Petersfield Area
Community Trust

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• PACT ISSUES:
• Community Centre
• Planning Issues
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• Millennium Project
• Traffic
• Local Shopping
• Homelessness
• Vandalism & Crime
• The Cemetery
• Youth Activites
• Older People

Analysis of the 1999 PACT Community Survey

Table of Contents

• Introduction
• Present involvement with community activities
• Preferred community activities
• The need for a Petersfield Community Centre
• Features for a desired Petersfield Community Centre
• Household profile of survey respondents

Appendices

• Appendix 1 : Other preferred activities
• Appendix 2 : Why Petersfield area does or does not need a community centre
• Appendix 3 : Other features respondents would like to see in a Petersfield Community Centre
• Appendix 4 : Issues of local concern that respondents wanted PACT to focus on.

The aims of PACT are:

• 1. to organise supportive structures which can help foster local community spirit in the Petersfield area;
• 2. to further the interests of residents in the area
• 3. to act as a forum or facilitator for the community and to attempt to fulfil community needs

The information was analysed using a database, producing the following results.

PACT is grateful to all those people who completed the questionnaire and wishes to express its appreciation for the generous support of the Research Department at Cambridgeshire County Council; of Community Education at Parkside Community College; and of a number of committed individuals in the preparation of this report.

Please send any comments on this report to PACT Survey Feedback c/o 102 York Street, Cambridge.

• 14% took part in community-centre-based activities in their local area.
• 67% did not take part in any community-centre-based activities in their area.
• 35% took part in community-centre-based activities elsewhere in Cambridge.
• 48% did not take part in community-centre-based activities elsewhere in Cambridge.

• 66% said that they would be more likely to take part in activities if they were available near to their homes
• 9% said they would not be more likely to take part in such activities
• 25% did not know (Figure 1)

• For those aged 0-9: Petersfield Carnival, Trampolining, Junior Youth Club and After-School Play Scheme.
• For those aged 10-14: Senior Youth Club, Petersfield Carnival, Discos and Trampolining.
• For those aged 15-19: Petersfield Carnival, Drop-In Centre for 15-19 year olds and a Drama Club.
• For those aged 20-65: Exercise Classes, Yoga/Tai Chi and Petersfield Carnival.
• For those aged 65+: Pensioners' Club, Socials, Tea Dances, Exercise Classes and Petersfield Carnival.

Other activities suggested by respondents can be seen in Appendix 1.

ACTIVITY	0-9	10-14	15-19	20-65	65+
Drop-in-Centre for 15-18 year olds	1	3	6	0	0
Senior Youth Club (age 13-17)	1	12	2	0	1
Junior Youth Club (age 8-12)	8	5	0	0	0
Parent & Baby group	3	0	1	3	0
Parent & Toddler group	4	0	1	2	0
Play Scheme	6	0	1	0	0
After-School Play Scheme	7	2	0	0	0
Lunch Club	0	0	0	9	3
Pensioners' Club	0	0	0	8	5
Bingo	0	0	0	4	2
Socials	0	0	0	25	4
Tea Dances	0	0	0	8	4
Discos	2	9	2	5	0
Slimming Club	0	1	1	11	2
Drama Club	4	6	5	19	0
Amateur Dramatics	2	2	1	19	0
Exercise Classes	1	1	2	51	4
Trampolining	8	9	2	8	0
Yoga/Tai Chi	3	2	1	44	2
Martial Arts	2	5	2	5	0
Basketball	2	7	3	6	0
5-a-side Football	2	4	1	6	0
Badminton	3	3	3	26	1
Bowls/Carpet Bowls	1	0	0	9	1
Quizzes	0	0	0	26	1
Discussion Groups	0	0	2	29	2
Minority Ethnic Group Meetings	0	0	0	0	0
Club Meetings	0	0	0	13	3
Petersfield Carnival	10	9	7	40	4
Disability Groups	0	0	0	3	1
Credit Union	0	0	0	15	0
Health Groups for males, females or teenagers	2	3	2	22	3
Computing/Internet	3	5	0	31	2

• 72% of respondents said yes;
• 3% said no;
• 25% said that they did not know.

Respondents were also given the opportunity to give reasons why they thought that the Petersfield area did or did not need a community centre (see Appendix 2).

Respondents were then asked to indicate which additional features from a list they would like to see. The results, in order of popularity are as follows:

Large hall for meetings, social events & youth clubs	77%
Smaller room for quieter activities	71%
Kitchen	69%
Photocopying, faxing, internet & e-mail facilities	64%
Noise insulation	65%
Alcohol-free cafe	62%
Office for Youth Development Worker and/or Neighbourhood Development Worker	54%
Enclosed garden with raised beds including scented & tactile plants	52%
Solar panel heating system	51%
Indoor sports hall for team games	50%
Grassed all-weather surface for outdoor games	49%
Play centre	37%
Dining area	31%
Large Sky TV	22%

Respondents were asked to list any other facilities that they thought should be provided. This list can be seen in Appendix 3.

