The construction of old St Ann’s began in 1845 and the large town of 10,000 back to back Victorian terrace houses was completed by 1900. Sixty-nine years later the area had degenerated into slum conditions with high poverty. With government money the City Council set about demolishing St Ann’s in its entirety, except a few retained streets. This large town with its many shops, pubs, off licenses, churches and community centres was replaced in 1976 with a new layout. Low level three tier blocks of flats along with a selection of 3 – 4 bedroom houses. The dozens of shops along St Ann’s Well Road were all lost, only to be replaced by the Marple Square & Robin Hood Chase shopping precincts, and a small number of other shops dotted around the estate. The hundred or so pubs were replaced by 10 new premises, and community facilities (Community Centres & churches) were also reduced significantly.
The area of St Ann’s we know today as Stonebridge Park is located on the eastern side of the estate boarded by three main roads; Beacon Hill Rise road, St Matthias Road, and Stonebridge Road. Rebuilt in 1976 by Wimpey’s after slum clearance, the Stonebridge Park estate consisted of 70% low rise 3-tier blocks of flats, and 3/4 bedroom houses. In its heyday Stonebridge had a population of about 450 tenants & residents.
However, the flats were not well liked by locals. The forecourts were all dark, dingy and lay hidden below 2 ½ meter high brick walls, a haven for crime & antisocial behaviour. These forecourts were not maintained by the City Council, and later Nottingham City Homes; broken paving slabs and missing drain covers were a constant hazard as the lighting was poor because bulbs were not replaced at the end of their lifespan.
The layout created numerous interlocking footpaths, so criminals had an easy escape without Police being able to peruse them, except on foot or mountain bikes later on.
Drug dealing was a major problem around Eastham Close flats, and the five pedestrian subways along other areas of the estate. Some of the flats were also used for such purposes, and prostitution plagued the Stonebridge Estate in the summer of 2005.
While main areas of St Ann’s were being improved by government funded schemes, like the Estate Action program & Nottingham City Challenge (1995), Stonebridge Park suffered through the lack of council maintenance & neglect by Nottingham City Homes. After twenty-five years (2001) the Stonebridge Park was run-down and locals felt they had been abandoned by their landlord. There was no sense of pride in the area, and good neighbourliness had evaporated.
In the summer of 2002 the Melville Gardens Tenants & Residents Association was formed (MGTRA), with the aim of reducing antisocial behaviour by making changes to the interlocking footpaths; introducing bollards, new fences and railings etc. Footpaths needed either closing, staggered fences or posts put in place to stop them being used as motorbike rat runs. However, it was the fact stolen cars could drive across the greens to a site where they were eventually burnt out, that was of greatest concern.
In addition MGTRA wanted the council to replace their old rotted windows & doors with double glazing. The association obtained a £3,000 grant from the Area-6 committee to employ Alan Schofield, who worked with them to draw up a Residents Plan for their area of Stonebridge Park.
The Limmen & Melville Residents Plan took shape in 2002, and most citizens in the area took part in the consultation process.
Then in the summer of 2002 a number of residents situated in Flewitt Gardens, and Dennett Close, visited LMTRA and sat in on a number of meetings. Mrs Maureen Graham decided that they too should form a Residents Association even though they lacked experience, and formed a committee, and local labour councillor Dave Liversidege gave them a lot of help and encouragement. This group soon decided that the Estate needed to have a new name to make it sound a nice area of St Ann's, and decided upon Stonebridge Park named after Stonebridge Road, and Stonebridge City Farm. Their group thereafter was known as Stonebridge Park Tenants & Residents Association (SPTRA), and the area became the Stonebridge Park Estate.
SPTRA then applied for their own set up funding, and an additional £3,000 grant to hire Mr Alan Schofield to work with them to put together their own Residents Plan once he had finished at Limmen & Melville. This four month period to January 2003, was a difficult time for SPTRA members, in working their way through the funding application process of the Area 6 St Ann's Committee. Once approved a public meeting at the nearby Bluebell Hill Community Centre was arrange to announce the good news. There after in 2003 monthly public meetings were held, accept no Minutes were ever recorded, no newsletters were put together & circulated, and most importantly they had no contact address or phone number for anyone to get in touch with them!
Nearly all of the committee members of SPTRA were home owner/occupiers, and the majority lacked experience of running a Tenants & Residents Association, or customer relations.
The public consultation process run by Alan Schofield was going well for the first 8 weeks, then the number of locals attending meetings dropped dramatically, and no one turned out! Undeterred, the SPTRA committee pressed ahead and drew up their own Residents Plan. Sadly, instead of allowing Stonebridge tenants & residents to see, and comment on the plans, in 2004 SPTRA arranged a private meeting with council officers and just handed it over. A public meeting followed; however, few locals were impressed, while council officers praised the plans as a turning point for the Stonebridge Park Estate, and local Labour Councillor Jon Collins, on behalf of Nottingham City Council, pledge £1m to fund the improvements during 2005 – The process to change Stonebridge Park for the better had begun.
By Richard Pearson
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