SOUTH MANCHESTER REGENERATION CONSULTATION

Response of Kate ONeill

1. The Mapping Model.
I question the mapping model and suggest it is fundamentally wrong from Levenshulme’s perspective. · The map is predicated on the assumption that there are key super district centres and satellite sub centres which refer to the super centres. · In that context the purple ringed super centres are Didsbury, Chorlton and Fallowfield. · In my experience that does not reflect the perspective of the residents of Levenshulme. Levenshulme does not look to any of the above mentioned super centres. Levenshulme has a strong independent and singular character. · Its affinities are with the other urban centres it aligns with on the N/S axis of the A 6 and the immediate E/W axis of Gorton South ( the Library / swimming pool) Burnage and West Point. · If Levenshulme residents were to draw their own map of Levenshulme then it would look very different from that of the framework. In effect the map cuts Levenshulme in half and key parts are excluded – ie East of Stockport Road and the area around the Library and the Baths. · Levenshulme has been a model of multi culturalism and inclusiveness which in my view, makes it for me and others, a very attractive place to live comfortably and harmoniously. The local schools and voluntary organisations in which I am involved demonstrate that ethos- · Levenshulme does not demonstrate the monoculturalism of the super centres identified for the S Manchester zone eg Didsbury, Fallowfield and Chorlton which are overwhelmingly white and middle class. Nor does it demonstrate monoculturalism in terms of ethnic minority character. · Levenshulme is a wonderfully diverse community and should be celebrated and supported as such. An analysis of the local school rolls eg Alma Park will demonstrate this rich diversity, as would a review of the restaurant businesses along the Stockport Road and the membership of the voluntary groups in the area eg Woodcraft Folk and Roller Hockey Club. We embrace a community whose origins devolve from not only the indigenous Mancunian population but also those from Africa, South Asia, Ireland and Eastern Europe (in that context both post war and newly arrived families). My 9 year old son counts amongst his friends children from Burma and the Middle East which may not be significant in population terms but reflect the character of the area. · Levenshulme is not as directly impacted by the student population so evident in the corridor along Wilmslow road. Although we have a significant student population it does not characterise the area as a student zone. · In contrast Levenshulme holds a significant population who are wedded to this community but whose original connection derives from the University and who contribute to the ‘professional ‘ demographic . However my investment in the community derives from what I have found here and not from any sense of gentrification which an aspirational professional class is perhaps assumed to bring and in that respect I am confident that this reflects wider view than my own. Gentrification is not the way forward for Levenshilme. Greater support for the existing community should be the priority of the Plan. · Levenshulme has a stable indigenous white Mancunian population whose economic drivers are not vested in the University or in ‘professional’ occupations but in a more traditional industrial base, for example McVities and the small industrial units in and around Levenshulme. The framework does not appear to reflect that contribution to our local economy nor the needs of that sector. · Levenshulme reaps the benefit of recent inward migration particularly from the Indian sub continent and that contribution to the commercial development of the area is evident from the successful businesses along the A6.- this needs to be acknowledged and reflected in the plan. · Characteristic of Levenshulme in terms of both cultural and commercial life is the very strong focal presence of those whose roots are in the Irish Community, this too should be acknowledged and reflected. · The South Manchester Regeneration area is dominated by wards of affluence –Didsbury,Withington,Chorlton and Fallowfield. Levenshulme, ( particulary if the district is defined by its traditional constituency), in contrast has relatively high levels of poverty and deprivation and a different set of priorities from Didsbury, Fallowfield and Chorlton.This is why it is important that it is classed as a super centre in its own right with a different set of issues and challenges.The current framework does not address this at all by reference to Levenshulme.

· Levenshulme has a strong local identity and does not fit as a subset of the identified super centres. It is different in character , demographics and needs. In my view we should be assigned Super Centre status in our own right. It is a neighbourhood of choice and a natural social and commercial hub if properly supported and developed.

2. Levenshulme is a natural district super centre and should be so designated in the South Manchester Regeneration Plan. It already encompasses the key features which should attract such status and be supported.

3. Transport · It is a natural and traditional district centre · It has good route links and public transport links to build on. · The A6 route system and Railway access give it good N/S connections. Levenshulme is also a hub for East -West road connections but public transport links are poor and need substantial support if Levenshulme people are to benefit from the employment opportunities created by the ‘intellectual property’ corridor of Oxford Road /Wilmslow Road. · Friends of Levenshulme Station support group is active and has done great work in improving the environment of the station and it is important that the station remains at the heart of out transport network and directly connects with the new rail and tram links envisaged.

· The rail and road links if supported by the Plan present Levenshulme with a major opportunity of becoming a commuting hub for the ‘professional classes’ which the Plan seeks to promote. It also is critical to the aim of addressing worklessness and improving the skills base and employment potential of Levenshulme families by facilitating access to wider employment opportunities.

4. Commercial Centre · Levenshulme is a natural hub of commercial activity which should be capitalised on · Its high street maintains all the brand name banks · It enjoys a niche market in the antique and reproduction trades (which ought to be capable of being better exploited to the general advantage of the ‘strip’) · The number of estate agents and the rising house market suggests prosperity in the area · There are a number of quality restaurants of many origins – ‘Indian’, African, Chinese, Franglais, Egyptian etc · There are a wide variety of Pubs, some of which add significant value to the community by offering entertainment – live music and comedy.

· This should be a vibrant commercial area and the council must devise a strategy to reverse the downward trend and underpin the commercial heart of the area, particularly the local shopping.

5. Decline of the commercial sector · Despite the above, the overwhelming impression of those who live here is that Levenshulme, as a shopping centre, is in decline and we look to the South Manchester Regeneration team to reverse that trend. · We think that active support should be given to those traders who have remained loyal to Levenshulme and good incentives given to induce new traders to come in. · The biggest blow to the high street has been the loss of the Kwiksave Supermarket which was an anchor for all the shops. · We have recently seen the closure of Bobby Dazzlers – a Levenshulme institution – and we hear that other businesses are likely to follow. · It is imperative that an anchor supermarket is incentivised to open in Levensulme. We suggest that the Council enter into negotiations with the Coop to open a Community store or preferably a Supermarket to serve this community. · The area opposite Kwiksave around Elbow St is obviously blighting the whole area and this needs to be taken in hand as a matter of urgency. · One of the major disadvantages of the Shopping and other businesses being astride the A6 is the obvious impact of traffic thundering down the road. There are within Levenshulme, a number of key sites which would lend themselves to attractive piazza type development with direct access to the A6 but provide a degree of shelter.These could be imaginatively developed as a combination of housing, shopping and social enterprises. Eg the area around the old Kwiksave and behind Cool Trader, the area beneath the station by the old cinema ( Farm Side Place) and the blighted site around Elbow St. · If any positive development were to take place on the Farmside Place site then access to the Railway Station from that side would be a major improvement. · It is astonishing that Chorlton which appears to be thriving as a prosperous commercial centre is specifically mentioned in the Summary document but Levenshulme which is in crisis gets no specific mention.

· There are many rumours about the use of the old Kwiksave store. However the most constructive thing the Council could do in the short term, would be to limit planning permission for this site to an alternative supermarket outlet and positively encourage another retailer to fill the current vacuum. Without a general supermarket the high street will face further decline. Those who can drive to a superstore elsewhere will obviously be least affected. But the loss of an anchor store will adversely impact on the whole community.

