News
Beechcliffe Signs
All the right signs...
Maybe all roads don’t lead to Beechcliffe, but at least visitors now have a better chance of finding the ones that do. After you called at the May 2007 meeting for proper road signs, The Beechcliffe Face contacted the council and got it sorted. We also arranged for a new community noticeboard at the corner of Arctic Street and Royd Lane.
Dump on your doorstep?
Beechcliffe could get a whole lot dirtier, noisier and smellier if “outrageous” council plans for a new waste site go ahead, smack next door to housing. In preliminary discussions, Bradford Council waste bosses have indicated they want a waste site to occupy most of land between the Roberts factory at the bottom of Royd Lane, the railway line and the bypass. The plans, which have yet to be tabled formally, would create a recycling centre and waste vehicle park immediately beyond the railway, close to hundreds of houses in Beechcliffe. The area already has an atypically large concentration of waste and contaminated land sites, something highlighted in environmental surveys when houses in the area are put up for sale. Waste of space The Beechcliffe Face has raised urgent concerns about the proposals with council departments and local councillors. The group says a waste facility so close to dense housing would create an unacceptable public health and nuisance risk. “Bradford Council’s outrageous draft proposals for a new waste facility would see a serious deterioration in the quality of life of Beechcliffe residents,” said Rory O’Neill, chair of the The Beechcliffe Face. “There would be vehicle-related noise, dust and fumes from early morning until late at night, a continual din from materials including glass and metal being dumped in recycling skips, and the general smell, dust and pest problems associated with sites of this kind. “Beechcliffe is a residential area, not an access road for the entire area’s waste activities.” He said the area already has a low ratio of green space to housing, and warned further industrial development would be an unhealthy move. Not so green The land slated for the waste site development – Bradford Council planning department has told The Beechcliffe Face formal plans have yet to be submitted – should be a resource for the community, not another blight on the landscape. “Most homes in Beechcliffe have little or no garden space,” said Rory O’Neill. “The waste ground targeted by the council is already an important wildlife corridor and is well used by dog walkers and as an access route to the moors.” In June, a group from the community took Bradford council senior countryside officer Anne Heeley on a site walkabout. The Beechcliffe Face-organised tour saw residents stress the importance of the green space. “We have also taken local councillor Khadim Hussain on an exploratory visit to the site,” said Rory O’Neill. “He agrees it is wholly unsuitable as a waste station and should ideally be improved and developed for use by the community.” The Beechcliffe Face is also discussing more creative, socially useful and environmentally friendly use of the land with Bradford Environmental Action Trust (BEAT) and the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust.
That’s rubbish: You can’t treat Beechcliffe like rubbish, says The Beechcliffe Face. The group is keeping a wary eye on Bradford’s waste plans.
Want to Play
Want to Play?
Beechcliffe kids need places to play. And The Beechcliffe Face wants to know what you think needs to be done about it. The group has received a number of approaches about unacceptable behaviour on the existing play area, situated on Arctic Street between Marshall Street and Royd Lane. Complaints include vandalism and graffiti, bullying, disruptive behaviour and younger children being left unsupervised. Some residents have complained of excessive noise, litter, flytipping and “general abuse and hassle.” The facilities, designed for younger kids, are frequently dominated older by children, serving neither group particularly well. The police have acknowledged there has in the recent past been a problem with drug dealing immediately adjacent to the area. Something certainly has to change – and now’s your chance to say just what. Do you want to see the play area replaced? If you do, do you want it to be all swings and roundabouts or something more environmentally-friendly, perhaps for use by Beechcliffe residents young and old? Would you be happy to see the existing play area tidied up and given a lick of paint? Is it OK where it is, or does it need to move? Or do you think we need to rethink entirely how the land is used? It is overseen by Bradford council’s parks and landscapes department, which says the options are quite limited - it can be a play area, a green space or could have more plants, but that’s about it. After presentations from the local youth group and from Bradford council play and children’s officers at the May meeting, The Beechcliffe Face has held discussions with council offers about play options. That’s why we’ve come up with a questionnaire which has been delivered to every house in Beechcliffe. It gives you a chance to tell us just what you think. So, whether you want slides or seating, picnic tables or more plants, now’s the chance to have your say.
