22 Brades Village Neighbourhood
Neighbourhood Profile
22.1 The Brades Village Neighbourhood is located in the Oldbury Ward of Sandwell MBC, see Map at Appendix V. The Neighbourhood is divided into 2 parts by the main road to Tipton-Dudley Road East. To the west of this road are the areas know locally as Rounds Green and Brades Village. To the east is a mixed housing area from Junction Street in the south to Theodore Close at the northern end.
22.2 The census data from 2001 identifies that Brades Village has 2a population 2591 – this shows a decline of 243 people since the 1991 census. 76% (1958) people are white. Of the remaining 24% the largest population group are identified as Indian (10.6%) with 5.8% Caribbean, 3.9% Pakistani and 2.4% of mixed race. There are small numbers of Chinese, other black, African and other Asian recorded.
22.3 The population is broadly split 50:50 female to male. There are 762 people aged 0-24 living in the neighbourhood – that is 29.4%. There is also a significant older population with 657 people aged 60 and over – that is 25.3%. 2001 Census data and neighbourhood profile attached as Appendix W.
Transforming the Urban Form
22.4 Brades Village is to the north of Oldbury Ward. It is bounded by the Wolverhampton Road to the west with Bury Hill Park across the road and Lower City Road with Tividale High School to the north. Open space, the Meadows School, the Hindu Temple and Roway Lane are to the north east. To the south is Rounds Green Primary School, open space and canals leading up to Oldbury Town Centre and the Council House and its current car parking.
22.5 The Junction project which will provide a leisure and sports facility, in Oldbury that is second to none has received planning permission from Sandwell. It has however recently been called in by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister and a public inquiry will be held before it can proceed. This is likely to start in spring 2004. The project includes football
pitches, a skating rink, community facilities, a community police station. This facility will provide much needed leisure activities for local people and will be easily accessible to Brades Village.
22.6 There are 1117 dwellings in the neighbourhood, 69.3% are in owner-occupation. 151 (13.5%) are without central heating. Over 1/3 of households are one-person households. 39.4% are occupied by couples the remainder are lone parent households (with or without dependent children). 769 dwellings are owner-occupied (69.3%) which is above the borough average of 60.3%. 144 properties are rented from the council – at 13% this is half the borough average of 26.6%. Other forms of renting (RSLs/private) at 17.6% are higher that the borough average of 13.1%. Brades Village has 944 houses/bungalows of which 90 are detached and 563 are semi-detached. There are 165 flats/maisonettes/ apartments.
22.7 The area is surrounded by industry, business parks and retail parks towards the Oldbury Ringway. It is also close to the Council’s recycling centre and tip at Shidas Lane. This site is the main depot for Direct Services activities in Sandwell.
22.8 There are a few small shops along Dudley Road East, there is a chip shop on Ashtree Road and some shops at the junction of Ashtree Road with Lower City Road.
Creating a Safer Sandwell
22.9 There are a number of active neighbourhood watch schemes in Brades Village. These are pepper-potted throughout the area. Local people have expressed some concerns about anti-social behaviour – particularly in the Theodore Close area and as a result the NRF funded assessment team has worked with young people in that area. The assessment took place in March/April 2003 over an 8 week period, using the usual method of differing times. Only once were young people encountered, and they were riding bicycles. There was little or no evidence of litter or any other form of inappropriate activity. The team did meet local people who said that things had improved since their presence. The Council has provided goal posts on a near by piece of land.
22.10 The Community Safety Team based at Sandwell Council House has produced a crime audit for Brades Village (Appendix X). It should be borne in mind that in order to assess the nature of crime and disorder in an area it is necessary to look at available data over a minimum period of three years. Total recorded crime in Brades Village has risen by 40% over a 5 year period which is in excess of the Sandwell Borough and Oldbury town trend. However over a 1 year period it has reduced by just under 2% which is slightly more than the Town trend but less than the borough trend.
