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Is this Sheffield's worst estate?

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Published Date:
18 February 2008
IT was built as a green oasis for families moved from the crumbling slums - but the Sheffield estate has now gained the unenviable tag of being one of the worst areas to live in the city.
Serious problems of crime and deprivation facing the Gleadless Valley area have been revealed in a report compiled by Sheffield Council, being presented to the city's Successful Neighbourhoods Partnership Board today.

It states:

• Crime on the estate is double the city average of 87 incidents per 1,000 people.

• Anti-social behaviour is double the city average.

• Ninety per cent of residents feel yobs are plaguing the area.

• There are "a number of problems" with the quality and maintenance of the estate which appears to be uncared for. Issues include fly tipping, graffiti and criminal damage.

• Economic activity has declined, with household incomes "significantly below" the city average.

• Unemployment is more than double Sheffield's overall rate.

• Children's school achievement below the city average, there are high rates of exclusions and the youth centre at Herdings has become unusable due to an arson attack.

• Life expectancy in Gleadless Valley is lower than the city average, emergency admissions to hospital are "significantly higher" than in other neighbourhoods, and teen pregnancy rates are double the city average.

Dave Aspinall, the council's South Area Co-ordinator, neighbourhood management project officer Andy Christian and local action service manager Valerie Cotter, who compiled the report, say turning around the estate will be a "big task".

What do you think of Gleadless Valley and how does it compare to other Sheffield estates? Add your comment below.

However, they have identified a number of efforts which are beginning to improve the situation and believe the area has "huge potential to regain the reputation of being a very desirable place to live that it has previously enjoyed".

Coun Chris Weldon, Sheffield Council cabinet member for neighbourhoods and chairman of the Successful Neighbourhoods Partnership Board, said: "The council is well aware that there are problems and the area has not been improving as fast as we would have liked.

"The report describes problems faced but it shows some successes that we are beginning to have."

Measures to tackle crime have included an "action week" with extra patrols, while a dispersal order has been implemented meaning authorities can break up and move on gangs of youths.

A total of £200,000 is being invested in community safety, providing four neighbourhood wardens dedicated to the area and wheelie bin locks to prevent them being pushed against buildings and set on fire which is said to have "dramatically reduced" the number of incidents.

So far, 54 communal bins and 38 bins at residential properties have been fitted with locks.

Youths are being targeted with more activities, £60,000 is being spent on equipment for teenagers in Herdings Park, Sheffield Futures is increasing outreach work and £8,000 is paying for youth work training so more people can give assistance.

Extra family support is also being proposed, while providing adult and community learning opportunities to increase skills and cut unemployment has been identified as a priority.

Physical improvements to the estate are being carried out through the Decent Homes council house improvement programme, with work being carried out on 820 properties this year and a further 1,370 by 2011.

Investment in parks and green spaces in Gleadless Valley has been doubled and the council is working with retailers towards improvements to shopping centres.

Health problems are being tackled by providing advice to girls about contraception, an "enhanced public health programme" and giving greater assistance to elderly and vulnerable residents to reduce hospital admissions.

READ MORE OF OUR SPECIAL REPORT ON GLEADLESS VALLEY:'Living in a ghetto' where even the bins have to be locked - AUDIO INTERVIEW

Sad decline of 'happy valley'

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  • Last Updated: 18 February 2008 10:48 AM
  • Source: n/a
  • Location: Sheffield
 
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GregBlade,

Sheffield 18/02/2008 11:14:44
I drive through this area of town to Bramall Lane when United are playing at home. Although I've never actually witnessed any crime problems the are is full of graffiti, one of the pubs (I think "The Far Lees") is all boarded up and closed, and the the other pubs and shops do not look very welcoming.
The towers are an eye sore and personally I doubt whether any of it would be missed. Im not old enough to remember it being built, but from what I understand, when it was first built it was recognised as a nice area to live, but obviously, as with most estates, many (not all) of the residents have had a major hand in its downfall.
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R>O>B,

18/02/2008 13:17:24
I can’t really comment on the residents as I don’t know anybody that lives in the area but I drive through the town on a daily basis and it has seemed to go really down hill in the last 5 years or so. All the pubs (especially the John O Gaunt) seemed to not have been looked after very much recently. But to be fair I have never seen any criminal activity or had any problems. I have seen loads of graffiti and gangs of kids hanging about on the shops, thing is though, I was a kid on a street corner once and although hoodies were not a fad then ( I wish they were because we used to freeze) 80-90% of these kids are not criminal minded or violent it’s just plain boredom and you can see there is nothing much to do around the area which is the main cause of the crime problem in my opinion.
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LongleyMick,

