FAMILIES living in a North East community are to decide how to spend a £40,000 budget on environmental projects in their neighbourhood.
The people of Wingrove ward in Newcastle have been involved in the Greening Wingrove programme over the last year.
And the community partnership supported by the city council is on the lookout for more green ideas.
Greening Wingrove is aiming to bring lasting improvements for the Arthur’s Hill and Wingrove terraces area through environmental and recycling schemes.
The work has included tackling unsightly back lanes, overgrown gardens, misuse of wheelie bins and ways to make the streets more attractive. Coun Nigel Todd, ward councillor for Wingrove and deputy cabinet member for environment and transport, said: “We’re aiming to make the Wingrove ward a much greener place, especially the terraced streets and fairly bleak back lanes.
“The council has done some effective work to clean up the back lanes since last June, making it possible to achieve more improvements.
“Greening Wingrove seeks to put residents at the centre of ways to drive forward environmental plans that we all want to see happen.
“I would urge more people in the ward to get involved through the U-Decide event in February.”
Coun Todd has been joined by his ward colleagues, Coun Irim Ali and Coun Joyce McCarty, in inviting bids from community groups, voluntary sector organisations, public service providers and faith organisations who have a project idea to improve the environment in the area.
The ward includes Spital Tongues and Arthur’s Hill. The Wingrove Road area has many terraced streets and the council is working with community groups to make more of the back lanes.
These were once condemned by residents as eyesores littered with rubbish and household waste. But new arrangements have seen council squads on regular patrol pick up litter and larger, more bulkier items of waste that may have been dumped.
Future plans include measures to encourage more residents to make gardens in their back yards and to introduce more foliage into back lanes.
Residents and the area’s 400-plus private landlords will also be encouraged early in the New Year to bring their bins off the streets to generally make the back streets look tidier.
Greening Wingrove arranged a garden festival last summer which was attended by almost 300 people. The project also launched a carbon challenge with Warmzone to reduce the area’s carbon footprint and cut energy bills.
Local groups are encouraged to submit their ideas for the latest Greening Wingrove funding by January 27. The U-Decide event takes place at the Nunsmoor Centre on Studley Terrace on February 18.
More details are available at www.newcastle.gov.uk/udecide
