09 July 2004
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Speaking at the ceremony, Muriel said: “I am proud of local people’s determination to be part of the solution. We have worked with the police and worked with council to sort these problems out. Today the estate is hardly recognisable as the estate we started with. We have a happy and safe place to live. We have defended our estate because we want to live here even when relatives have advised us to move during dangerous times.”
Ken Hackney, director of Haywards Property Services, said: “I have worked with Muriel for 28 years. Sometimes we were campaigning together, and on other occasions against each other, but we always stayed on good terms. Thanks to her determination residents of the Mozart estate now live in a state of the art housing estate and benefit from a real community life. The work undertaken over the years is a prime example of partnership between the local authority, the residents and private contractors. Hayward remains involved in the community life through a number of initiatives, including the day to day running of a media centre which initiate youngsters and adults to media and new media disciplines. We are currently working on other similar projects in Westminster.”
For further information
Marylene Guernier Tavistock Communications Tel: 020 7920 3150
Notes to editors
The 500 home estate built in the early 1970s was first considered a prime example of good social housing design, with no high rise tower blocks, but a series of medium-rise concrete frame/brick blocks linked with a series of overhead walkways which enabled easy passage throughout the estate for residents.
After a few years the design and appearance made the estate uninviting and it was difficult for visitors to find their way around.
The lack of security to individual blocks and throughout the estate meant that most of the communal areas invited anti-social behaviour such as muggings, joyriding and drug dealing.
By the early 1980s the Mozart Estate had become infamous as a dangerous, crime-ridden area. A study was carried out by Professor Alice Coleman which revealed that poor design was directly linked to crime and anti social behaviour on the estate. This study made various suggestions for physical changes to the estate.
In the early 1990s the DoE funded the implementation of some of these proposals and by 1993 WCC were successful in obtaining a £25 million GoL grant to implement these physical changes throughout the Estate.
Following extensive resident consultation a 'masterplan' was agreed on the improvements that were required on the Estate and clear aims and objectives for the scheme were agreed, such as:
* Improve the layout of the Estate:
Create a more traditional street pattern, upgrade roads to adoptable standards, improve road layout and traffic circulation, improve parking arrangements, and create additional play areas,
* Improve the Buildings:
Increase insulation and provide energy savings, increase security, minimise long term defects and repairs, improve the external appearance.
* Enhance the security and safety of residents:
Develop new homes on infill sites between blocks, create secure communal gardens, subdivide larger blocks, install door entry systems to limit access to the immediate neighbourhood.
The phased programme of works has been ongoing now since 1993 by the local authority itself at first, and outsourced to Haywards Property Services, the public sector housing specialist, from 2001, and is due for practical completion in the summer of 2004.
Residents have been very active and positive throughout the works programme, with a Block Reps forum meeting monthly with the design team, discussing programmes, design issues, resident concerns and communications ie types of security systems, window installation, street layout.
The overall cost will be approx £30 million.
