Jackmans Neighbourhood Plan
Across October and into November, we gathered feedback from Jackmans residents in a variety of ways, including surveys, ideas boards, the map tool, eight Neighbourhood Action Week events, and The Big Door Knock.
We’re pleased to share an update on the progress we’ve made so far based on your feedback, which will play a key role in shaping the draft Neighbourhood Plan for Jackmans.
When we asked for your thoughts on the five key areas we had previously identified as being important to your community, you told us that they didn’t fully reflect what matters most (scroll down to see what those five key areas were). Based on what you said, we’ve now revised these areas and updated the actions, which are outlined in the tables below.
These actions are still in the planning stage and may evolve further, but we want to keep you informed as we continue to develop them.
Anti-Social Behaviour (ASB)
| You said... | What we're doing... | What we've done... |
|---|---|---|
| There's not a lot of accessible support for people with addictions. | We're looking to arrange a community safety event alongside our partner agencies which will focus on anti-social behaviour, hate crime, and addiction support. If you feel unsafe in your home or community and need support, please let us know here. | We're still exploring this and we'll have an update by the end of June. |
| Sometimes I feel unsafe. | We carried out a community safety event on the 4th of April in partnership with the local Police and Community Safety Team from North Herts Council. We're pleased to share that most of the residents we spoke to said they felt safe in their neighbourhood. You can read more about the event here! | |
| There is anti-social behaviour in and around the flats and communal areas. | We're working closely with the neighbourhood team to review and improve our anti-social behaviour service. You can find out more about what they're doing here. | We’ve recently carried out our Safe and Well visits with residents at Hadleigh and Ivel Court, joined by the police and fire service. During these visits, we had helpful conversations about a few important safety reminders - like avoiding smoking in communal areas, which can set off fire alarms, and keeping external doors closed so that only Settle residents and their guests can access the building. |
| There is a lack of lighting that encourages anti-social behaviour. | Our neighbourhood teams are looking to work with Herts County Council (HCC) to improve lighting across Jackmans. | We’ve improved lighting around Ivel Court by fixing broken lights, installing brighter bulbs, and adding extra lighting to help make the area feel safer. |
| You'd like a review of the CCTV across the estate. | We're looking to work closely with North Herts Council (NHC) to review the effectiveness of the cameras. | We’ve confirmed with the local police that the camera in Ivel Court is working as it should. We also reduced the nearby tree to make sure it doesn’t block the camera’s view! The police are now reviewing other existing cameras across the neighbourhood to make sure they’re in the best possible spots. |
Community
| You said... | What we're doing... | What we've done... |
|---|---|---|
| You'd like more affordable youth activities. | We're currently reviewing what's already available in the community and how we can best support local groups and the community centre to communicate these activities. | We've organised a meeting with Youth Connextions, North Herts Council, Active Communities and the Community Centre to discuss all activities in the neighbourhood and to explore new opportunities. |
| You'd value having a wider range of activities in Jackmans. | ||
| You'd like to see improvements to the community centre. | We're looking to meet with the community centre and North Herts Council (NHC) to discuss options. | We're still exploring this and we'll have an update by the end of June. |
| Ivel Court is a dull and uninviting area. | Our neighbourhood partners are now exploring options for further improvements. | During October and November 2024, we planted over 100 new plants and made improvements to lighting in three areas around Ivel Court. This space is now included in our ongoing maintenance contract to help keep it looking its best! |
| You'd like improved access to life saving medical equipment. | We’re looking at installing a defibrillator at Ivel Court in partnership with the Justin Edinburgh 3 (JE3) Foundation, similar to the one we installed at John Barker Place in Westmill last year. | We’ve now installed a defibrillator at Ivel Court! If anyone nearby ever needs to call emergency services, they’ll be directed to this location to access it quickly. You can read more about the defibrillator and the JE3 Foundation on our website here. |
We wanted to acknowledge some comments regarding improving the play area behind Jarden. The play area is owned by North Herts Council, if you'd like to know more about this, you can contact them directly.