22.11 Domestic Burglary has shown a slight increase over both 5 and 1 year periods. However the Borough wide trend for this offence is considerably down over the same period whilst the town average has shown an upward trend of just over 21% over 5 years but a 2.5% reduction over 1 year.
22.12 Thefts of motor vehicles have fallen consistently over both 5 and 1 year periods in line with both Borough and Town trends. However, thefts from vehicle have shown an increase over 5 years but a reduction of 1 year. Both the increase and reduction are greater than average. The 1 year reduction in thefts from vehicle is in fact lightly distorted due to an upward ‘blip’ in offences recorded in 01-02.
22.13 Robbery offences are relatively low. There was a disturbing upward trend in 00-01 and 01-02 but this figure has now been reduced.
22.14 Violence and disorder incidents have risen over 5 years as they have in other areas but Brades Village has shown a slight decrease over 1 year. Offences of Arson have also shown a significant percentage increase but that figure is distorted somewhat due to the relatively low numbers of recorded offences.
22.15 It is suggested that any targeted work should centre around Burglary and categories which reflect or that may impinge upon Anti Social Behaviour. Vehicle crime should also be carefully monitored.
22.16 West Midlands Police have recently appointed 2 schools Partnerships Officers to work at Tividale High School and its 7 feeder schools. The posts are funded from a cocktail of money including £21,000 from the Grace Mary Children’s Fund. One of the feeder schools is Rounds Green Primary School – so it will benefit from their work which is primarily to work with the school staff, pupils and local community to develop a greater understanding of the Police. The officers will also assist in encouraging citizenship amongst the pupils. These officers are in addition to the local police establishment.
22.17 Oldbury Fire Station personnel will continue to work in partnership to identify vulnerable people and ensure that they are offered a full domestic fire risk assessments and link them to the smoke alarm fitting programme. They have forged links with the new Meadows School and will work with them to connect their students from the school with their special needs Young Fire Fighters Association.
22.18 Oldbury Town Team will also work with the Police, Warm Zone (for the rest of its life) and West Midlands Fire Service to secure additional funding in order that all households receive a home safety/security pack.
Improving Health and Conditions for Good Health
22.19 The 2001 census indicates that 565 residents (21.8%) consider themselves to have a limiting long-term illness. A further 11.2% (289) feel their general health is not good. Both of these figures are at or slightly below the Sandwell average. Brades Village is ranked 4/79 neighbourhoods (1 is most deprived) regarding % of births below 2500 grammes.
22.20 (Ray - I know nothing about how and where the residents access their health services – please can you help)? Our action planning in April said “lack of medical centre facilities” – presumably the new Oldbury Health Centre will help?? Also does anyone know what the Centre/residential home (?) is off the Dingle?
Revise Sandwell’s Economy
22.21 56.5% of Brades Village residents (1055) are employed, there are 4.7% (88) people unemployed with 36 (1.9%) long term. These are both below the Borough average. Of the people in employment 62.7% (683) travel to work by car with 16.3% (177) using public transport. 33.3% of households are without a car/van – this is lower that the Borough average of 37.5%.
22.22 If it goes ahead the Junction Project should provide employment opportunities for local people, this was raised by several people during the public consultation exercise.
Promoting Lifelong Learning
22.23 There are 337 children of school age currently registered at local schools. The main destination of pupils is Tividale High School (80), St. Michaels CE (24), Rounds Green Primary School (117), Christ Church CE (24), St. Francis Xavier (11), Tividale Community (25) the remainder attend 36 schools across the whole borough. These figures come from a pupil postcode analysis of Oldbury Neighbourhoods produced by Education and Lifelong Learning using data from the schools PLASC returns January 2003. Attainment data relating to these schools is at appendix Y
22.24 There are 3 schools on the ‘boundaries’ of Brades Village, these are Tividale High School, Rounds Green Primary School and the Meadows Special School. The Meadows School opened for its first intake of pupils in September 2003. There are 120 pupils who come from the whole of Sandwell; 13 are from Oldbury. This state of the art school is looking to work with local people on awareness raising in the community and is an accessible venue for meetings/conferences.