Respondents were also asked about what other concerns or issues they wanted PACT to focus on. See Appendix 4.

Age

Ethnic Group

• 86% - White British
• 1% - Asian, Indian
• 1% - Black African
• 1% - Black Caribbean
• 1% - Chinese
• 10% - White, other

• 2% - Irish
• 2% - Australian
• 1% - Dutch
• 1% - German
• 1% - USA
• 1% - European, other

Access

• Wheelchair user
• Loop system

• Steps
• Hearing impairment

• A club for 50 plus
• Adult education classes - WEA for e.g., Basic skills
• Adult literacy
• Archaeology - any digs
• Archery
• Arts and crafts/photography
• Book club
• Book reading/poetry/languages - videos/conversation
• CamLETS
• Ceilidhs
• Cinema club
• Community media group
• Concerts possible
• Courses, evening classes
• Creative writing group, book club - literature club, art club for beginners, art group for practising artists
• Dancing
• Dancing - salsa, ballroom etc. (x3)
• Environmental projects
• First aid
• If exercise classes included aerobics then that would be excellent
• Information centre - what's on, help available, transport to hospital
• Information exchange - library?
• Inter-generational get-together
• Investment club
• Language classes
• Library/reading room
• Magazine/newspaper corner - drop in for coffee
• Meditation
• Meditation group (non-religious)
• Mural on side of former St Matthew's vicarage wall using graffiti artists
• Music
• Music steel pan drums
• Painting, interesting talks
• Pottery or crafts
• Quarterly cemetery sweep
• Scheme whereby older residents can stay in their own homes with the support of a student/young person living in their own home
• Self defence
• Singing
• Singing
• Singing group (x3)
• Trips eg seaside & afternoon/ evening local trips
• Trips organised, excursions
• Volleyball
• Wine club
• Woman's group

Reasons For Needing a Petersfield Community Centre

"To enhance a community spirit and provide a centre for all ages - not just day centre for elderly."

"Free/cheap facilities are needed - otherwise the young will see the Grafton Centre as their social centre and temptation, and crime may be increased. Also a good way of meeting others in the neighbourhood - such a busy area, it's difficult to know who lives here and who commutes."

"To promote and enhance a neighbourhood identity."

"There is no community focus following the loss of the Howard Mallett Centre. It could be a place for young people to be constructively engaged."

"Especially since the Howard Mallett is closed!"

"Foster a sense of community and responsibility - I think we should organise a street party."

"Especially for young people - for a focus for the community"

"I have lived here for twelve years and do not know (hardly) anyone (very mobile community/rented). There are a few (if any) local activities which are regular (build up of relationships is difficult). Activities elsewhere = impossible to get to for lone female with no car/bike (especially in evenings and winter)."

"I have been to the excellent community centre at Meadows - its always busy, great place to pick up info, well designed - great plus for residents of that area."

"Integration of new housing and old is vital, maybe such a centre would help. I'd be willing to help with adult literacy."

"There has been a big loss of facilities for young people and the community in this area following the closure of the Howard Mallett Centre. The area needs a focus for its activities."

"It would be wonderful to have a community centre with a kitchen available to hire occasionally to local groups of friends - I would, for instance, like to have access to a pleasant space for choir practice, or perhaps, the odd one-day workshop (singing, painting, dance). Having a community centre would be an excellent focus for the community."

"Such a densely populated area needs a focus for the community."

"Large and diverse population, very mixed and transient so can be difficult to get to know neighbours. Local activity tends to be dominated by the Grafton Centre, i.e., shopping as a 'leisure' activity: commercial, materialistic and expensive."

"The kids need a venue near their homes for a youth club and it should be used by other groups too so that it is owned/shared by everyone."

"To provide a community focus especially in providing facilities for young people, and for others who do not use pubs."

"Large residential area with little or no facilities. Lots of developments for everything apart from community projects, e.g., Crown Court, Student Accommodation, social services building - great planning putting these next to each other!"

"Community becoming ghettoised. Large inappropriate buildings overshadowing our essential character. Sad loss of Howard Mallett for many teenagers."

"I think a central meeting place would be good, we do not have such a place; hard to rely on the churches, etc."

"There is a large proportion of migratory residents. Those who are here on a more permanent basis need a more structured social life other than going down the pub."

"Having lived in central London for 30 years I know how community life improved when I lived in an area that had a community hall available, and where we formed a (very active) Residents' Association to provide information, entertainment, a 'watchful eye' on planning applications etc., a strong community voice to the council etc. A community centre does give residents a sense of being part of that area, rather than just people who live in a city."

"Meeting place for group activities. Youth clubs could meet there. Could be an education centre. Social centre."

"Community focus and what about co-use of Red facilities?"

"I am 50+ female and have had a lot of illness which has made me unable to work. I get very lonely on my own and have nowhere to go near by. There are places to go if you are a pensioner but I may have my problems. But it would be nice to get involved with someone my own age which seems to me impossible. I hope it will not take years for something to happen."

"Petersfield is a growing area with many families and young people so a central meeting point would be a good idea. The only minus is the fact that the area is very central so any activities laid on would have to be ones which aren't easily available."

Reasons Against Needing a Petersfield Community Centre

Reasons for Being Undecided About Petersfield Community Centre

"I have only lived here for one month, approx. "

"Most people are more sociable than I am."

"Possibly, I was not aware of how much the Howard Mallett was actually used."

"I personally wouldn't use it but I can see that there isn't much for young people in the area. Also it would be lovely to bring a focus to the area as it has been such a diverse set of people and I would like to get to know local residents better."

• Awareness of shortcomings of planning laws & local accountability
• Better fuller EXISTING facilities
• Book shelves for exchange and read system
• Community centre development local classes
• Current magazines for reading with
• Decent stereo system
• Designated dog walking areas with "poo" bins
• 'Drop in' coffee
• Evening classes and afternoon classes - could be linked to community colleges
• Extension of garden to allow 'hand on' growing of fruit/veg (need only be small!)
• Gallery area for local exhibitions
• Games
• Group buying of organic produce, a library facility, local artist displays/studio
• Helping people in locality to get to know each other in the area
• Ice rink
• It would be brilliant to see a local history (incl.) photographs produced
• Large screen video recorder - for watching communal meetings

Liaison with County Community Education

• Minibus
• Notice board
• Noticeboard for buyers sellers services available and services local residents: recommend plumbers for example
• Possible neighbourhood watch scheme
• Raising resident awareness of care of their own environment
• Reading room
• Register of local odd job, cleaning, gardening services etc
• Showers
• Skateboard facilities
• Small stage
• Somewhere for children to play safely (community centre)
• Stage facilities
• Stage in large room to allow for charged drama/musical/debate
• Trees, trees and more trees & more greenery to balance out the increase in population, buildings etc.
• Youth clubs for ages 8-12 and 13+ locally & well supervised

Safety/Crime

• Awareness of issues related to crime - security
• CCTV for security (from 2 people)
• Co-operation with police & vandalism
• Crime
• Crime, graffiti, CCTV for Mill Road, homeless people begging in Mill Road
• Graffiti
• Improve street lighting
• Open spaces safety at night
• Pride in the appearance of the area (graffiti, abandoned cars, bikes and trolleys).
• Vandalism
• Vandalism control

Environment

• Environmental conservation
• Greening of the streets.
• Litter
• Litter - severe problem especially in York Street.
• Litter generally
• More trees please - green space.
• Recycling scheme
• The collection of rubbish bags - time of collection more regular to avoid bags left out; mess; reduction of traffic and pollution in Mill Road.
• The demolition site on York Street.
• The state of the track behind some of the houses on York Street.

Library

• Library services
• Mill Road Library

Planning

• Conditions of pavements.
• Development of Philips and Beehive centre. (from 2 people)
• I live on the barrier in Gwydir Street, would like to see something more attractive where bushes are.
• I'd like to see the basketball court removed from St Matthew's Piece, perhaps locate somewhere else.
• Large-scale building works, e.g. college and Flower Street both inappropriate in the area.
• Protect the buildings at present used by music students next to our house!!
• Sensible balanced development of Petersfield area (shops, houses, transport).
• The proposed change of planning permission, i.e., the student accommodation - New Street let to all & sundry

Cemetery

• Future of graveyard.
• Mill Road cemetery
• Mill Road cemetery must be improved
• Upkeep of cemetery

Transport

• A bus service until at least 10pm
• Arrange a properly organised Mill Road traffic-free day
• Car sharing/reduction schemes
• Mill Road traffic
• More speed bumps to stop "rat runs"
• Parking - more provision reserved for residents.
• Parking & car vandalism.
• Restricting through traffic
• Speeding cars
• Slowing down traffic
• The Grafton Centre extension - increased traffic parking problems.
• Traffic control ( x4) i.e. cutting down on people using their cars for short trips
• Traffic, especially speeds on Mill Road - can we advocate a 20mph limit of the whole of our area?
• Transport: reducing car use by improving safety for cyclists/20mph limit.
• Vandalism to cars

Other

• A good grocers shop (both very badly stocked in this area of Norfolk Street vicinity).
• Hospital transport schemes
• Housing
• Improvements made to the Blossom Street playground.
• Improvements of play parks.
• Pavements
• Sports facilities in St Matthew's Piece (proper football ground).
• Too many alcoholics concentrated in this area - intimidating especially to children.
• We need a greengrocer on Norfolk Street