Neighbourhood services - our works

Over 41,000 works were completed over the year, including:

• 29,775 grounds maintenance works
• 5,284 caretaking jobs
• Over 2,000 sewerage treatment plant maintenance and reactive works

Scheme &

neighbourhood

enhancements

Addressing parking issues in Devizes

In Bellevue Road, Devizes we protected the grassy areas and improved the look and feel of the neighbourhood. Grassy areas were getting churned up by cars parking directly outside our customers’ homes and it had also become a hazard when it rained.  

We invested over £20,000 to install bollards to protect the grass and as part of this project, we also created seven new parking spaces for customers to use. 

A customer told us: "It looks much better and I'm happy as cars were constantly parking under my window." Another added: “The area looks much nicer now that the cars can’t park all along the grass." 

In 2022/2023 we continued to improve our communities. Here are some examples of the different projects we’ve completed this year.   

Tackling fly tipping in Weymouth  

We worked with customers in Beverly Road, Weymouth, to tackle fly tipping and improve the look of their neighbourhood. 
 
Customers shared views with our neighbourhoods and customer voice teams that fly tipping was making the area messy and they were having trouble getting rid of rubbish. We listened to their experiences and installed a new secure bin store in the area. 

One customer said: “100% improvement. I really do like it, it’s a treat to look out the window and see no mess over the road, a really good improvement.” 

Creating communal gardens in Street  

We wanted to improve the communal gardens at a block of flats for our customers to enjoy in Strode Road, Street. Although there was a large communal area, it wasn’t being used as many people felt it wasn’t a welcoming place to be, with old washing lines and plant pots taking up space. We listened to our customers, and we replaced fencing and washing lines, resurfaced the hardstanding area and provided bin storage. Everyone was happy with the results and a customer told us: "They have done a cracking job, I can’t fault it. It looks much nicer now the works have been done." 

Portland church’s soup kitchen gets makeover in Dorset  

A group of volunteers from our repairs team spent the week fitting a new soup kitchen at Saint John the Baptist Church in Portland, Dorset.  

Several new counter units and an extra cooker have been installed, boosting the church’s ability to provide hot meals to those in need. Seven members of our repairs team, including carpenters, decorators and plumbers, volunteered their time fitting out the new equipment.  

Reverend Tim Gomm, Rector of Portland Parish, said: “Every week we hold a free soup lunch for anyone who needs it. Since the installation of the kitchen in the church, numbers have soared. We are so pleased with the kitchen, and as time goes on it will used more and more by the community and for the community.” 

Fitting bike storage in Devizes  

One of our estates in Wiltshire needed a safe place to lock bikes. We agreed that a new bike rack would benefit their neighbourhood. We invested over £10,000 and all customers told us they were happy with the project.   

A customer told us: "It has made a massive difference. I now have somewhere to chain my children’s bike instead of the railings outside my property." 

Installing security lighting in Shrivenham  

We wanted to improve the external lighting in the back area of a group of maisonettes to help customers feel safer, and to reduce the risk of people having a trip while walking on the pathway at night. We consulted with eight customers who live in Cozens Drive, Shrivenham, giving them the choice about whether they’d prefer sensor or timed lighting. They told us they’d prefer sensor lighting, so we installed this, investing over £15,000 into the project. All customers were very satisfied with the results and told us: “There is more lighting than I thought it would be. It was very dark around our neighbourhood but the sensor lighting has made a big difference. 10 out of 10.”  

Independent Living Scheme refurbishments

As part of our work to continue to invest in our homes, over the last 12 months we’ve refurbished the communal areas in some of our Independent Living properties. 10 schemes were refurbished across our communities in Dorset, Somerset and Wiltshire.  

Our customers have been involved in the entire process, and we’ve incorporated their needs and wishes into our unique designs at each home. 72% are satisfied with the quality of work completed, 66% are happy with the completed refurbishment and 67% believe the scheme refurbishment has improved accessibility.   

A customer from Wickham Court, Dorset, said: “The improvements look brilliant, I like the updated corridors to move around the building, makes the whole place look more homely, the workers were very considerate throughout and has brightened the place up.” 

Both our Independent and Connected Living services are provided through Aster Living to help customers remain independent and improve wellbeing.  There are almost 4,000 customers supported by our Independent Living team, providing services from low level support as required to 24-hour onsite support in the Group’s own schemes. The services provided are key to our purpose of improving people’s lives and supplying a range of housing options.   

There are just under 3,700 customers benefiting from our Connected Living service. Services offered range from providing key safes, GPS tracking and alarm packages paid for on a monthly basis.