6. Cultural Centre · Levenshulme enjoys the status of a cultural centre and it is that as much as the commercial activity which marks it out as a key district hub. · The real constituency of Levenshulme retains a Swimming pool, a library and the Arcadia Sports Centre (although it has no other Community meeting place) and these are key to its sense of place. · It has a number of churches and mosques, some with community rooms accessible to the public. · Whether or not Levenshulme has a status within the Plan as a Super Centre or a sub centre, the cultural and community activity it supports requires underpinning and developing in any plan · Levenshulme has very little by way of public provision and it is critical that such facilities as remain are protected and championed in the context of the Plan, particularly the Arcadia and the other public facilities ie the pool and the Library. Such public provision serves to define the community and its sense of identity. · There is very little by way of facilities for young people and the public provision of facilities such as the Arcadia will make a difference not only to them as individuals but also to the community and the crime and disorder agenda · Levenshulme hosts a number of key events (eg the Levensulme festival and the Irish Festival ) which all add value to the character of the community and its self confidence but it is the daily and weekly provision of support and facilities which makes the difference to the lives of people and the community. · Despite the lack of community accommodation within Levenshulme people do their best to combine on a voluntary basis to fill the gap in provision. · For example o the Woodcraft Folk have a thriving organisation for young people aged 5 to 16 in Levenshulme and meet in the halls of the Methodist Church and St Agnes Church which although not ideal offer accommodation for which we are grateful. o After School Club and School Holiday schemes are run by the Rainbow Club at Alma Park School and Chapel St o The Manchester Roller Hockey Club organise public skating at the Arcadia every weekend afternoon in addition to Club training. o The mother and toddler group (which appears to be the only pre school provision other than School Nurseries) used to meet at the community rooms but since closure is struggling to find a permanent suitable meeting place. · The Library service in Levenshulme is exemplary and the staff create a really welcoming atmosphere particularly to children- the Library is part of Levenshulme. · In any plan attention must be given to the development of a Community meeting space for groups and Clubs. Apart from the Arcadia none currently exists in the heart of the Community or the Plan zone.

· It is critical that the value of public provision within Levenshulme is recognised and maintained within the context of the Regeneration Plan and resources applied to strengthening and extending such provision, particularly key public facilities such as the Arcadia, the pool and the Library and the provision of Community room space.

7 The Arcadia · The Arcadia Sports Hall is a key facility in the heart of the Community.It is vital that it remains central to the plan for the development of sports, leisure and community use.

· It is managed for the Council by Serco during the week and at weekends from Friday night to Sunday by the Manchester Roller Hockey Club on an entirely voluntary basis. · In recent years the quality of maintenance of the building by Serco and the Council has been open to criticism such that it was subject to temporary closure in the autumn of 2006. Since then the Council and Serco have responded very positively to address the most pressing repairs and the Hall reopened before Christmas.

· It is imperative that the Council invest in the Arcadia to prevent any further deterioration of the building and to secure its future as a community asset in the short to medium term.

· The Roller Hockey Club (which is an entirely voluntary organisation) through the efforts of its volunteers has kept the building open for the Community.

· The Club runs public skating each Saturday and Sunday afternoon which is very popular with young people not only from the local area but city wide and brings together safely and harmoniously children from a wide range of ethnic and social backgrounds. · The public skating enables young people to meet in a safe and healthy environment. Children and young people who might not otherwise take part in organised sport can take and enjoy physical exercise. · This also makes a positive contribution to crime and disorder in the area and local residents reported more groups of young people hanging around on street corners at risk of becoming involved in undesirable behaviour during the period when the Arcadia was temporarily closed.

· Roller Hockey.
In addition the Club runs highly successful roller hockey teams for children and young people from 4 to 18 and an adult team. It is a model of inclusion in terms of its ethnic diversity and includes children with disability and looked after children. Both boys and girls play together. · It provides training sessions on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. It hosts tournaments for Clubs from elsewhere in the UK and from other European countries. · Its teams which are mostly drawn from Levensulme and they are the Northern League Champions and have won through to the National Finals which will be played in Manchester this year. · 6 young people from the Club have been selected to train as part of the England National squad and one of them has been selected for the England Team. It is a fantastic achievement that a local boy is playing for the Country and something which the whole community should celebrate. · The Arcadia was built as a skating venue about a hundred years ago. There is no other venue in the city which offers public skating. · The Arcadia is the only venue capable of holding roller skating tournaments with public viewing on a regular basis. · The Arcadia is a unique indoor venue at which children and young people can watch and learn their sport whether it’s roller hockey, football or any other team sport. Elsewhere the indoor facilities comprise a closed space of 4 walls and a floor. At the Arcadia there is the opportunity to spectate, engage with their sport and learn.

· In planning the long term sport and leisure facilities in Levenshulme it is important that both the Roller Hockey Club needs and the opportunity for public skating are included.

· Making More use of the Arcadia.
In addition to the Public skating and Roller hockey Teams the Club has run holiday activity schemes for local children. Provided a popular venue for skating parties. Hosted taster sessions for local youth groups. Provided accommodation to a local African church to enable them to meet and worship.

