Mill Street Environmental Improvement Initiative

Mill Street Environmental Improvement Initiative

Estimated population size of local area (Mill Street area, Ayr): 824

Introduction

In 2010 residents of Mill Street, Ayr were concerned with increasing fly tipping within their area. Mill Street is an area of about 300 houses located close to the town centre. The area had severe environmental problems which was impacting on residents lives. Fly tipping had got to unendurable levels with a communal area being targeted. The refuse in question included disposal of fridges, sofas and general rubbish dumped in the communal area servingflatted accommodation. More generally, some residents were not leaving their bins out for collection, which was leading to a build-up of rubbish and litter in the area, adding to the environmental problems. Mill Street is adjacent to the main shopping precinct in Ayr which also results in increased rubbish from shoppers and those frequenting the local pubs and clubs at night.

The waste awareness officer described the area as having ‘the worst problem of fly tipping’ that he had ever seen. The Council had an issue with enforcing legislation and taking responsibility for clearing the rubbish because the area is of mixed tenure withowner occupiers, rented accommodationfrom private landlords and council housing tenants. Given the mix of ownership,the local authoritywas reluctant to absorb all of the costs of disposing of tenant’s rubbish.As a result it was decided to systematically tackle the problems of the area through a problem solving approach.

This case study demonstrates how multidisciplinary agencies/departments can work together, along withthe community, to resolve seemingly difficult and protracted issues. As a result of the Mill Street Initiative the Community Safety Unit has laid the foundation for wider community engagement by ensuring that there were ‘early wins’ in resolving issues of concern to the community. Successful partnership working and greater community participationhas empowered residents to become agents for change in their own neighbourhood.

The intended outcome for this community engagement process was to reduce the instances of littering in the community and respond to the environmental concerns of the residents.

Process

Millfriars Tenants and Residents Association already operated in the area and received some support from South Ayrshire Council’s Community Development Officer. The local Community Development Officer started to work with a group of concerned residents and the Association to talk about possible solutions to the issue which had been identified. In discussing the issue of fly tipping and rubbish in Mill Street the group also raised concerns about drug addiction and drug dealing in the area.

A meeting was held with the Association in October 2010. 18 residents along with local Councillors attended this meeting. At this first meeting the officer leading the problem solving initiative (the Community Safety Officer) listened to everything that was said and recorded all the points made using a problem solving format. South Ayrshire Council’s Community Safety Unit uses the IDPARTNERS model developed by Sixth Sense Training[1] for problem solving. IDPARTNERS ensures that groups work in a structured way. Other additional important factors considered are ‘Who shares your problem?’ and ‘Who doesn’t share your problem?’ The process is highlighted below:

■I Identify the Demand - Where is it coming from

■D Drivers - What do people and why?

■P Problem - Define it

■A Aim - What do you want to achieve?

■R Research & Analysis - What is happening? Why?

■T Think Creatively - What are our options?

■N Negotiate & Initiate Responses - How? When?

■E Evaluate - Did you meet your Aim?

■R Review - Did the methods you used work

■S Success - Celebrate and learn from it

Residents’ concerns were divided into ‘problems’ and ‘symptoms’ by the officer. From this a list of problems was prepared. The list of problems was agreed with representatives from the Tenants and Residents Association and departmental staff from the agencies who shared the problems, at the first Problem Solving meeting.

The main problems identified in the process related to:

storage of household waste bins;
rubbish in communal areas;
dog fouling; and
close cleaning.

The Tenants and Residents Association agreed that a sub group of four tenants and residents would meet (normally on a monthly basis) to review the progress being made and to work closely with officers from a variety of bodies and local Councillors in monitoring the situation on the ground. A partnership between different departments within the local authority formed around the issue including Housing, Community Safety, Refuse Collection, Community Development and external organisations such as the Police and Auchencruive College.

Three separate sub-areas were identified within the Mill Street area. For each sub-area, an action plan was prepared. This was monitored at every problem solving meeting. A visual inspection of each of the sub-areas was carried out at least once a week.

