What are Renewal Areas
A Renewal Area is an area identified as having poor housing conditions, coupled with social, economic and environmental needs. These areas are identified through the Indices of Multiple Deprivation in Rugby.
The Renewal Areas process is a ten year partnership in which the Council and partner agencies work with the local community, landlords and businesses to support them in improving and maintaining their property, whilst working to improve the infrastructure and environment of the local area.
Rugby is now in it's third Renewal Area (New Bilton and Part Newbold) having previously ran Renewal Areas in Rugby North Town East (1991 - 2001) and Benn ward (1996 - 2006).
What are the aims of Renewal Areas?
The aim of a Renewal Area is to halt the decline of a particular area and to increase public confidence in these communities by improving housing conditions and creating attractive places in which to live.
Renewal Areas create a sustainable community whose residents can live in a safe environment in housing that meets their needs and in which they will wish to continue to invest.
New Bilton and part Newbold Renewal Area 2005 - 2015 (reNEW)
In February 2005 renewal area status was awarded to New Bilton and Part Newbold through RBC's on going Neighbourhood Renewal Assessment programme, after the success of Renewal Area's one and two in Rugby Town North East (1991-2001) and Benn (1996 - 2006). Renewal Area three is the first of its kind to offer a community-led programme of investment in an area, involving partnership with community-based groups. New Bilton's renewal area status, branded 'reNEW' will run for 10 years from 2005 - 2015.
The renewal area is a 10 year partnership between local residents, New Bilton Community Association (NBCA), Rugby Borough Council and partner agencies, designed to work with the local community, landlords and businesses to support them in improving and maintaining their properties, alongside addressing the infrastructural, environmental, and social needs of the local area.
- Terms of reference - New Bilton and part Newbold Renewal Area - May 2010
- Roads and streets included in the renewal area
Schemes available to reNEW areas
What has reNEW achieved so far?
For the first four years of reNEW, the programme received £100,000 each year from Rugby Borough Council to deliver a range of physical, environmental, economic and social projects.
Rugby Borough Council aims for reNEW to be a community-led programme of investment in the area, involving partnerships with a variety of community- based groups including the New Bilton Community Association.
Find out more about the New Bilton Community Association.
For each year of reNEW, £100,000 has been allocated for improvements. In addition, there are also Housing Grants available.
So far, the following activities have taken place to help improve the area:
- Rebuilding front boundary walls
- Resurfacing and installing dropped kerbs to improve access
- Alleygater schemes to provide security gates to alleys
- Landscaping and planting in public spaces
- Traffic calming measures and traffic surveys
- Tidying derelict sites
- Community and business safety improvements
- DIY discounts for reNEW residents to carry out home improvements
- External redecoration of prominent buildings
- Resident action groups and forums formed
- Alleygates fitted
- Free bulky waste collections
- Resident Consultations
- Free cavity wall and loft insulation for qualifying beneficiaries
- Home safety assistance
- Working with partners to run community events and learning activities
- Shop front renovation
Left: Jubilee Park from entrance to Bridle Road, the park was just a grassed space.
Right: After, there was planting, trees, furniture or footpath access.
Images of 2 Gladstone Street, a prominent building on the corner of the Avenue Road / Gladstone Street junction, before it received a landlord renovation grant in 2007.
The derelict, boarded up building attracted anti-social behaviour and in such a prominent position had a negative impact on the surrounding neighbourhood.
This list is not exhaustive and the community will be deciding through local consultation how to spend allocated funding.
Reena's off licence before and after refurbishment
Rainbow linen hire and laundry before and after refurbishment
Diamond Motorcycles before and after refurbishment
For more information on current and past successes, please see our six-monthly reNEW Update Newsletters.
What is reNEW doing now?
The reNEW structure is now that of a single group: the reNEW Forum.
The Forum comprises of three core elements: The Committee (collectively known as the voting members); Statutory Support / Advisory Members (non-voting); and Residents (this qualifies as any person living, working, or regularly attending a constituted group within the Renewal Area).
The reNEW Forum allows a single access point for people within the Renewal Area to become involved with reNEW, raise issues and assist in the coordination and delivery of local projects.
The role of the Forum is to identify priority themes in the Renewal Area and be the driving force behind its reNEW Community Regeneration Strategy. With the reNEW Programme no longer in receipt of annual Borough Council funding, the reNEW Forum will develop action plans as to how it is going to approach and work with local statutory and non-statutory service providers to encourage the mainstreaming of local services to meet the needs of the neighbourhoods and their communities.
Its objective is to improve the quality of life for people living, working, or regularly attending a constituted group in the Renewal Area, by halting decline and tackling the social issues that contribute to deprivation. Members of the Forum are encouraged to get more actively involved by having the opportunity to work with partner agencies in the development of reNEW projects through project focussed sub-groups.
Residents from the reNEW Forum presented their first Draft Community Regeneration Strategy for consultation at the reNEW AGM on Wednesday 26th May 2010 at the Indian Community Centre.
The aim of the strategy is to identify and work with partners to address the social issues that contribute to or intensify deprivation in our neighbourhoods and set out community priority themes to tackle over the coming 3 years.
Consultation on draft strategy
The consultation period for residents to consider and suggest ways for the community to tackle the deprivation issues most prominent in the New Bilton Ward came to a close on Monday 19th July 2010. The reNEW Forum will now be using the consultation responses to inform and evolve an action plan to work with partners to address the social issues that contribute to or intensify deprivation in New Bilton.
This is a strategy by and for your community. The involvement of New Bilton residents will be essential to its success. Any person living, working or regularly attending a constituted group in the Renewal Area can attend reNEW Forum Meetings and we would welcome and encourage your involvement in devising a delivering your Community Regeneration Strategy.
How can I get involved in reNEW?
In consultation with the New Bilton Community, Rugby Borough Council reNEW has set up bi-monthly resident Forum meetings.
They are informal meetings where, residents, officers, councillors and agencies meet to discuss issues facing the community in New Bilton and Newbold (part) and identify project priorities for the coming months.
To find out more or to be added to the reNEW Forum mailing list, please contact Louise Clarke on louise.clarke@rugby.gov.uk. You can also contact Louise on 01788 533 861.
You can write to reNEW at:
Housing Services, Rugby Borough Council
Town Hall,
Evreux Way,
Rugby, CV21 2RR
reNEW Communication Strategy & Contact details
Good communication is vital to the success of reNEW. To this end, the reNEW groups have adopted the following Communication Strategy.
Other documents: