NOT IN OUR AREA
Some shopkeepers in Normanton have petitioned the
city council to take action against refugees and
asylum seekers claiming they are making the local
community unsafe. The arrival of around 1,000
refugees and asylum seekers has created some
friction with local residents. Some of the area's
shopkeepers say a take-away which is open until
the early hours of the morning is popular with
the refugees, and that residents are disturbed by
late-night noise as a result.
They also claim that many of the newcomers are
young men who hang around in groups on the
street. Local resident Chandra Nair says he is
living in fear, "I am 70 years old. I just
try to keep away but they throw stones at my
windows and door, what can I do? I have spoken to
the local police and they say they can do no more
because they are short of manpower." Police
say there have been a number of minor
disturbances involving young men fighting, and at
least one stand-off between two large groups. |
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£600,000 FOR NORMANTON
Creating a cleaner Normanton and looking at ways of
cutting unemployment are just two projects that are set
to be launched in the area as part of a £600,000 scheme.
Six projects aimed at revitalising Normanton have been
drawn up, with decisions on who will run them to be made
within the next few weeks. The projects are the latest
round of schemes from the £17m Normanton Regeneration
Programme (NRP).
Earlier this year Derby City Partnership, which manages
the NRP, asked for applications from groups and
individuals to run the six schemes. The deadline for the
applications to run the schemes, costing just over
£460,000, runs out next month. The DCP management team
will then decide who the best candidates are. Details of
a further five projects are still being finalised and
will require nearly £140,000 funding.
Catherine Eaton, external funding manager for DCP, said
the next two to three years would see much more funding
released for projects in the Normanton area. "There
is a lot of money going into Normanton from many
different directions, but local people want the
opportunity to change the way the money is spent.
Improving the environment is a big issue in the area and
these projects will be an opportunity for local people to
make a difference and get involved."
The money for the £17m NRP projects is being drawn from
two main sources.
In June 2001 the area received £6.7m from the European
Union's Urban II Programme. Soon after, £6.8m was
granted through the Government's Single Regeneration
Budget (SRB6) programme. The remainder of programme
funding will come from sponsorship and other grants. So
far 62 projects have received NRP funding, with £3.5m
coming from SRB6 and £2m from Urban II.
Derby Gold, a three-year training programme for community
groups, received £500,000 in the first round of funding
last October. Director Chris Martin stressed the
importance of local residents getting involved.
"It's a very genuine community full of people who
care about where they live." Councillor Ashok Kalia,
who represents Normanton on Derby City Council, said,
"It's a chance for local people to influence how the
money is spent."
The six latest projects to be set up
by the programme are:
Evergreen Normanton:
Aims to create a cleaner and more natural environment in
the area.
Management of the Normanton Project Centre:
Based in Normanton Road, a management team will run the
centre and support community projects until December,
2006.
Employment Trends Survey:
A £13,500 survey carried out between July and September
aims to assess employment needs and help get people back
into work.
Livelihood Project:
Initially running for 12 months at a cost of £80,000
from August, this aims to provide advice and information
for training and careers.
Women's Needs Survey:
Beginning in June for three months and with £12,000
funding, this hopes to find out what the employment
aspirations of local women are and to identify barriers
which prevent them from achieving these goals.
Public Transport Survey:
A £15,000 five-month survey assessing the accessibility
of public transport in the area.
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