22.25 The Rounds Green Primary School takes a number of pupils from the Grace Mary neighbourhood – a phase 1 community renewal scheme and a Children’s Fund area. As a result it has received £10,786 already from the Oldbury Town Team to provide ICT equipment toys for the 0-5 years Toy Library. This school will also be a “satellite” centre for the Children’s
Centre – see section….. for further details. The Early Steps programme runs a mother and toddler group at this school.
22.26 The 2001 Census records 831 (44.6%) of people from the neighbourhood with no qualifications and 117 (9.5%) of people qualified to degree level or higher. There is an Adult Education Centre at Tividale Community Centre in Lower City Road.
22.27 Brades Village neighbourhood is served by Oldbury Library in Church Street. The library provides a very well attended Homework Club on Tuesdays after school and a Stay & Play session from the Library and Information Service’s Toy Library on a Tuesday morning every six weeks. There are plans to provide a weekly Play & Stay session in the New Year through Sure Start, which has recently provided the funds to greatly improve the facilities in the children’s library.
22.28 The Friends of Oldbury Library is an active consultative group and the Oldbury Local History Group holds monthly meetings at the library and is very well attended. Several members of both groups are from the Brades Village neighbourhood and are very vocal about their community price! They have worked with a local school on their memories of the are in the past, and would be an excellent resource for work with a class from Rounds Green Primary.
22.29 Seven computers with free internet access are available from free public use, along with printing and scanning facilities and a variety of software, as well as special needs adaptations. Free computer taster sessions for the beginner are offered, and Bitesize taster courses are run through Adult Education and the WEA, particularly during Adult Learners’ Week and Family Learning Week. Joblink and the Pensions Service also hold free regular weekly advice surgeries at the library.
Clean and Safe Streets and Parks
22.30 The action planning process, attendance at the Rounds Green Community Association meetings and public questions at Oldbury Town Committee have all highlighted a significant litter issue – especially around the area of Tividale
High School and along Ash Tree Road by the chip shop. There are a number of litter bins along these roads and the issue will be addressed through the schools in the citizenship component of the curriculum. Litter is also a concern around the other local shops.
22.31 Two parks provide some facilities for local people, Bury Hill – accessed across the busy Wolverhampton Road and Tividale to the north of the neighbourhood. Bury Hill Park has had some investment in facilities for play and a YORF (Youth Outdoor Recreational Facility) – although there are some problems of illegal access by cars and motor cycles which are still to be addressed. Tividale Park has a limited play area which is now out-dated (originally funded by the BCDC). There are allotments to the rear of Dudley Road and Junction Street.
Support for Children and Young People
22.32 SNIP (the Sandwell Neighbourhood Intelligence Project) has produced a profile of young people in Brades Village. This is attached as appendix Y, it relies on 1991 census date and is soon to be updated.
22.33 Early Steps play sessions for parents/carers and their children aged 0-5 are held at Rounds Green Primary School every Monday morning and afternoon. Maximum attendance at sessions is 15 families. The Sure Start Initiative which was originally intended to support parents with children of 4 years and under is now extended under the new Children’s Centre proposal to include 5 year olds as well. The Sure Start programme for Rood End and Oldbury is also being extended geographically to include the Brades Village neighbourhood. This is part of the first wave of Children’s Centres which must be in place by 2006. The main childcare facilities will be in Rood End; however Rounds Green Primary School will become a satellite centre.
22.34 The Tividale Community Centre on Lower City Road runs a number of activities for young people; there is a sports ground, bowling green and cycle race track in the grounds. Tividale Youth Club staff and members are currently planning their activities at the club after its recent reopening.
