/09Dewley Road - 1940’s 17 2007/08 2008/09Dewley Road/Waterbeach Place - 1960’s 59 2007/08 2008/09Dewley Road/Waterbeach Place - bungalows 15 2007/08 2008/09Fenham Wilds 61 2008/09 PaintingHawthorn Estate/Mather Road houses 5 2008/09 2008/09Slatyford 96 2008/09 2007/08Slatyford 1946 houses and low rise 109 2008/09 PaintingSlatyford 1960’s 7 2008/09 2007/08Slatyford mid rise 40 2008/09 2008/09Slatyford mid rise 40 2008/09 2008/09Slatyford No Fines 250 2008/09 2008/09Slatyford No Fines 250 2008/09 2008/09St Cuthberts Green 7 2007/08 2008/09six 12

threeNumber Programme year Programme yearWard YHN Programme – name of estate of internal externalproperties improvements improvementsKenton Coxlodge/Kenton Crescent 40 2008/09 2005/06Kenton Bar bungalows 32 2009/10 2008/09Kenton Bar houses 218 2009/10 2008/09Kenton Bar mid rise 119 2009/10 2008/09Kenton Fawdon 2 2008/09 2008/09Montagu bungalows 73 2005/06 2008/09Lemington Claremont/Sugley Dene 120 2008/09 2010/11South West Denton/Copperas Lane mid rise 15 2007/08 2008/09Stock Green 1 2008/09 2005/06Tynevale Terrace Sheltered/Wanseck Lemington 30 2008/09 2008/09Tynevale Terrace Sheltered/Wanseck Lemington 30 2008/09 2008/09Newburn Leazes mid rise 235 2008/09 2005/06Walbottle 35 2006/07 2008/09North Heaton Acquired properties - Chillingham - High Heaton 1 2005/06 2008/09North Jesmond Acquired properties - Sandyford 3 2005/06 2008/09Ouseburn Acquired properties - Lower Heaton 188 2009/10 2008/09Acquired properties - Sandyford 36 2005/06 2008/09Heaton Park Court 68 2008/09 2005/06Henry Square 17 2008/09 2007/08Milton Street Sheltered/Shield Court 42 2009/10 2008/09Tarset Street/Guildford Place 10 2008/09 2006/07South Heaton Acquired properties - Chillingham - High Heaton 27 2005/06 2008/09Acquired properties - Heaton Railway Str 73 2008/09 2010/11Addison Grafton Estate 99 2007/08 2008/09Denmark Street 160 2006/07 2008/09Tarset Street/Guildford Place 16 2008/09 2006/07South Jesmond Acquired properties - Lower Heaton 2 2009/10 2008/09Acquired properties - Sandyford 18 2005/06 2008/09Jesmond Vale 7 2006/07 2008/09Walker Belmont/St Anthony’s Walk 18 2008/09 2006/07Central Walker 252 2008/09 PaintingChurch Street/Jane Terrace 9 2009/10 2008/09Greenford Road multis - Hunter House 90 2008/09 2010/11Greenford Road multis - Merlay Hall 88 2008/09 2009/10Greenford Road multis - Wardroper House 90 2008/09 2010/11Lancefield Avenue (Wharrier Street) 17 2008/09 PaintingLancefield Avenue (Wharrier Street) houses 25 2009/10 2008/09Lancefield Avenue (Wharrier Street) mid rise 24 2009/10 2008/09Pottery Bank 1936 202 2008/09 2010/11St Anthony’s - St Anthonys Road 82 2009/10 2008/09St Anthony’s/Evistone Gardens 271 2008/09 PaintingWalker/North of Grasmere Avenue 1919 Duo Slab 2 2008/09 2006/07sixseven 13

fourNumber Programme year Programme yearWard YHN Programme – name of estate of internal externalproperties improvements improvementsWalker/North of Grasmere Avenue 1919 Tradand Dorlorco 1 2008/09 PaintingWalkergate Acquired properties - Heaton Railway Str 1 2008/09 2008/09Eastfield Avenue 94 2005/06 2008/09Eastfield Avenue multis 90 2008/09 2008/09Eastfield Avenue multis 89 2008/09 2008/09Eastfield Avenue multis - Dean House 89 2008/09 2008/09Eastfield Avenue multis - Eastfield House 90 2008/09 2008/09Eastfield Avenue multis - Walkerdene House 90 2008/09 2009/10Keebledale Avenue Sheltered 23 2008/09 PaintingLeazes mid rise 1 2008/09 2007/08Miscellaneous acquired properties pre 1919 1 2008/09 2008/09Miscellaneous acquired properties pre 1919 33 2006/07 2008/09Walker/North of Grasmere Avenue 1919 Tradand Dorlorco 2 2008/09 PaintingWaverdale 50 2009/10 2008/09Westbourne Avenue 16 2008/09 2007/08West Gosforth Gosforth mid rise 14 2006/07 2008/09Graham Park Road mid rise 9 2006/07 2008/09Westerhope Westerhope Sheltered/Bamburgh 33 2008/09 2006/07Westgate Acquired properties - Heaton Railway Str 2 2008/09 2005/06Acquired properties - Rye Hill East 16 2008/09 2005/06Acquired properties - Rye Hill West 74 2008/09 PaintingArthurs Hill Sheltered/Thorpe Close/Iris Steedman 41 2008/09 PaintingAvison Street - mid rise 31 2008/09 2005/06Avison Street 1961 and 1967 houses 80 2008/09 2005/06Avison Street 1972 houses 26 2008/09 2005/06Belgrave Parade/Cross Parade void reinstatement 9 2008/09 2008/09Belgrave Parade/Cross Parade void reinstatement 9 2008/09 2008/09Hawthorn Estate/Mather Road houses 10 2008/09 2007/08Pitt Street/Buckingham Street (Cpa S 1 and 2) 11 2008/09 2007/08Queens Court 108 2008/09 PaintingRye Hill Central 65 2008/09 2007/08Rye Hill West 57 2008/09 2007/08Westgate Road multi’s 355 2008/09 2006/07Wingrove Miscellaneous acquired properties 3 2008/09 2007/08Morpeth Street/Hunters Road 9 2009/10 2008/09Woolsington Acquired properties - Heaton Railway Str 2 2008/09 2006/07Etal Park 109 2005/06 2008/09Miscellaneous acquired properties (Rye Hill East) 4 2008/09 2006/07Newbiggin Hall 1961 houses and low rise 177 2006/07 2008/09Newbiggin Hall Sheltered /Teasdale 34 2011/12 2008/0914

