PILOT SCHEMES TO GIVE CAMDEN COUNCIL ESTATES A BIG SPRING CLEAN AND IMPROVE SECURITY

24 January 2006

Camden Council has launched two new pilot projects to help improve council tenants’ lives. At yesterday’s (23 January 2006) Full Council meeting Cllr Julian Fulbrook, Executive Member for Housing, unveiled the Big Spring Clean programme to improve the look of estates and test a new way to carry out communal repairs. He also launched a trial of new digital CCTV technology to improve security on estates.

The Big Spring Clean will be rolled out on eleven Camden Council estates, with work beginning on the first - Ainsworth, West Kentish Town and Peckwater - at the end of February. The £0.5 million worth of repairs will be made to communal areas like pavements, planting boxes and lobbies in one go, rather than in bits and pieces. Camden Council hopes that this new scheme will not just help the area look better, but be less disruptive to residents and more cost effective in the long run.

Estates were chosen because they needed work doing and there was no other building work planned or underway. Residents have previously called for the repairs to be done and will get the opportunity to examine the plans ahead of the work starting.

Cllr Julian Fulbrook, Camden Council’s Executive Member for Housing, said: “Homes are more than just what’s on the inside, it’s the area around it too. The Big Spring Clean will to blitz all the small repairs, such as broken paving, peeling paint and broken doors that can cost so much to fix in dribs and drabs. I’m sure residents will see the difference.”

The other estates to be included in this trial will be Tybalds Close, Mayford, Torriano, St Pancras Way, Willingham Close, Kingsgate, Taplow and Old Somers Town. Once the programme has finished, Camden Council will work with residents to evaluate the results before it decides on whether to extend the programme to other council housing estates.

Cllr Julian Fulbrook also announced the new Digital Concierge Service. This pilot scheme will use cutting edge digital camera technology, which will make it cheaper to install and run CCTV systems on Camden Council Estates.

The Digital Concierge Service will be initially rolled out on a number of smaller estates and blocks of flats to see how it works. Hi-tech covert cameras will also be installed in some public areas where crime and antisocial behaviour is seen as a problem. These tiny cameras can take incredibly detailed images, but are extremely hard to identify.

Camden Council has already successfully used covert cameras to identify groups of youths causing criminal damaging, graffiti, taking drugs and drinking’ and change their behaviour through Youth Inclusion Support Panels and Antisocial Behaviour Contacts.

The council has already identified fourteen possible estates or blocks of flats for this £250,000 scheme and is currently making further studies to check the feasibility of using cameras.

Cllr Fullbrook said: “Technology is moving fast and is opening up new possibilities for us to help Camden residents. These simple cameras are a proven deterrent that can help identify troublemakers. They are also extremely reassuring to residents, who know that at the end of the camera there is someone who can alert the police or get assistance if something terrible happens.”

The short-listed estates include Gresse Street (Bloomsbury), Calthorpe Estate (King's Cross), St Pancras Way (Cantelowes), Artisan Dwellings (Cantelowes), Highgate New Town (Highgate), Peckwater (Kentish Town), Palgrave House (Gospel Oak), Dunboyne Road (Gospel Oak), Monica Shaw Court (St Pancras & Somers Town), Charlton Court (Kentish Town), Templar House (Fortune Green), West End Sidings (Fortune Green), Kilburn Gate (Kilburn) and Webheath (Kilburn).

---

Press releases, papers and documents published on this page are the intellectual property of an organisation unrelated to Central Lobby. We promote their parliamentary and political campaigning activities as they are subscribers to the Central Lobby service.

As such, Central Lobby does not edit, endorse, or attempt to balance the opinions expressed on this page. The content of press releases and other such types of content are the responsibility of the originating organisation.