COMMUNITY STRATEGY REPORT HASTOE PARK, AYLESBURY. 1. Community profile Stock profile Accommodation layout Estate layout

Transcription

1 COMMUNITY STRATEGY REPORT HASTOE PARK, AYLESBURY 1. Community profile Stock profile Accommodation layout Estate layout

2 2. Resident profile Tenure profile Freehold residents Leasehold residents Hastoe tenants Shared owners 3. Diversity Information Waiting lists Turnover Anti-social behaviour Resident Groups Resident satisfaction Outcomes and issues Maintenance profile Recommendations Estate improvements Management Action Plan 2009 Background Hastoe Park Estate was built in the mid 1960s, completed in In the early days of the Estate, 36 units were let to American Air Force personnel under an agreement between Hastoe Housing and the American Government.

3 Stock Profile There are in total 108 units on the estate consisting of: 64 x 2 bedroom houses 8 x 1 bedroom bungalows (NOT designated for elderly or disabled persons) 24 x one bedroom flats 12 x bedsits. The 36 flats and bedsits are located in 6 x 3 storey blocks: Block 1 Numbers Block 2 Numbers Block 3 Numbers Block 4 Numbers Block 5 Numbers Block 6 Numbers Estate Layout The estate is situated either side of the busy A41, Elmhurst Road, Aylesbury approximately 10 minutes walk from the Town Centre. The flats, along with 3 bungalows & 4 of the houses are located on one side of Elmhurst Road with the remaining houses and bungalows on the other side. The majority of the houses are clustered around 3 x paved and grassed courtyard areas and do not have gardens. The estate is attractively laid out with extensive grassed areas, trees and shrubs. There are 108 garages, one garage per unit, in blocks on the estate. There is vehicular access to the garages and parking areas only, the properties being accessed via paved footpaths. During the 1980s some of the footpaths and the access roads to the estate were adopted by Bucks County Council, along with several of the street lighting columns. Hastoe retained responsibility for the remaining paving and for 12 footway lighting columns located at the entrances to the courtyards and adjacent to the blocks of flats.

4 There are 7 drying areas located around the estate with either concrete or metal washing line posts provided for residents use. The majority of the drying areas are used by only a small proportion of residents and many posts are now surplus to requirements. 2. Resident profile There is a wide mix of age groups on the estate from family households with young children in the houses to elderly residents in some of the flats and bungalows and young single people in the flats. Because the flats are all either bedsits or 1 bedroom flats, they are only allocated to single applicants or couples. Tenure profile Freehold residents Age profile of Tenant households Children under 16 Tenants aged Over of the houses, and one bungalow have been sold under the Right to Buy scheme. Hastoe continues to own the estate land. Freeholders pay a service charge of 0.93% of the annual cost of the upkeep and running of the estate, for example grounds maintenance and the services of a resident

5 caretaker. This service charge is debited to the accounts quarterly in advance. Although many freeholders still remain residents, some of the houses and flats are let to private rental tenants and managed by local lettings agents. Leasehold residents At the time of writing, 11 of the flats are owned by leaseholders, who each pay a service charge made up of 0.93% of the estate costs plus a percentage towards the block costs of maintaining, cleaning, lighting and general upkeep. Again, some of the flats are rented out to private tenants. Hastoe Rental Tenants A total of 44 properties remain in Hastoe ownership for rent. Some residents became tenants prior to 1989 and are Fair Rent tenants. There are currently 9 Fair rent tenants and 35 Assured tenants. At the time of writing, only 12 of the houses remain in Hastoe ownership. Of the 44 Rental Tenants, 31% are in receipt of some Housing Benefit. Shared Owners In 2004, 2 houses were sold under the Shared Ownership Scheme when the previous tenants vacated, one of whom has since staircased to 100% and is now freehold. A further house was sold under the scheme in Breakdown by Tenure Freeholder Leaseholder Shared Owner Assured Tenants Fair Rent Tenants 34% 7% 47% 10% 2%