Grounds Maintenance and Cleanliness
| You said... | What we're doing... | What we've done... |
|---|---|---|
| There is a lot of litter and fly tipping. | After receiving a lot of interest, we've decided to form a resident-led litter picking group. We'll keep you posted when we've got more news... | We teamed up with the local school, where students designed posters to encourage everyone in the neighbourhood to dispose of their litter properly. These posters have now been displayed around the area to help spread the message. |
| There are a lot of overgrown areas that aren't being maintained. | We're working with our estates team and partners on this. You can find more details about what we're doing here. | We’ve cut back an overgrown area near Ivel Court, and the space that was previously fenced off by the community centre has now been cleared and reopened for residents to enjoy. |
| The cleaning standards in communal areas and blocks are not meeting residents' expectations. | We're still exploring this and we'll have an update by the end of June. | |
| The bin areas in communal blocks are overflowing and aren't being collected frequently enough. | We'll share this feedback with North Herts Council. We're committed to working with local partners to help improve the area. | We worked with North Herts Council to add an extra bin to a block where overflowing bins had been an issue. We’re also continuing discussions with the North Herts Council waste team to explore further improvements. To help keep things tidy, we’ve put up friendly reminders on bin store doors across the neighbourhood, encouraging everyone to dispose of their waste properly. |
| There is not enough bike and buggy storage in the communal area. | We're working with our estates team to make the most out of our current bike storage and maximise its use. | We're still exploring this and we'll have an update by the end of June. |
Parking and Traffic
| You said... | What we're doing... | What we've done... |
| There aren't enough parking spaces in some areas, which is leading to cars parking on corners on grass verges. | We're looking at options to create parking bays where possible. | We’re happy to share that the second car park at Ivel Court has been reopened! Offering more convenient parking for both residents and community centre users. |
| There isn't enough parking at Ivel Court. | ||
| There are a lot of speeding cars, particularly near the school. | We're working with our local partners and the police to address this matter. | We're still exploring this and we'll have an update by the end of June. |
| There are road maintenance issues, including potholes. | These roads are managed by Herts County Council. You can report, view, or discuss local problems on Fix My Street. These reports immediately get sent to the relevant authority. | We’ve identified some potholes in the neighbourhood and have reported them to highways. If you spot any, you can report them too using this link: Road or cycle path - report a fault | WSS. You can also check out the map of the area, which shows any outstanding faults and those that have already been resolved by Hertfordshire County Council. |
October - November 2024
A huge thank you to all Jackmans residents for your involvement in the recent Neighbourhood Action Weeks and Big Door Knock visits!🙏🏼
Between 16 October and 8 November, we hosted various activities in Jackmans, focusing on the five key areas that residents identified as most important to them.
Through 700 Big Door Knock visits, community centre drop-ins, and a number of events as part of our Neighbourhood Action Weeks, here's what we learned from you...
These insights will shape your Neighbourhood Plan, which will outline key improvements and priorities for making your community safer, more welcoming, and a happier place to live.
We also wanted to respond to some concerns raised about the maintenance of the grounds, paths and roads in Jackmans. Some of this land is owned by Highways or North Herts Council. For areas we don't own but you've highlighted as needing improvement, we've passed along your comments to the relevant authorities. We'll share any updates from them as soon as we hear back!
Previously...
Between April 2023 to September 2024 we received valuable feedback from residents, helping us identify the areas that matter most in your community. We gained this feedback through Tenant Satisfaction Measures (TSM's), Neighbourhood Action Weeks, Big Door Knocks, complaints, transactional surveys and more.
Here are the five key areas that were previously highlighted:
- A call for more community initiatives
- Anti-social behaviour concerns
- More litter picking and improved grounds maintenance
- Improved bin areas
- Residents’ meeting opportunities
We asked residents to let us know if they agreed with the five key areas above, or if they'd like us to focus elsewhere.
A message from Joe Williams, Executive Director of Customer Services
"I encourage all residents to join in on these important discussions, whether at community events or here on Settle Connect.
Your participation is key to making sure the commitments we make genuinely reflect the needs of your community and local neighbourhood. Where we are not directly responsible for an area or service, we will aim to work with the partners to make improvements." — Joe Williams
At Settle we are relentlessly resident focused. Our aim is to provide homes residents are proud of and build communities that are welcoming to all.
Our 2030 plan has been developed by feedback from residents, colleagues, and local partners with priorities and commitments shaped by what we know is important to you and your community. Neighbourhood Plans empower you to have a say in how we deliver the 2030 vision in your area.
We believe that working together with residents and community partners can create real opportunities for positive change in your neighbourhood.
