Residents help put a stop to antisocial behaviour on Carfield!

5 February 2009

Community power has resulted in an untidy piece of land in Skelmersdale being spruced up and anti social behaviour on the site reduced!

Residents from the Clay Brow and Holland Moor Estate Management Board were given money from the £3.7m Safer Stronger Communities Fund to inject life into an eyesore area of land on Carfield that was attracting trouble from teenagers.

In the past, youths had been congregating on the unkempt site and causing a nuisance to their neighbours. So residents thought that tidying up the area would make the area look nicer and help alleviate some of the problems.

With the help of West Lancashire District Council, a group of residents went on a special ‘Spaces by Design’ course and applied for funding to landscape the Carfield area. As a result, the community designed their own project to improve the environment and have already completed phase one of the project.

Local resident Ian Poulter said:

“A few of us went on the training course to learn how to develop community projects last November. We’ve had real enjoyment from it because it’s only been two months since we finished the course and we have completed phase one of the Carfield project, which is helping the area. Our long term aim is to get it back to the way it used to be years ago - a place that we can be proud of and somewhere safe to walk through.”

Phase one has resulted in a more attractive area and because the residents have taken ownership of the work, they are encouraging the youths not to congregate on the site and are pointing them in the direction of other fun activities that they can take part in instead.

Cllr Ian Grant, Chairman of the West Lancashire Local Strategic Partnership, said:

“I’m delighted that the partnership has been able to fund such a worthwhile project, which has benefited the local community, the environment and has increased safety. Without the enthusiasm and commitment from residents this would not have happened.”

This particular scheme is part of the wider overall aim to make Digmoor, Moorside and parts of Tanhouse cleaner, greener and safer.

Cllr Paul Greenall, Portfolio Holder for Community Safety, said:

“One of the main themes of the Safer Stronger Communities Fund was to empower local people and this initiative in Carfield shows that residents do have a voice and can help to improve the quality of life for their neighbourhood. I wish them success with the next phase of the project.”