Pride in Place board meets as residents set out how £20m should be spent in Layton and Grange Park
I have now brought together the first meeting of the Pride in Place Board and we beginning the work of deciding how £20 million will be invested in Layton and Grange Park.
Over the past few months, more than 300 residents have taken part in surveys and events and old us clearly what is working, what is not, and what needs to change. That has given us a solid base to move forward.
Pride in Place Ideas Exchange @TheGrange
What’s clear from this early engagement is that Layton and Grange Park require different approaches to restoring Pride in Place.
In Layton, people value the area and want to see it maintained and improved. You spoke about strong community spirit, good access to services, and assets like Kingscote Park. At the same time, you raised concerns about crime and anti social behaviour, the condition of roads and pavements, and issues like litter and dog fouling. Kingscote Park came up repeatedly as a place with real potential if it feels safer and is better looked after.
Neighbourhood Social at Layton Institute
In Grange Park, the conversation was different. You spoke about what has been lost over time. Shops, services and places to meet have gone “ripping the heart out of the estate” and having a real impact on everyday life. Access to affordable food and local services came through as a top priority, alongside safety, the condition of the area and the need for more opportunities for young people. The old Dinmore site was raised time and again as a chance to bring back a proper centre for the estate, with space for shops, food and local businesses.
We took all of this into the first Board meeting at Boathouse Youth, chaired by their service leader Sarah Lindsay, who grew up on Grange Park. She set the tone straight away when she said, “this is the community’s money, we just need to help them steer the ship”.
Some of our Pride in Place Neighbourhood Board members including councillors for both wards, youth workers and young people, community and charity workers and educators from local schools.
I made the point that these communities already have the answers. You have set out what needs to change and our job is to back that with investment and make it happen. Engagement with residents has also made it clear that there is scepticism. Some people do not believe the funding will come through or that it will lead to real change. That is understandable and it means we have to prove that this is different to promises that may have been made in the past.
We have already agreed some first steps. We are continuing the Grange Park Freezer Food Club after residents made clear how important it is and we are organising community events in both areas to keep people involved as plans develop. A Grange Park Community Fun Day in May will be part of that.
Amy Butler from Empowerment Charity talks about the importance of engaging with hard to reach residents.
The Board itself reflects the communities it serves, bringing together local schools, charities, businesses, councillors and a youth voice, because young people have to be part of shaping what comes next. As Josh Fowler, our first Pride in Place youth representative, put it, “I’ve grown up on this estate and there’s things that need to happen in the community to make it better… I want to make sure that for future generations it is somewhere to be proud of.”
This is not something being done to your community, it’s something being built with you. The funding is there, the structure is in place and the work has started. Now it depends on people staying involved, sharing their views and helping shape what comes next.
Please fill in the Pride in Place survey if you haven’t already and come along to future events to get involved.
