LOCAL COMMUNITY PROJECTS

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ALVASTON
The Booth Street Scene was developed by the United Alvaston Community Panel in partnership with Derby Homes, but the new leisure area for children in Alvaston faced furious protests from neighbouring residents. Parents claimed the "eyesore" will lower the tone of the neighbourhood and will cause chaos and vandalism during the summer. Funded by the New Opportunities Fund, the caged area at the corner of Anderson Street and Booth Street features a kickabout and basketball area and a play area with seating is at the other end of Booth Street, near Benson Street.

Some of the play equipment was covered in graffiti after two days. Alvaston councillor Chris Wynn said, "All the messages that we had up to now have been very positive. However, I do know there have been problems with vandalism during the course of the building work. There was a good consultation run by Derby Homes and certainly, to the best of my knowledge, the responses were quite positive and the delegation of different areas was in accordance with the majority wishes. I would urge anyone who has concerns to come and talk to councillors at our regular surgeries."

MACKWORTH
The Mackworth Estate Community Association (MECA) is to improve a football pitch with most of the grant from the Derby City Partnership. The association will use £20,000 to install better drainage at Knightsbridge football pitch. MECA has pledged to provide play facilities, with a skate park being one of the ideas put forward. Arrangements are being made with the city council's parks service, which owns the pitch, to carry out the drainage work. MECA was formerly known as Mackworth Tenants and Residents Association but changed its name after being told by the Charity Commission that charitable status would not be given to a tenant's association.

MORLEY
Residents living on the Morley estate believe they have been overlooked by Derby City Council and are calling for more community facilities. At the beginning of 2004, residents formed the Morley Action Group to campaign for a community centre and secured £500 from the Area Five Panel committee. Diane Hanrahan, the chairman of the group, said, "The Morley estate seems to have been overlooked by the council. There was a playground in the area 20 years ago, but that was closed when it was damaged by vandals." The Morley Action Group wants either a purpose-built community centre on the Cheviot Street recreation ground or to find an empty building that could be converted for community use.

OAKWOOD
Almost £18,000 is set to be spent on giving youths in Oakwood "something to do", despite beliefs that those who will benefit are behind vandalism in the area costing £53,000. Derby City Council is planning to spend the money creating a sports wall, which can be used for basketball and football, in the park off Springwood Drive. Residents have welcomed the plans, despite vandalism at Oakwood Community Centre in Springwood Drive and the park's children's play area. The centre has been plagued by a string of vandal attacks over the last two years and the council has spent more than £38,000 on repairs and making it secure. Between 2003 and 2004, the council spent £7,660 on repairs to smashed windows and doors at the centre, which at one point last year had to close because of the attacks.

A further £10,000, funded 50-50 by the council and Derbyshire police, went on installing a police office at the centre to provide a base for Oakwood beat bobbies and act as a deterrent to the vandals. And £26,000 of council cash is now to be spent on fixing windows, which have been boarded up for almost a year, and putting in security features such as outside lighting and closed-circuit television cameras. Vandalism at the children's play area has cost £15,000 since April 2003. Pauline Latham, an Oakwood ward councillor, said that, 24 hours after a recent repair to a timber climbing frame, it had been vandalised again.

SPONDON
Residents living in Vancouver Avenue, Spondon, have been calling for action for the past seven years and now they have joined forces with nearby Drury Avenue to get work carried out on the pavements. They claim that the uneven surfaces of the pavements are dangerous and could lead to accidents. They also say that elderly and disabled people often opt to walk in the middle of the road rather than risk the pavements. A 100-name petition was handed in to Derby City Council asking the authority to include the streets in their footway reconstruction programme. A council spokeswoman said, "We're currently looking at where work needs to be done and a three-year programme of work is being compiled. Vancouver Avenue and Drury Avenue are unlikely to be included in the first year of the works programme, but they may be included in later years."