COURTYARD RESTORATION AND RENEWAL
Draft: April 2002
(Restoration Committee: Bev, Nick, Kim, Iris, Paul, Patsy)
Project description
AIM: We have a mixed community of people, all of whom need to improve their quality of life. We have elderly people, asthmatics, terminally ill people, visually disabled people, mental health service users, young children, teenagers, ethnic minorities, and key workers. We We have an historic block in the centre of London but the building is not currently presented to the standard it deserves, having received only standard maintenance since its rebuilding after bombing in the Second World War. We aim to improve the internal and external environment of the block for our residents. This will have a positive on their health and the community will be enhanced and by their ability to utilise the currently derelict courtyard.
Objectives:
We would improve the air quality of a polluted inner city ward in London by a provision of a garden and plants selected for their air cleansing and aromatic qualities (meeting PSA P19 objective to improve air quality in deprived areas and in line with the Governments Air Quality Strategy).
We want to enhance recycling and provide a natural composting area (meeting PSA P20 objective to recycle waste in line with the Governments Waste Strategy)
We want to provide a paper-recycling unit for the convenience of the tenants and residents. This will be regularly by PaperRound (meeting PSA 20)
We would like a self winding hose, wall-mounted with a lock, and an outdoor tap plumbed to the courtyard to facilitate the care of the plants, and make cleaning of the yard easier.
We would like a video entry phone to help reduce burglary rate because we are an inner city building (PSA 7) and we have a number of housebound residents and those with limited mobility as well as vulnerable tenants.
The ability to see who is calling before allowing them entry to the building would be a great advantage to them socially as well as providing extra security. Living just off Tottenham Court Road and next to a block that was previous squatted and used for drug dealing, we have had a number of unwelcome visitors in our block, either wanting to deal or doss down, and perhaps even burgle. The current entry-phone system is old and erratic and we would like to be brought up to date and our security enhanced for the benefit of all.
THE GARDEN PROJECT
The provision of climbing plants for the rear wall would reduce the noise problem caused by the echoing and amplification of sound around the flat surfaces.
We need paint for back wall, as it seriously needs repainting. The job would make the courtyard lighter and help improve the outlook for the dingier flats in the basement at the rear, which are surrounded by high walls on three sides.
We would like a provision of micro-environments to encourage natural predators from the bird and insect kingdom, to assist the overall ecosystem of the garden and minimise the use of pesticides.
Bird bath
Birdtable (squirrel, pigeon and rat-proof)
Seating facilities
Solar powered water feature
Hose with a self-winding wall-mounted reel (lockable)
Retracting clothes lines (to replace the current)
There is a continuing, long-term problem with dampness in the storage sheds. We would like the damp sheds rebuilt, with temporary storage space provided while they are being rebuilt (or alternatively just re-roofed so they are leak proof). Low voltage lighting to be installed.
Motion lighting for the courtyard - for convenience and security.
Plant and planter budget
Compost and soil nutrients
Trellis and structure for the plants to climb on
Climbing plants such as Honeysuckle, Virginia Creeper, Ivy for the back wall (with attention to smells and colours).
Hard landscaping (bricks, possibly stone or cement perhaps to make a wavy planter running the length of the back wall). Original features where remaining (i.e. the quarry tiles) to be retained and incorporated into the design.
We have to drill a hole to discover what's underneath the uneven surfaces, and then we can decide whether it should be raised beds or to bring level of the garden back to the lower level.
There is a continuing problem with rats and mice.
TARGET
The project is already well underway with regular meetings between tenants and residents to identify the needs of the community as a whole and also identify groups with special needs. We know what we want; all we need are funds to implement our plans. Regular meetings will be held to monitor the implementation of various aspects of the project, with elected committees governing each area.
We plan to work with Groundwork and liasing with the Council to find out what services can support and maintain the changes to assure that the new features will be low maintenance and fit into the Council's regular maintenance schedules.
4. The project will strengthen community infrastructure and also strengthen community bounds. It will make a meaningful difference in the Chenies Street Chambers community, and also build a real sense of community spirit as well as promoting multi-racial and multi-religious understanding within the people who live in this block.
5. BUDGET please apply to Groundwork for estimates for the project
6. This project will improve quality of life, and promote a bridge between generations and cultures within our building.
7. The project will be self-sustaining in the long run, as the tenants and residents will communally maintain the garden space and mind to its needs.
8. We are seeking support from the District Housing Office and Groundwork.
9. Not applicable
10. Our partner
11.
12. The community in our building is responsible for the project. Ideas for the development of the Courtyard has been communally gathered and discussed via a communal Notice Board. This is the second project we have communally organised (we have just completed successfully a project to select the paint schemes for the communal walls).
13. Our tenants and residents reside in primarily a building of Council Tenants, in a high crime, high risk, and inner city area. We are the disadvantaged, socially excluded, economically deprived and ethnic minorities your project has been set up to address. By providing a calming, safe, organic environment within our building we can create a sense of safety from the tensions of inner city life and also foster pride in our community, and a willingness to understand, tolerate and learn from the other people in our building.
POLICY STATEMENT
We aim to improve the internal and external environment of the block for our residents. This will have a positive on their health and the community will be enhanced and by their ability to utilise the currently derelict courtyard.
We believe that everyone should have a quiet place to sit and contemplate nature, and we believe that interaction with nature and with other people in the building will play an important part in regenerating the mental, physical and spiritual health of the people in our building. We also believe that as a community, we should share projects, and even simple projects such as gardening can bring diverse people, generations, genders and cultures together as a community.
Designated Green Area - No Weedkillers