31st March 2007
Safer Cleaner Greener Neighbourhoods
The Safer, Cleaner and Greener Neighbourhoods grant has been awarded. This will give the group £6,000 to help towards making Beechcliffe a Safer, Cleaner and Greener Neighbourhood.
Special thanks to Rory O'Neill for preparing the grant application and Claire Williamson and Mary Schrider for presenting the winning bid at the event on Saturday. For more information on the grant please see the article below or contact us
12th March 2007
Safer Cleaner Greener NeighbourhoodsWe know that making a better environment for people to live in is a big issue for local residents so we've applied for funding from the Safer Cleaner Greener Neighbourhoods fund. The application will make the neighbourhood safer, cleaner and greener by:
For more information please contact us
- Reducing nuisance and disease risk by addressing dog mess
- Improving the physical environment with better planned landscaping for a densely populated urban area, with facilities designed in consultation with the community, the council’s parks and gardens department and others with relevant skills and experience.
- Improving the quality and maintenance of play facilities for young people and children and support for parents
- Encouraging community participation in and ownership of all activities
- Preparing accessible guides for residents and tenants to how they can make Beechcliffe Safer, Cleaner and Greener.
- Preparation of a directory of skills and interests in Beechcliffe and the creation of work groups to co-ordinate safety and environmental initiatives. Skills already identified include those with experience and qualifications in youth and childcare, gardening and landscaping, health and safety, educational, building and environmental work.
1st March 2007
What's your problem?
What has 300 houses, 650 residents, and a handful of problems? The answer is Beechcliffe. But your neighbourhood now has something else. A voice.
The Beechcliffe Face (TBF) is a new community organisation purely for people who live, work or run a business in Beechcliffe. Its purpose is to ensure the issues that matter for local people don’t get ignored
“It’s not about grumbling and griping, it’s about getting things done,” says the group’s secretary, Adam Roe. “We want to make Beechcliffe a better, happier and more attractive place to live.”
He says the group has already made contact with all the key organisations and individuals, from Bradford Met and Keighley town councillors to the police and local community organisations.
“We want to make sure any issues that concern you get dealt with, not ignored. If you think the area is a bit shabby, tell us. If crime is your top irritation, don’t keep it to yourself. If you are terrified by the traffic, let us know. We want to work with you to get things sorted.”
It does work. After a recent prang on Eel Holme View Street, BTF raised the issue of poor road markings with council officials, councillors and the police. Shortly after, new white lines appeared. Had the group not raised it, it is unlikely anything would have been happened anytime soon.
“We don’t have a magic wand, but we do have a proper organisation that knows who to nobble and that can speak up on your behalf,” says Adam. “They listen because we represent the neighbourhood, not our own particular pet concerns.”
The neighbourhood is small, and that brings its own problems. There’s no community centre and there’s very little for kids to do. Discarded needles and vandalism hint at bigger problems which won’t be easily solved. That’s why it is all the more important the community pulls together.
Jeff Bennett, who works at Keighley Area Co-ordinators Office, a Bradford Council body which assists local groups, says: “One of the key elements of the work of my office is to support local people in the process of shaping the future of their own communities. One of the best ways we can do that is to provide opportunities for local people to come together and share their concerns, ideas and experiences, not only with each other but with service providers and those who make the decisions about where funding is spent and resources are targeted.
Jeff adds: “By coming together as a formally constituted group involved in what we are currently referring to as ‘locality planning’ you immediately start to provide a focus for any future funding and resources that might be available.”
Community involvement is certainly the key to getting things done. But money won’t hurt, either. TBF has already secured some start up cash, courtesy of Jeff, Noreen, Sue, Rachel and the rest of team at Bradford Council’s area coordinators office for Keighley.