18/02/2008 13:31:41
Perhaps the residents of Gleadless have realised that wreck your neighbourhood works. Well it has for Burngreave, Fir Vale and Pitsmoor. Look at the money being spend there....now.
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,

18/02/2008 14:19:44
Comment Reported Unsuitable By User
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GregBlade,

18/02/2008 14:29:13
That would be a fair comment, although I would estimate that there are many residents in that area that are "indigenous" and are not actually contributing anything to the "pot" as the article states "household incomes are significantly lower than the city average" and "unemployment is more than double the city average" in which case there are many people on the estate not contributing anything to the "pot".
I cant see how the council is to blame, they built the area and moved the residents in. They can not be held responsible because the people living their have not cared for it.
Looking at the area from the outside and not knowing anybody that lives there I would blame its downfall on some of the residents.
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Rich 1,

Gleadless Valley 18/02/2008 15:28:02
I have lived on the estate all my life and admit that its not what it was but the council are not spending money on property and local projects.They have spent millions on the Arbothorne and Norfolk park areas and I can't imagine how much they have wasted on the Manor estate all to no avail.
When I was growing up on the Valley in the 70s-80s everybody knew everybody and helped each other out but this seemed to change in the early 90s when they moved a lot of people off other estates on due to the Kelvin and other flats being demolished.
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,

18/02/2008 16:25:46
Comment Reported Unsuitable By User
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JJB,

Gleadless Valley 18/02/2008 16:27:21
I have lived on this estate since 1963 and remember visitors arriving by the bus load to be escorted, proudly, around the area being shown the innovative design of the houses and the inclusion of many green areas. During the 1960 & 1970's there was a long waiting time to be given a house on this estate - up to 15 years at one time.

Over the last 5 to 10 years the estate has deteriorated dramatically...and I would add to GREGBLADE not all due to the residents and tenants of this area.

The Far Lees pub has been closed for over a year now and despite the local people petitioning the local area housing office, Councillors and the brewery nothing seems to be done about it - I believe there is a restriction on what this land can be used for, but what do they care because they don't have to live in this area...they're probably like you GREGBLADE just driving through contributing to the areas pollution.

In recent years many of the empty properties have been allocated to asylum seekers and refugees, even to the point that young people wanting to be close to their family and the area they grew up in are refused tenancies.

The roads and footpaths haven't been resurfaced in years - with the exception of Fleury Road and parts of Leighton Road...deviate from Leighton Road and welcome to Pot Hole City! Just before Christmas the worst effected footpaths were treated to a patch or two of tarmac which has created lumps and bumps were there were none before...but that's this Council for you.

The houses are currently being refurbished under the Decent Homes Programme - the tower house I grew up in still has the same windows it was built with in 1961...now who's responsible for those? The tenant or the landlord? Every other area of the city that has undergone this programme has also seen the fences and boundary walls of the properties replaced...on GV? NO!! and if the current rumour is to be believed that's because the contractor chosen by Sheffield Homes, Henry
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JJB,

Sheffield 18/02/2008 16:28:17
....cont

Henry Boot, forgot to include that in the bidding process, why the oversight wasn't picked up by Sheffield Homes, I don't know...so who loses out - the estate yet again!!

I and many others living on this estate pay our Council Tax and rent to Sheffield Homes to provide properties that are maintained to a standard that seems to be the norm in other area of the city and from personal experience I can assure you the amount spent on my home is far less than the rents paid to the landlord.

Before the comment comes back, that no doubt I'm claiming benefits and not contributing to the 'pot', I and my other 5 siblings have all worked from leaving school, have never been in trouble and were once proud to call this area home.

So GREGBLADE perhaps you should find another route to travel on your way to watch the football, perhaps one that you may have sufficient knowledge on to make such comments!
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PLH,

Gleadless Valley 18/02/2008 16:31:59
I grew up on the estate and my parents still live there. When we were growing up there wasn't any troublt only the usual as kids hanging around on corners which I'm sure happens anywhere, not menacing because everyone knew everyone and there was a sense of community with everyone going to the same schools and knowing each other. People have been moved in who don't care about the estate and who ahve trashed it and don't look after it however there are still people who live here who are proud of it and have bought houses here and look after what they have. As previoulsy said how come things ahve been left to get so bad, this hasn't suddenly happend? Why have all the people that ahve been moved from other areas been shipped in here when they had to move out of the old areas because they had no respect for that area? They have been moved to a decent area and now are trashing Gleadless Valley, it's a cycle and think things should start with young kids and show respect for the places they live.
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