Ashcroft Square - What you told us

Ashcroft Square - What you told us

We received many valuable comments from you - both at the drop in session and through the submitted questionnaires. Below we have summarised what you told us through these first consultation activities.

YOUR HOMES AND COMMUNAL AREAS

4 out of 10 residents expressed a desire to move away from the estate if they could - either because of a lack of estate maintenance or as a consequence of antisocial behaviour.

Around half of residents said they felt proud to live on the estate and those who attended the drop in session expressed a desire to remain in the Hammersmith Broadway area, but not specifi cally Ashcroft Square.

However, nearly two thirds of residents felt that no sense of community existed except for those living in close proximity to one another as most people tended to keep themselves to themselves.

Nearly half (46%) wished to own or part own their property, and 86% stated they would choose to buy in the area if they were in a position to do so.

More than three quarters of the residents (78%) felt it was good to have a mix of individuals who own and rent their homes and 95% felt that it was important to live in an energy effi cient property.

SAFETY AND SECURITY

Overall, 65% of residents felt safe on the estate, with more than a third (35%) saying they felt unsafe and 11% stating they didn't feel safe at all. The two areas where they felt most unsafe were the communal entrances and the lifts/stairwells. In both locations almost half said they felt unsafe at all times of the day, with residents at the drop in session expressing particular concerns about returning home late at night.

Unlawful activities in the Leamore Street and Beadon Road communal entrances were highlighted as reasons for feeling unsafe. Residents also felt security on the estate was reduced due to the main entrances being consistently open or broken.

GETTING AROUND

It was clear from the responses to this section that the estate offers good accessibility both to Ashcroft Square itself and to the wider neighbourhood, with 100% of residents saying it was either very easy or quite easy to access the wider neighbourhood. 88% of residents found it was easy fi nding their way around the estate and 92% felt it was either very easy or quite easy to get to their property on the estate.

When residents were asked how easy it is for visitors to get to their property, 44% answered that it was not very easy or very diffi cult for visitors to access their property on the estate.

OPEN SPACES AND PLAY AREAS

Over half the residents (54%) never use the open spaces/play areas on the estate. However, 58% of respondents felt that the open spaces were well maintained with 57% expressing that they were either good or very good.

42% of residents who felt the facilities were not well maintained stated that the large number of dogs using these areas made them unhygienic for the use of children and highlighted green spaces as areas particularly affected by poor maintenance.

Of those respondents who said yes to using the facilities on the estate, 53% used the podium deck, but only 9% use the ball court. Residents who attended the drop in session highlighted the issue of poor design of the ball court causing noise to echo around the estate until late at night - especially in the summer.

COMMUNITY FACILITIES

When asked which facilities residents used most in the area, results showed that 30% used the shops and 20% the doctors surgery. 71% of residents use the shops on King Street daily, and 74% are satisfied with the range and quality of shops offered. Reference was also made to the good transport facilities available in this location.

Respondents were also asked to consider what improvements they would like to see in the area if investment and redevelopment were to happen. On the estate people said they were keen to see better caretaking and maintenance and that Ashcroft Square would benefi t from a facelift. Communal entrances were of concern and many residents felt these could be looked at with an aim to improving security and accesss for deliveries/visitors.

In the wider locale, residents said they would like to see improved facilities for children in the area, a local swimming pool and a better range of shops to include a department store.

TRAINING AND JOB OPPORTUNITIES

Of those who completed this section of the questionnaire, overall there was a relatively even split with just under a third of residents (31%) unemployed, 38% in employment and 31% retired.

For more information phone 020 8753 3317 (text phone users please prefix the contact number with 18001) or email ldf@lbhf.gov.uk