Fair Share: Transforming Your Space England April, 2005 Code BLF-TYS13 © Big Lottery Fund, 2005 Design Graphicsi.com Photography Steve Forrest@Insight-visual, Christian Doyle, Ged Murray, Allan Glenwright, Peter Ryan on behalf of Luton Borough Council, Borough of Brent, Derby City Council and Derby Homes, Wansbeck District Council, The Prospects Foundation, Burnley Borough Council, Borough of Pendle Council, Bournemouth Borough Council, Phil Hill. Print Belmont Press Copies Further copies are available by telephoning: 0845 4 10 20 30 quoting the references given above: Or email us on [email protected] Textphone 0845 0390204 8am to 6pm Monday to Friday. Also available on request in Braille, on audio-cassette, on disc, in large print, in Welsh and community languages We care about the environment The Big Lottery Fund seeks to minimise its negative environmental impact and only uses proper sustainable resources Our equal opportunities The Big Lottery Fund is committed to valuing diversity and promoting commitment equality of opportunity, both as a grant maker and employer. The Big Lottery Fund will aim to adopt an inclusive approach to ensure grant applications and recipients, stakeholders, job applicants and employees are treated fairly. It is the responsibility of all staff and Board members to uphold and implement our equality policy Big Lottery Fund is the joint operating name of the New Opportunities Fund and the National Lottery Charities Board (which made grants under the name of the Community Fund) 2 • Transforming Your space Introduction The programme The publication Launched in July 2002, the Fair Share: Transforming Your Space (or TYS as you will Transforming your Space in England see it referred to throughout) is not over – programme targeted 51 local authority areas some projects are up and running, some are that had, to that date, struggled to access still in the planning stages. Many of the their ‘fair share’ of National Lottery funding. grants will continue right through to 2007. Through the programme £36.6 million has So this publication was not conceived as a been allocated to enable communities most retrospective study of a completed in need to make their local environment safer, programme. Rather, it is recognising the greener, cleaner, more pleasant to use and achievements to date, and building on them accessible to all. The programme was for the future. In the following pages you will designed to support projects which involve find project summaries of all 51 local local people at every stage. The aim being authorities’ aims, objectives and priorities, that, in all areas, local communities would be the partnership working, the community given the chance to: improve their natural input, the problems and the successes. environment; develop their knowledge and In addition to the summaries for each skills; gain a stake in their local community; England region, we have focussed on one lead healthier lifestyles. This programme has case study which best exemplifies what TYS given us the opportunity to support a wide is all about. variety of sustainable development projects: including, the rejuvenation of open public The main purpose of this publication is as a spaces and landscapes; improving footpaths, tool for learning and networking, so if you are cycle paths and waterways; creating and particularly interested in the work of any of maintaining recreation areas for children and the local authorities, or in one of the young people; developing natural habitats for highlighted projects, contact details for each wildlife. Across all projects there has been a grant holder have been included. clear emphasis on inclusion and communities The Fund owning their local environment. Our investment in public spaces is beginning to The Big Lottery Fund was launched on make a real difference to people’s lives in 1 June 2004 and brings together the work communities across England. of two National Lottery distributors: the New Opportunities Fund and the Community Fund. The TYS programme was launched under the New Opportunities Fund, and now continues under the Big Lottery Fund. Throughout the text which follows, we will refer to ‘the Fund’ to emphasise this continuity. Fair Share: Transforming Your Space • 1 Eastern Basildon District Council 5 Contact Details Essex Community Basildon District The TYS Basildon project has two main Council Foundation partners, Basildon District Council (BDC) (Tendring District Council ) Norman Redican and BTCV, UK’s largest practical conservation Voluntary & Essex Community Foundation is charity. The two partners both have specific Community Sector administering the TYS scheme in the Tendring project aims and objectives, but the overall Development Officer District Council area. The Fund allocated aim is to engage local people on a voluntary Basildon District £258,818, (including management costs). basis to protect their local environment Council Total project costs were £424,234 with and improve their health. Total funding Tel:01268 2940 68 partnership funding from The Countryside is £318,000. Email: Agency, Sport England, BTCV, Tendring Gateway to Basildon (BDC) norman.redican@ District Council and other local contributors. basildon.gov.uk Consultation helped identify 11 sites as Clacton was targeted, having the highest potential projects. All are within the council’s levels of multiple deprivation in the Priority Action Areas (PAAs) and are open Contact Details 5 district, with more than its fair share of spaces, ponds or wooded areas owned or Essex Community anti-social problems. managed by BDC. Ten of the sites are located Foundation close to heavily populated housing estates or The Local Strategic Partnership (LSP) was Judy-May Brandy keen to be active in addressing local needs local schools, with some prone to vandalism Programmes Director and to meet a number of its own strategic and anti-social behaviour. Essex Community Foundation priorities. It was whole-heartedly in support Work on the sites will rely heavily on local of the three projects, which jointly have the volunteers and range from community clean Tel:01245 356018 potential to benefit nearly 8,000 people. The ups to new nature reserves and easy access Email:judy-may@ creation of a skate park was the first of the essexcf.org.uk trails. The aim is to develop a sustainability projects, jointly funded with Sport England strategy through establishing ‘friends of’ or and Tendring District Council. The second, a local residents support groups. garden close to the sea front, owned, The BTCV Green Gym designed and developed by local people in Working closely with a range of health the community, is making good progress. The provision organisations, the Green Gym third is transforming a neglected open space offers residents an opportunity to improve into a park. Residents were extensively their health by taking part in organised consulted and all three projects have conservation and environmental activities. encouraged community participation They will work alongside Gateway to Basildon throughout, at both the decision-making and on 11 sites and offer their volunteers training implementation stages. Taskforces have been and support. See case study on page 5. set-up, opportunities for cross-project working along common themes and programmes of training to skill people in the community for the continued maintenance. 2 • Fair Share: Transforming Your Space Luton Borough Council 5 Contact Details Great Yarmouth Borough Luton Borough Luton Borough Council was allocated Council Council £370,716 including management costs. Lesley Nicholls The total Fund grant for the Runham Vauxhall Total project costs are £333,781. Community Regeneration Project is £487,862. Total The Luton Forum selected the most deprived Programme Manager project costs are £772,862, with matched areas in the town to benefit from the Luton Borough funding being sourced from the town’s Inte scheme. The selection process for the Council Great bid, Great Yarmouth Borough Council projects included assessments against Tel:01582 546271 and Landfill Tax Credits among other strategic fit with local priorities, action plans Email: contributors. Norfolk County Council is also a and relevant initiatives. The Forum finally nichollsl@ key partner. luton.gov.uk chose one Town Centre Refurbishment The Runham Vauxhall Recreational Green Project and an umbrella project, Nature Near Space and Gateway Bridge & Links Projects Home, working across Luton in each of the Contact Details 5 stem from the council’s consultation sessions eight locations with the highest levels of Great Yarmouth with the Runham Vauxhall Residents multiple deprivation. Borough Council Association. The ward is one of the most Match funding was secured from European David Glason economically and socially disadvantaged in Planning Policy Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and the the country, and the projects selected Great Yarmouth Prudential towards the Town Centre Project reflect the priorities that the community Borough Council in Park Street. This developed into a identified. These were (a) a local open space pavement maze designed by local school Tel:01493 846643 with recreational facilities and (b) a footway children working with Adrian Fisher, a leading Email:dcg@great- along the riverside, with seats, bins and yarmouth.gov.uk maze designer. The council delivered this improved drainage. project in partnership with a steering group In addition, a replacement Millennium style of Town Centre stakeholders