Outer West and North area improvementsBlakelaw CowgateDeepdale Green bungalows• This scheme, which put a gate across anarchway leading to the rear of bungalows,resolved problems of anti-social behaviour.• The scheme was proposed after consultationwith residents, the Community Forum andNorthumbria Police.• The new gate, security lighting and antiscalingspikes have been installed in DeepdaleGreen, and have been a great relief to thetenants. Following the security measures,no one can gain access around the back ofthe bungalows. This has reduced crime andcomplaints of youth disorder in this area.• The popularity of the bungalows has increasedand voids have dropped over the past year.GosforthLealholm Road and Fontburn Placeparking scheme• This was proposed afterconsultation with our tenants andWard and Board members andthe Neighbourhood ResponseManager.• It has resolved a problem whereunauthorised parking on a formergarage site was preventing accessto the garages and disturbingresidents.• It was funded by 2007/08 AreaProject Funds and has benefitedtenants and leaseholders directlyand surrounding residentsindirectly.15

North KentonRyal Walk Alleyway fence• This scheme hasenhanced local securityby blocking off a narrowalleyway which runsalong the rear of theproperties.• A petition was receivedfrom residents, followingconcerns about security.• A solution was agreedwith residents at anonsite meeting.• The alleyway was securedwith a metal gate andfencing.BEFOREAFTERWest DentonLowleam Court environmental scheme• Removing trees has increased light into the courtyard area, and damagedand uneven paving slabs have been replaced by a new black with redchipping tarmac surface.• A new footpath has been created using red coloured tarmac whichcomplements red chippings within black tarmac. This provides arecognised route through the courtyard.• Two new shrub beds, enclosed by race course fencing, were installed toprotect shrubs.• This scheme has significantly improved the appearance and safety of thiscourtyard for the benefit of tenants.17

West DentonDunblane bin sheds• Metal lids were removedfrom bin sheds allowing forthe storage of wheel bins.• The property number hasbeen stencilled on each binand the individual bin shed,helping to identify wherebins should be stored.• The scheme hasencouraged tenants touse and store their binsmore appropriately, andhas helped NCC and YHNidentify tenants who fail todo so.Naworth Drive reduced height of walls around garage forecourts• New lower walls around garage forecourts have encouraged more tenantsto park their cars off the street, thereby reducing congestion on the estate.• Tenants feel they can park their cars safely without the threat of damageor theft, as the forecourts are visible to residents living nearby.• Many of the walls were damaged by frost and were beginning to look oldand unsightly; renewing the walls has uplifted the area.18

Inner West area improvementsCruddas ParkThe environment around Waverly MatherEstate has been enhanced by way of apackage of improvements including fullinternals, covering of walkways andexternal painting.Then YHN, New Deal for Communities andmost importantly the residents and theirrepresentatives worked together to createa Community Garden Project.On the BKW estates environmentalimprovements have made a big impact.These have included the redesign ofcommunal spaces at the bottom of theterrace, the removal of the old cobbledpaths, brick planters and relandscaping.We also provided newdefensible space withnew brick walls and metalfencing to properties onBeech Grove Road.19

ComfortzoneYour HomesNewcastle’s NFSprovides a rangeof products andservices to around7,500 customers fromNorthumberlandto North Yorkshire,helping to turnhouses into homes.The service is a perfect complementto any property sale or rentalpackage and provides landlordsand housebuilders an additionalservice that adds value to currentaccommodation offerings.NFS provides a full service fromstart to finish, working with socialworkers or private customers toestablish their needs, right throughto making customer visits to ensurethe products meet those needs.With a strong environmentalpolicy and proven success increating sustainable tenancies andcommunities, NFS is a businesswith a conscience.For more information on NFS and to findout how they could benefit you, contactthe service on:• 0191 278 1888• e-mail furniture.service@yhn.org.uk• visit www.yhn.org.uk

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The Spinney, High HeatonYour Homes Newcastle Limited.Registered in England and Wales. Registration number 5076256.Registered office: Newcastle Civic Centre, Barras Bridge,Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 8PR.A company controlled by Newcastle City Council.