6 3. Diversity Information The majority of residents on the estate are white british and within the age range years old. There are 3 tenants who are known to be vulnerable due to mild mental health issues or learning disabilities and receive support from outside agencies. One tenant of a ground floor flat has physical disabilities. A ramp has been installed at the entrance of the flats to provide him with ease of access. 4. Service Profile Allocations The local authority, Aylesbury Vale District Council, do not have nomination rights to the estate and there is no nomination agreement currently in place. The waiting list for Hastoe Park is currently under review. There are separate waiting lists for bedsits, one bedroom flats and two bedroom houses. At the time of writing this report there are 3 applicants registered on the bedsit list, 5 on the one bedroom list and 3 on the 2 bedroom list. There is no separate waiting list for the bungalows, and these are not designated specifically for the elderly or disabled. However, when a bungalow becomes vacant, priority is given to applicants on the waiting list who are either over 55 or who has a need for ground floor accommodation on one level. On occasions, applicants have turned down an offer of a house on the estate because they would prefer to have a house with a garden. Turnover In 2005 there were a total of 3 vacancies on the estate, 2 in 2006, 5 during 2007 and 1 in 2008 and 7 to date in Some of the vacancies have been due to residents transferring to another property on the estate, either to purchase one of the shared ownership houses or to move from a house or flat to a bungalow for mobility reasons. 2 of the bedsits were vacated because the tenants wished to transfer to a larger flat but there had been no opportunity for transfer. As a result the tenants moved off the estate into the private sector.

7 Anti-Social Behaviour There are few incidents of anti-social behaviour on the estate brought to our attention. This may be because the estate is well-established and many of the current residents have lived on the estate for several years. Incidents reported in the main have generally been confined to the flats and have been due to disturbance caused by local youths. Since 2008 There is also some low level nuisance caused in the main by private tenants relating to improper disposal of rubbish. A liaison meeting with local Police Community Support Officers and the TVP ASB Assistant Coordinator was held in May 2009 when a discussion was held regarding the benefits of the provision of an estate building or office facility where the Police could hold regular surgeries. Rent and Service Charge arrears There are few high level rent arrears cases currently 5 cases over 400. There has been one eviction for rent arrears within the last 5 years. The majority of leaseholders and freeholders pay their service charge regularly, however there are some who fail to pay and in the case of one or two we have had to approach their mortgage lenders to pay the debt. Hastoe has had no alternative other than to take legal action against one of the Freeholders to recover the debt on more than one occasion. Some freeholders question the amount of service charges payable for the estate, particularly for caretaking and gardening costs. 5. Estate Management Services Current service provision The estate is managed by a Area Housing Manager from the South East Region, originally working from Hastoe s Head Office, however since 2005 this post has been based in the Milton Keynes Office, approximately 35 minutes drive away. The Area Housing Manager is responsible for all housing management issues and is line manager to the Estate Caretaker and to the part time cleaner. Caretaker services

8 There has always been a full time caretaker resident on the estate, employed directly by Hastoe and acting as our representative on the estate. His contracted hours of work are 8.00 am to 5.00 pm, Monday to Friday. He would only deal with genuine emergencies outside of these times if he is on site at the time. He is the first point of contact for most estate issues and responsible for the upkeep and cleaning of the estate. The Caretaker s main role is to maintain and improve the appearance of the communal grounds, deal with resident enquiries, carry out minor repairs, and report any breaches of the estate or tenancy regulations. The Caretaker is responsible for cleaning the communal areas and stairs in the flats during the winter months and is supported by and supervises the parttime cleaner. The Caretaker was originally supported by a part-time gardener until However, when the last gardener resigned Hastoe were unsuccessful in recruiting a replacement. As a result of this a local gardening contractor was appointed to assist with the grass cutting and other gardening works on a part time basis. Hastoe Park benefitted from the excellent service of one Caretaker who lived and worked on the estate for 16 years until his untimely death in March A new Caretaker was subsequently appointed in January There is no Estate office or any provision for toilet or washing facilities for the Caretaker or other estate staff. This, coupled with the fact that there is no designated home provided on the estate for a Caretaker, caused a dilemma when recruiting for a new caretaker in Historically, the Caretaker is required to be resident on the estate however, there was no suitable empty property available at that time. A Caretaker cannot be expected to remain on site throughout the day without the access to basic facilities. Consequently without provision of this it is not possible to appoint anyone other than somebody who is already resident on the estate. Cleaning services From 1 st March to 30 th September the majority of the Caretaker s time is spent on grass cutting and generally maintaining the communal grounds. A part-time cleaner is employed during these months 4 mornings per week to clean the communal areas of the blocks of flats. Car parking Each property has one allocated garage. The garages are accessed from the service roads onto the estate. Due to the increased number of

