BURNGREAVE AREA PANEL CO-ORDINATOR’S COLUMN

This is Stuart Bolton, your Area Co-ordinator, reporting back to you on what your Area Panel have been doing for you over the last month and what we will be up to in the future. Don’t forget you can contact me at: Christ Church, Pitsmoor Road, tel. 276 9134 or write to: Room G44, Sheffield City Council, Old Town Hall, Sheffield, S1 2HH or email: s.bolton@unisonfree.net CLEAN TEAM Streetforce, the part of the Council that looks after your roads and paths, are currently looking at what they do and how they can improve this. The Area Panel, local people, New Deal for Communities and Streetforce have been working together to look at what needs to happen to set up your own Burngreave environment team. You have told us how important getting the area cleaned up is so the Area Panel we will be working hard to get this team up and running by next year. FIR VALE FORUM The group of local people who are working to set up a Fir Vale community forum have produced the first version of a constitution. The constitution is the document that says what the Fir Vale Forum aims to do and how it will do it. The group has elected a temporary committee and this will help to organise the first meeting that will launch the Fir Vale Forum. If you want to know more about the Fir Vale Forum or get involved then call or write to me. SUCCESS FOR FOX STREET In the last few months your Area Panel has had a lot of success in helping to make your streets safer. One of these successes has been the Fox Street road safety scheme that has just been put in. Your Area Panel, BETA (Woodside tenants and residents association) and local people have worked hard to get the Council to build the new traffic cushions and the Area Panel would like to thank them and everyone else who has helped to achieve this. FIR VALE PROGRESS I said last month that I would keep you updated on your Area Panel’s work in Fir Vale. I can tell you that we have just got approval for the new job of Neighbourhood Development Officer. When the new worker is appointed they will work with you to help put together a community plan to help regenerate Fir Vale. This plan is important as it will show other people what you hope the area will be like in the future and help you get the money to make it happen. MAKING PLANS At your last Area Panel meeting on the 9th October Mr. Les Sturch from the Council’s Planning service told us how you can be involved in the decisions made on plans for new buildings and the use of land in Burngreave. He also told us about the Unitary Development Plan that shows where in Burngreave different buildings can be built or things can happen on land. The Unitary Development Plan is going to be updated and starting in January 2002 there will be a consultation with your Area Panel. This will be your chance to say what you hope Burngreave will be like in the future and what the new plan for Burngreave should have in it. GOT A PROBLEM? Do you have a problem in your street with overgrown trees? Now it’s getting dark early is there a problem with streetlights that don’t work? Is there a bit of land that always seems to have something dumped on it? Do you go down a street that never seems to get cleaned? If the answer is yes then you can help the Council sort these problems out or any other problems with potholes, gritting, litter, grass cutting, road gulley grates by calling the Streetforce hot line on 273 2567.