Perry Common Regeneration Partnership

Perry Common Guide Neigbhourhood
c/o Sycamore Court
46 Buxton Road
Perry Common
Erdington
Birmingham
B23 5GA

Website: www.wittonlodge.org.uk
Email: perry_common-guideneighbourhood@yahoo.co.uk

Contact: Michelle Ashmore
Tel: 07830 236 804
E-mail: michelle.ashmore@btopenworld.com

Background

Perry Common is a former ‘outer-estate’ of 1920’s ‘Boot Houses’, so named after the developer Henry Boot. At the time of construction they were seen as desirable properties, with their modern facilities of indoor plumbing and electric lights. However, by the 1980s there were severe problems. Walls were beginning to crack, which meant that structurally the houses were considered to be unsound and unsafe and rising damp was also giving further cause for concern due to an increase in health related problems. Finally in the 1990s 908 houses (or approximately two-thirds) were earmarked for demolition and a bleak outlook was proposed for the remaining area.

Throughout this period of turmoil, the community of Perry Common was being dismantled. Whilst the estate’s future remained uncertain, demolition went ahead and families that had lived in the area were being relocated elsewhere and the fabric of the local community was being torn apart. During this time four residents associations were established in different parts of the estate led by a strong core of local people who were determined to stand up for the community. A combination of pressure from the associations and good support from Birmingham City Council led to an innovative solution being developed.

The four community associations merged into one larger, resident-majority group called the Witton Lodge Community Association and as such were able to secure funding necessary to started the physical rebuilding of the local estate, something Birmingham City Council could not afford to do. This included new roads, public open spaces, community facilities and eventually a 40-bed flagship Extra Care Scheme. A 64-bedded Special Care Unit, 300 new homes for rent and sale and a new health-care facility are three new major developments due to happen soon. The Association’s work has also recently evolved to tackle the community safety, environmental services and play facilities that includes the following:

Community Watch – a group of local residents regularly walking the streets to deter anti-social behaviour, to act as the ‘eyes and ears’ of the community and to reclaim the public realm in a non-threatening way
Neighbourhood Watch
Police Liaison group – housing providers, police, youth workers and the Witton Lodge Community Association meet regularly to gain and share intelligence, troubleshoot and to proactively take action
Cleaner, Greener, Safer Group – residents and workers learning from best practice visits, grass-roots experience and research to work together to improve the environment of the public realm that includes street cleaning, rubbish collection, parkland maintenance and the physical appearance of buildings.

Meanwhile, St Martin’s Church, at the physical heart of the estate, became increasingly concerned about the need for wider regeneration of the community; embracing not only bricks and mortar but also the social, economic, emotional and health transformation of residents. The Perry Common Regeneration Partnership was initiated to this end in 2001. Evolving from one Regeneration Worker to a staff of four, its work includes the following:

Perry Common’s Community Shop – an independent information, advice and signposting service for local residents on any issue of local concern. It offers smoking cessation, local councillor and police surgeries and local courses and training opportunities, with a particular remit of learning, training and employment.
Parish Nurse Project - integrating the health agenda through its own qualified nurse, with the faith agenda, recognising the spiritual aspect to healing and wholeness. Healthy eating, smoking cessation and physical activity training and initiatives are part of this work, as are basic health screenings.
Administration Support Worker
Perry Common’s Neighbourhood Co-ordinator - working towards neighbourhood management, strategic-planning, and mentoring other communities.

Partnership working

Both organisations work very closely together, dovetailing with each other’s areas of focus to create a holistic regeneration. Crucial to the success, however, is the positive partnerships with others that include:

Residents – we work with the community on the planning and implementation of research surveys, seasonal community events, design of new developments and so on
Urban Devotion – a youth-work initiative using gap-year students to offer detached and centre-based relational activities and support to local children and young people. Prison visits, individual mentoring, regular community projects, schools sexual health education and an alternative education programme are some of its features.
Birmingham City Council – Housing, Local Services, District Directors, Parks and so on
Local GP practices, the Primary Care Trust, other health-related organisations
Police – giving support to neighbourhood initiatives and following up nuisance and crime issues promptly
Other organisations - The Countryside Agency, local
churches and other resident-led associations.

Contacts

For more information regarding our Guide Neighbourhood
Programme or to arrange a visit please contact:

Contact: Michelle Ashmore
Tel: 07830 236 804
E-mail: michelle.ashmore@btopenworld.com