9 households now owning more than one vehicle, the lack of available parking is becoming more of an issue for the residents. 6. Asset Management Maintenance profile The estate was built in 1966 and is now beginning to look very tired. In 2005 and 2006 a programme of external decorating and decorating to the houses and garages in Hastoe s ownership and the communal areas of the blocks of flats was carried out. However the fencing and gates on the estate around the bin stores and the gates leading into the courtyard areas were not included are now looking very shabby and in a poor state of repair. Prior to 2005, when a fair rent property became void, it was totally refurbished, the kitchens and bathrooms replaced, the warm air heating system removed and a radiator system put in. In 2006, all the remaining warm air systems in the rented properties were changed to gas radiator systems. Improved insulation was installed in the roof spaces. During 2009 a programme of works is being undertaken to replace the bathrooms in all of the rental properties. During 2006, some maintenance works were carried out on the estate, lifting and re-levelling slabs, particularly on the most used footpaths serving the flats and bungalows and within the courtyard areas where the slabs had been lifted by tree roots. Further remedial work to the paving was undertaken during Resident Involvement A Hastoe Park Tenants Association was formed in November 1973, and at one time there was also a Homeowners Residents Group. Unfortunately, both these Groups seem to have folded several years ago. Notified estate management visits are carried out monthly and occasional flyers are sent out to all residents on an ad-hoc basis when issues arise, for example at Christmas, to ensure residents are aware of temporary refuse collection arrangements and notification of when a skip is going to be provided on the estate.

10 In 2005 an introductory newsletter from the Area Housing Manager was sent to all residents inviting their views on various issues and to try and raise interest among residents in starting a new residents group, formal or informal. There was very limited response and attempts to get this off the ground have not been successful. However a Residents Meeting was held in August All 108 residents and leaseholders were notified of the meeting, 22 responses were received and 8 residents attended the event. Points of issue raised at the meeting included: Condition of the estate paving Fencing and gates at the entrance to the courtyards Overflowing drains behind the flats Estate lighting Grass cutting/grounds maintenance Litter The role of the Estate Caretaker Parking Resident consultation An Estate Services Review questionnaire was sent to residents in December 2003 and an estate newsletter in June Questionnaires were distributed in 2008 asking for residents views on the estate lighting and signage. Feedback obtained from these surveys and from information gained during estate visits, inspections and resident liaison formed the basis of a bid for funding from the Estate Improvement and Added Value budgets. As a result, the estate signage was repainted during 2008 and more spring bulbs were planted around the estate. A residents meeting held in August 2008 attended by 8 residents. Some longer-term residents stated that they feel the standard of appearance of the estate is not as high as it once was. Recent issues raised have included grass cutting, weed control, that there are less flower/shrub beds, condition of the bin areas. This may be because at one time Hastoe employed a gardener for 25 hours per week in addition to the Caretaker. Other residents have complained about increases in service charges and do not see the need for the amount of tree work or replanting done on the estate and want to pay less for this service. Freeholders in particular question what service the Caretaker provides for them and think they may be subsidising the Caretaker on behalf of tenants.

