Eco-Neighbourhoods Action Plan & Audit 2015

Gorton North and South

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Eco Neighbourhood Action Plan 2015: and The following actions were developed by attendees of the workshops. Some organisations and individuals that were not in attendance were suggested as action leads, and so their involvement in those actions is included in suggested contact and is subject to further discussions with them.

Project idea Who? Timescale Resources Suggested next steps Or suggested contact Publicity scheme across Gorton Council as Medium term Group 1: Previously tackled to some extent via ‘I love Community to get together which includes promoting local facilitator, but led Gorton’ / Gorton Festival Group / Gorton Events to draw up an action plan. environmental initiatives. Sub- by the community, Committee– involve these people. Build on existing plans branding to link all aspects of possibly Oasis. and link in environmental issues/activities. Develop a ward Contact Oasis and MCC to community life (e.g. ‘shop local, Supported by wide events diary, which is well communicated. Develop a discuss further, love Gorton’; ‘Clean Streets, MCC /residents small funding bid to support this. Love Gorton’) /community groups Group 2: Develop a BIFFA award bid (get advice from Green Leaders – possibly Rachel Summerscales). Promote via ward newsletter, permanent signage, Get into Gorton community events, Social Media, poster publicity in local community venues. Link to events calendar and regular community get together for volunteering and training to improve the look of the neighbourhood.

Develop Tree Station’s Tree Station Medium term, Make use of Gorton Branding, Gorton networks. Need time Tree Station to utilise relationship with community due to capacity for desk based study or to be provided with contact details contact list from this event. groups and Eco Schools (grow and locations of groups and possible customers. Link to Follow up with regeneration customer base; supply ‘Little Hands Make Big Changes project. Advertise in Pride officers regarding further sustainable materials) in East residents’ packs. links and advertising opportunities. Follow up with MEEN regarding schools contacts and possible projects. A project which brings together Facilitated by a Quick – initial Comment – see Gorton Growing Together Group in Gorton food growers and healthy ‘Green Leader’ or call to arms / North; Friends of Group network

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cooking schemes to work local umbrella meeting. Umbrella organisation needs funding for staff time to together – sharing food, skills organisation Medium term to coordinate existing activity and maximise capacity and and resources effectively to establish the impact of the network. reach local people in need (e.g. network. Funding from social landlords / Neighbourhoods Teams. food bank). Ongoing development

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Eco Neighbourhood Environmental Audit 2015: Gorton North and Gorton South

Ward co-ordinator (North) Mazur Iqbal [email protected] (South) Patricia Allen [email protected] Regeneration Ward Officer (North) Heath Cole [email protected] (South) Kalu Redford [email protected]

Theme 1: Better Looking Neighbourhoods

Activity Details Map No. Contact e-mails

Clean-ups and litter- “Deep Clean” – Craig road area, August 2014 1 [email protected] picks Old Hall Drive Primary Signed up to “Little Hands 2 [email protected] Make Big Changes” scheme Grot-Spot, graffiti and Hemmons Road area street representatives 3 [email protected] other nuisance reporting scheme schemes Tree planting Gorton North Has 14% tree cover, Gorton South - [email protected] has 15%, lower than the City average of 20%. Known orchards in Debdale, Old Hall Drive Primary, Embassy Walk, Sunnybrow and Gorton parks Flower beds and Darras Road Community Garden 4 [email protected] containers (other than in [email protected] parks and open spaces) [email protected] Affinity Community Allotment 5 Back alley greening - - - Tidying up/”meanwhile” - - -- uses of derelict land

Note: A green space audit was undertaken by Groundwork in about 2011.