The Council agreed to pick up all bins in Mill Street on a weekly basis regardless if they were waste or recycled material. Bins were numbered so that they matched each flat and new bin storage was installed in the communal areas. An intensive period of education followed with households requested to put bins out no earlier than Thursday night and remove them no later than the following Monday. This led to significant reductions in bins being left in the street and less chance for bins to be knocked over and rubbish to spill over the streets. Due to the numbering of bins those that left their bins out were easily identified and visited by enforcement officers to explain the arrangements. The ‘zero tolerance’ approach was welcomed by all residents.

Initiatives by the group to tackle fly tipping and rubbish disposal have been largely successful. Residents have noticed a big difference in the area since the initiative has started and more are getting involved to sustain the change. Over the last two years residents, council workers and councillors have been regularly clearing rubbish and planting in areas around Mill Street. The group frequently spends two hours on a Sunday tidying the local areas and planting bulbs. The wider community has also been invited to participate in community ‘walkabouts’ where they walk to areas of concern and are encouraged to discuss why this area needs attention and what can be done by residents and statutory sector partners to resolve any issues.

Most recently the group hassuccessfully applied for funding from Network Rail and Action Earthto buy plants and mulchto transform bare areas near the Victorian bridge. Residents are also seeking to develop an allotment at the local agricultural college so that they can grow their own plants/flowers, therefore reducing the costs of planting and encouraging wider participation of the community in diverse environmental activities.

Learning from the Process

In general terms,the initiative has created significant reductions inthe accumulation of household items in communal areasandrefuse bins lying on the street. There have been general improvements to the environment through regular litter picking, planting and reductions in dog fouling. Although the problems have largely reduced, there are still isolated instances – which are identifiedthrough the continued monitoring by officers, community wardens and residents.

One useful indicator of success is that South Ayrshire Council has reported that the cost of removing ‘fly-tipped’ refuse and household waste in the area has dropped by 80% between July 2010 and July 2011. The initial intensity of bin pickups in Mill Street has now reduced to the standard fortnightly pick-ups of recycling bins and household rubbish.

Partners reported that they did not use new resources or personnel to resolve the issue in Mill Street but redirected existing resources/services to meet the needs of residents over a short period for long term future gains. The role of the Community Safety Team is crucial and priority has been given to doing more work in the area. In addition, community safety was able to invest modest amounts of money as an early catalyst for change.

Much of the success of the initiative comes down to the relationships developed between partners. The partners agreed that they are working well together and that much of the success is due to the formation of strong personal relationships amongst partners and residents which helps to ensure that things are happening in the area. One Association members said,

“As a result of this work I feel confident to lift up the phone and speak to someone in the Council Department or to a local Councillor about an issue in my community, I didn’t feel that way before.”

The initiative has now created a model for dealing with waste management. It was realised that there was no overall plan for South Ayrshire Council in dealing with environmental problems such as fly-tipping and bin management - the work in Mill Street has led to the development and agreement of a Strategic Plan for Environmental Work for all of South Ayrshire.

An important element of the initiative was the attention to capacity building of the residents. The Community Development worker had a key role to keep residents informed and involved and to build their skills and confidence so that they could lead the process and be agents for change within their community. The residents involved were clear that they wanted early wins in the process i.e. visible change to the Mill Street environment, as this would encourage wider tenant participation in the process as they immediately begin to see a difference as a result of their involvement. One of the key points that the Association members mentioned is the need for wider participation from the community in the process rather than the ‘usual faces’which is something they are starting to address by putting up posters and speaking to local media about the initiative and the need for greater participation locally.

Next Steps

In most cases, South Ayrshire Council has been able to withdraw from problem solving areas after a period of time, leaving behind community structures that have the capacity to continue to monitor the situation. Although the approach is now ‘light touch’ in Mill Street, the process will continue a little longer.

The recent emergence of the Eco-group from the Association indelivering improvements to the use and appearance of the area is an important step – and a sign of growing confidence in the area. The development of a Green Gym initiative is bringing more volunteers to carry out specific environmental tasks in the area.

It is a little early to be assured of a fully sustainable long term solution to all the issues. However residents recognise the extent of the progress made. The Mill Street initiative is an on-going project which is now beginning to rely on local residents to monitor the situation and to take the lead. There is still more work to be done in terms of dog fouling.

Contact: Chris Campbell, Community Safety Officer, Community Safety, South Ayrshire Council - t: 01292559412

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