· With relatively small investment the Council could immediately improve the user of the Sportshall by improving the showers, changing room area and kitchen facilities. · With relatively small investment the Council could now convert a squash court or extend the building to provide a Community room in which youth and other community groups could meet, particularly now that the Community centre has closed.

8 Education Junior Schools · Education is a key focus of the framework. It is acknowledged that Junior Schools in the area are perceived as more successful than senior schools. However it is important that they are not forgotten and that their contribution to children’s development particularly at the Foundation stage continues to be supported. · Alma Park Primary school is one of the most successful schools in the city and has recently been given an outstanding report by Ofsted. · Alma Park’s achievement is all the more remarkable when one considers the demographics of the school. It is an open access school and serves children with a wide range of disabilities. · The statistics for the school reveal that the majority of the children start school with a language other than English as their mother tongue. Ofsted describes the Schools foundation stage as being particularly effective and the school scores highly in terms of the added value calculations. · As was acknowledged by Ofsted if the SATS figures are adjusted for transience the school performs above the national average in respect of those children who join the school during the foundation stage and remain in the school to year 6. · This is an outstanding school which successfully delivers for the children of Levenshulme. Its capacity to do even better is hampered by the size of its Nursery which is only two thirds of the capacity of the two form entry in Reception. In round figures the Nursery takes only 40 children but the reception takes 60. This means that one third of the pupils are being denied a place in the nursery. · The Alma Park Roll reveals significant numbers of children who fall within the definitions of deprivation. · Children with learning and language needs and who fall within the deprivation classifications should be targeted in the framework plan. These are the children whose progress, particularly given the language disadvantage of many, would be accelerated even more through the foundation stage had they had that early start in nursery. At Alma Park one third of our children are being denied that chance of a good start in Nursery. ·

Under the terms of the framework it would be a real benefit to the community were the Alma Park Primary School Nursery to be earmarked for expansion.

9. Education Secondary Schools · Secondary School provision is the biggest cause of concern for parents in Levenshulme. It defines a split second –how long does it take two parents with junior school children to start asking ‘what are you doing about high school?’ · The local High School provision at Levenshulme and Burnage High is single sex and although I recognise that there is a preference among some parents for single sex education there is no clear alternative for parents who would prefer a coeducational approach. · Parswood is the nearest co-ed school to Levenshulme in South Manchester and parents in Levenshulme have no confidence at all that their children have any chance of getting in and it is a wasted option when it comes to expressing parental choice. · Access to Parswood appears to us in Levenshulme as selective education by postcode and belies the principles of comprehensive education. · Development of William Hulme as an Academy will not assist the Levenshulme community if access is prioritised by proximity to the school ( we will be the most distant ward ) or by siblings if that is triggered by those who can already afford to attend ( we are one of the poorest wards in the south Manchester area). · Continued preference to siblings risks perpetuating an already inequitable situation. · Transience in years 5 and 6 is a problem for Levenshulme junior schools and a significant number of parents with economic and social mobility move and/or remove their children in order to secure a High School of choice.

· In addition to raising standards in local schools the School catchment areas and admissions policies of the S Manchester Co-ed Schools need to be seriously reconsidered if Levensulme is to become a location of choice and to lift the skills and opportunity base of all our children. They need to be broadened to give us equal access to the Coeducational schools at Parswood and William Hulme notwithstanding our distance from the schools and past exclusion.

10. Housing
· Although nowhere near the prices in Chorlton and Didsbury house prices have risen sharply in Levenshulme making it more difficult for young families on average incomes to set up here. I would like to see some supported family housing schemes. · I would not like to see further developments like that near the Railway station where an uninspiring block of flats has been crammed in. · I was very pleased that permission was refused for an oversized flat development at the junction of Victoria Road. · However housing in multiple occupation are a cause of concern and I am pleased that the Council intends to develop policies to monitor and control this sector. · Multiple occupation generates other issues such as parking and congestion which needs addressing somehow. · Buckhurst Road is a particular problem. It is on the route to a primary school but it is impossible to walk your children safely on the pavement because cars are parked across the path forcing you onto the road. · Dereliction is also a matter of concern despite the rising house market. It would help raise the appeal of Levenshulme as a neighbourhood of choice if the Council could find ways of fast tracking the acquisition of derelict properties. Eg No 1 Windsor Road.