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Theme 2: Giving nature a helping hand

Activity Details Map No. Contact e-mails

Friends groups – parks Friends of Debdale Park (Queens Award) 10 [email protected] and open spaces Friends of Gorton Park 7 [email protected] Friends of Sunnybrow Park 8 [email protected] Friends of Nutsford Vale 9 Gorton Horticultural Society 111 Gorton Reservoir Allotments 12 Balsam-bashing and Knotweed control on Nutsford Vale 1 - control of invasive plant species Native wildflower and Darras Road Community Garden 2 See above. plant conservation and Meadow creation took place at the back of Far 3 Ecology Unit propagation Lane (Spurley hey meadow) in 2010. Proposed Matthew.holker@.gov.uk new meadow and orchard at Nutsford Vale in 2015 Wetlands and ponds In Nutsford Vale, Sunnybrow, Debdale reservoir 4a, 4b, 4c See above Community-owned or Nutsford vale. 1 [email protected] managed woodlands or [email protected] wild/natural spaces Bat/Bird box schemes In and around Far Lane woods 3 - and other created wildlife habitats Anything else? Heritage Garden in Debdale Park, opened 5 September 2014, maintained by residents. [email protected] Debdale Park Eco Centre (Community Green Flag 5 award) Nico ditch is a historically significant feature 6 gardens

Note: Nutsford Vale received £500,000 investment around 2011 from NWDA/MCC, and will now benefit from some community support through Red Rose Forest Heritage Trees Project. Debdale clean city investment.

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Theme 3: Living better lives

Activity Details Map No. Contact e-mails

Food growing schemes MMU Gardening Society [email protected] Affinity Sutton Darras Road Community Garden 1 [email protected] Project [email protected] Greenfingers Debdale 2 [email protected] Sacred Heart Children’s Centre 4 [email protected] Allotment Plots in Gorton South [email protected] Inspired to Grow [email protected] Community composting scheme, Debdale Eco 2 Centre Food processing and - - - production (eg honey, eggs, preserves) Air and/or water quality - - - monitoring projects Outdoor gym - - - equipment Nature trails/Health Nutsford Vale- active from grey to green 3 GM Ecology Unit as above walks recorders Upper Reservoir Pathway (Heritage Lottery funded) opened March 2014 “Wild” adventure play Darras Road Community Garden 1 See above. areas/den building etc. Debdale Park 2 Nutsford Vale 3

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Theme 4: Sustainability

Activity Details Map No. Contact e-mails

Watercourse and land Nico Ditch - [email protected] drainage improvements Community energy - - - conservation schemes Eco-homes (state - - - whether new-build or refurbished) Community renewable - - - energy schemes Community transport - - - Environmentally-related TRIM - Timber Recycling in Manchester - [email protected] social enterprises (eg Tree Station [email protected] coppicing, timber products) Community-based - - - environmental education initiatives

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Eco-Schools

School Map No. Status e-mail Oasis Academy Aspinal 1 Green Flag [email protected]

St Richard's RC Primary School 2 Silver [email protected]

Chapel Street Primary School 3 Silver [email protected]

Cedar Mount Academy 4 Silver [email protected]

St James' Cof E Primary School Gorton 5 Silver [email protected]

Sacred Heart RC Primary School 6 Bronze [email protected]

Old Hall Drive Primary School 7 Bronze [email protected]

Melland High School 8 Bronze [email protected]

Wright Robinson Specialist College 9 Registered [email protected]

The Buzz PRU 10 Registered Not provided.

Gorton Mount Primary Academy 11 Registered [email protected]

Challenges and opportunities • Transient and diverse population – so difficult to sustain good levels of recycling and environmental commitment. • Need to develop more environment-related healthy living activity (Green Corridor and parks) • Fly tipping and illegal/anti-social use of skips; poor state of some communal areas • Terraced streets make waste collections difficult; fly tipping in passageways. • High numbers of eco-schools

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• Award-winning community initiatives and high levels of involvement in some areas. Friends groups and high quality parks and open spaces

Ward Maps with Environmental initiatives.

The information from the Environmental Audit has been mapped onto the Ward Map for Gorton North and Gorton south.

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