The staff spent time doing outreach work in the surrounding area, including Brades neighbourhood. The issues identified were Boredom, anti social behaviour, harassment and the “usual” growing up, issues sex, alcohol, smoking. The club operated Tuesday & Wednesday 7-9pm at the community centre. The community centre hosts a full programme of activities on a daily basis – these include parents and toddlers, afternoon tea dances, over 60’s dance activities exercise clubs etc. Social Inclusion and Health now use it since their local adult learning facility closed. The centre also has a strong Adult Education use and if any group wants specific courses they can be organised. It is also a base for other local Borough wide community groups, as well as a cricket team and 2 or 3 football teams. The centre has a management committee made up from local residents, users and ward councillors.
22.35 Additional resources may come into the neighbourhood through Section 106 Planning Agreements associated with proposed new residential developments at Brades Rise. This money could be used to improve existing open space and play facilities, or to provide new ones. However, it should be noted that some of the proposed residential land is contaminated, and suitable remediation needs to take place before development can commence.
Social Capital
22.36 The largest and best organised community group in this area is the Rounds Green Community Association who cover the area from Florence Road to Lower City Road. They are a properly constituted group who meet once a month to discuss local issues and concerns. The 3 Oldbury Ward Councillors meet regularly with the group and a number of issues have been easily resolved as a consequence.
22.37 There is a new tenant and residents group emerging at Brades Village TRA, New England Close to Junction Street.
22.38 The residents of Theodore Close are well engaged with the Town Team and Oldbury Town Committee and have raised a number of concerns which have been resolved.
22.39 The Tividale Community Centre host a number of groups (see above). Also the Hindu Temple has endeavoured to become integrated into the local community. It was planned to provide an additional community facility for the area with a large community hall and also be used to develop the Healthy Living Network building as the Sacred Lands Project. This has never been embraced into the local community and much work is needed to develop the links between communities.
22.40 There are a number of active Neighbourhood Watch Schemes in Brades Village.
Current Initiatives
22.41 Brades Village has not attracted any additional resources from outside sources (“funny money” programmes such as SRB etc). Therefore, residents must rely upon mainstream service providers to recognise their needs and tailor/target services to their area.
The Local Action Planning Process
22.42 Oldbury Town Team gathered information from service providers during April and May 2003. We then carried out an action planning session with the Rounds Green Community Association on 18 June 2003. We consulted the mothers at an Early Steps session at Rounds Green Primary School on 13 October and at the same time talked to parents in the play ground about the area. The team then held another community action planning session at the Meadows School on 21 October 2003. Leaflets for this meeting were distributed by residents from Theodore Close.
The issues in the next section come from those consultation exercises.
23 Brades Village – Key Findings and Action Plan
Issues
23.1 The issues relating to Brades Village that have emerged through the action planning are:-
• Creating a Safer Sandwell
Concerns about Anti-Social Behaviour, gangs of young people, drugs, harassment. Crime and fear of crime features as major issues together with lack of police response/visibility on streets. People are also concerned about the ‘boy racers’ on Hainge Road.
• Promoting Lifelong Learning
Low educational attainment is a concern as is the need for more adult education opportunities. Local people recognise there aren’t many facilities available for the community to access training including library services.
• Creating Clean and Safer Streets and Parks
There are major concerns about lack of parking in the vicinity of Rounds Green Primary School. There are concerns about speeding vehicles and traffic generated by people queuing for the Shidas Lane Tip.
Litter is a significant problem as is fly tipping. The parks are seen as too remote to be used by local residents. There are a lot of calls to cut back trees and bushes in the neighbourhood.
• Improve Health and Conditions for Good Health
There are concerns about pollution. Also local people would like exercise classes and leisure facilities for older people. People generally welcome the Junction Project in terms of health/exercise benefit.
• Transforming the Urban Form
Lack of car parking and inadequate bus services have been identified as an issue. People would like to see a greater number of small local shops.
• Services for Children and Young People
Local people recognise that there is little for young people to do and places for them to go particularly before and after school and during holiday times.
• Revitalise Sandwell’s Economy
There are concerns that there are not enough vocational and apprenticeship schemes to address skill shortages and not enough support for people who want to do more training/access jobs.