11 An estate walkabout was arranged in August 2009 with residents and representatives from Housing Management, Property Services and Development. However there are several issues that cause concern and are raised regularly: Main issues raised: Broken and uneven paving in the courtyards and other unadopted footpaths on the estate. The majority of the paving at Hastoe Park is the original hexagonal shaped concrete paving stones which were laid when the estate was built in the 1960s. These have become very uneven in many areas, particularly those adjacent to trees in the courtyards. These slabs are no longer obtainable so cannot be lifted and replaced like for like if one is damaged. The shape of the slabs and extent of these areas of paving make weed control very timeconsuming and difficult to keep on top of, particularly in the growing season. Lack of lighting in the courtyards and to the garage areas behind the flats. When the estate was first built, Aylesbury Vale Borough Council were the local authority responsible for all the street lighting. Following local government re-organisation in the 1970s, the street lighting function was passed to Bucks County Council who were unwilling to take over responsibility for the lighting at Hastoe Park. Aylesbury Vale District Council continued to provide lighting until March 1977, but then due to spending cutbacks would not continue to bear the energy costs and the costs of maintaining and servicing the street lighting columns and they were disconnected. In approximately 1981, the Council agreed to adopt some of the footpaths and the access roads to the estate along with 12 of the street lighting columns. However, the columns on the remaining unadopted areas of the estate, including in the courtyards, remained in Hastoe ownership. The majority of these lights have not been maintained and remain disconnected. The shabby condition of the wooden gates and fencing on the estate. Lack of parking spaces for visitors; inconsiderate parking by some residents and contractors; vehicles parking on grass verges; untaxed & abandoned vehicles left on the estate. No security entry system to the flats. Occasional disturbance caused by uninvited persons entering the blocks, particularly during the night. These persons have on occasions knocked on residents doors, sometimes in the early hours and Police have been called to

12 remove them. Rubbish and other mess has been left on the communal landings and stairs. Houses and garages not being maintained and painted by owner/occupiers. This lets down the appearance of the estate. ACTION PLAN 1. Carry out a condition survey of the estate paving, look at options to renew or replace the existing paving with a more maintenance-free alternative. If necessary implement a programme for works to be carried out in stages over a period of 3 or 4 years. 2. Establish the current condition and undertake testing of the existing Hastoe owned street lighting columns and lanterns. Look at options for providing alternative/additional lighting to improve current visibility and safety levels. 3. Bid for provision of an estate office with separate toilet, washing and kitchen facility. This could be used as a base by the Caretaker and other staff, as a site office for meetings with contractors, residents surgeries and residents group meetings. 4. Install communal entrance security system to the blocks of flats. 5. Leaseholders/freeholders required under the deed of covenant to maintain garage in good repair and to carry out painting and decorating works as and when proper and necessary to do so to maintain the condition and appearance of the building. This is subjective and likely to be difficult to enforce. 6. Improve perimeter fencing behind the flats to prevent access and damage by vandals. 7. Remove up to 20 redundant concrete washing line posts from drying area to enable grass cutting to be carried out more easily and quickly. Management Conduct regular surveys and liaison with residents to ascertain which issues are important to them and prioritise accordingly. Establish a residents association for the estate. Continue with monthly notified estate management visits and inspections Implement notified annual joint Management & Maintenance estate inspections

13 Continue to forge links and good relations with the Local Authority, local CAB, support organisations, neighbourhood Police and other RSLs. Close liaison with and supervision of estate staff to ensure personal and Corporate objectives are met. Investigate ways of greening the estate, disposal of refuse and green waste. Action Plan 2009 Action point Timescale Officer Contact local PCSOs & ASB officer to enable joint working to combat low level ASB by local youths. Use estate improvement fund to order replace fencing rear of block Arrange estate walkabout with residents and Hastoe Maintenance & Mangement staff to identify key areas for improvement. Renew fencing to bin store areas. Obtain quotes for installing gates to drying areas and providing new gates to the courtyards. June 2009 Achieved June 2009 June 2009 November 2009 November 2009 Alison Bateman Alison Bateman Alison Bateman/Paul Barker Alison Bateman/Paul Barker Paul Barker/Alison Bateman Obtain quotes for November 2009 Paul Barker/Alison

14 improving the estate lighting and paving and provision of additional parking spaces (flats side). Consult with Local Authority on potential for providing additional parking spaces on houses side. With a view to bidding for further funding from Estate Improvement Budget. Arrange residents meeting 2009 December 2009 Bateman Alison Bateman