And in January, it heard a funding bid to Bradford’s CNet Grants for Growth scheme was successful, bagging an impressive £1,995. This will be used to cover the day-to-day costs of running the group – booking meeting rooms, producing newsletters, running a website - but will also mean we can have a community noticeboard based in Beechcliffe Stores on Arctic Street, where you can find out just what’s going on. On top of that, there will be a series of initiatives unveiled through the year.
“We’ve made an encouraging start, but this is a long-term project,” says Adam. “Beechcliffe is a good neighbourhood packed with good people, but it would be daft to pretend everything is perfect, and we will have to work together to really get all the problems sorted.”
Jeff Bennett of Keighley Area Coordinators Office agrees: “The combined voice, in your case, combined face, makes sure that people start to take you seriously which has got to be good for the community.
“I have been more than happy to support TBF with some ‘kick start’ funding and will continue to provide officer support as long it is required. TBF is a good example to other communities of how local people can take charge of the development of their own neighbourhoods and I’m sure that thanks to your energy and enthusiasm we will see some real improvements in the quality of life of Beechcliffe residents. Keep up the good work.”
8th February 2007
The Beechcliffe Face announces the launch of its website.
Thanks to the funding from CNet "Grants for Growth", The Beechcliffe Face can cover the setup and hosting of this website for at least 12 months. It is hoped that we will secure further funding later in the year to ensure the website can continue to be hosted on the web for future years. The website aims to give the residents of Beechcliffe a point of contact for issues that affect their lives and we ask you to spend some time using this site to find out more information. Although the website is a vital resource for many residents in Beechcliffe, there are those who do not have access to the internet. To keep these residents up to date, we are also planning to place a noticeboard and suggestion box at The Beechcliffe Stores. Please keep checking the news page for more information!
6th February 2007
Our first success!
The Beechcliffe Face has been awarded £1995 from the CNet Grants for Growth scheme.
This will allow The Beechcliffe Face to involve the community in a variety of planned activities in the coming months and years. For more information on what this grant will allow the Beechcliffe Face to achieve please click here
5th January 2007
If the application is successful, The Beechcliffe Face will receive £1995 towards setup costs which will ensure that the organisation is able to reach those in the community. We would utilise the money in the following ways: 1) Production and distribution of a community newsletter which will make residents aware of The Beechcliffe Face, what we want to achieve and give contact details (Telephone, Mailing Address, Web Address etc) for the organisation. 2) Develop and host a website to provide residents with up-to-date information. Residents will be able to submit concerns and view issues that other people are concerned with. They will also be able to find out where and when meetings will be held (also view minutes of previous meetings), see what projects are planned and suggest new community projects. The website will also be a way to directly contact The Beechcliffe Face with their opinions and ideas. 3) Purchase a community notice board which will be situated at Beechcliffe Stores. This will ensure that those without internet access can keep up to date with the latest information, it will allow people a point of contact for raising issues and it will help to make the community aware that The Beechcliffe Face exists. 4) Below the notice board will be a suggestion box for people to leave feedback, suggestions and Police diary logs. 5) A banner would be placed in a prominent position, with the website URL and brief details about The Beechcliffe Face to make residents aware of the organisation. 6) To enable us to maintain the website and communicate effectively with the community, we will need a laptop or PC. If we choose a laptop, it could also be used by members of the community for projects they may wish to carry out to enhance community relations and improve learning. We plan to store this at a location accessible to all members of the group. 7) We would also like to a run a pilot scheme to gauge the community's response to offering Carbon Monoxide Alarms to the most disadvantaged (We would then propose to take this project further once we have “found our feet” and offer more Carbon Monoxide Alarms to the rest of the community) For more information please contact us
15th November 2006
The Beechcliffe Face holds it's first official meeting
The meeting was held at the St Anne's Catholic Centre in Keighley town centre. Although the meeting was closed to the general public, there was good representation from the Beechcliffe area, the Police and Bradford Council.
To view the agenda and the minute meetings click here