£10.8m to improve safety project for Eastwood

COMMUNITIES across Rotherham are to see their ideas in action after a long awaited £10.8 million environmental scheme was launched to make the borough a safer place in which to live.

The project, launched at Eastwood, is aimed at improving road safety and ridding the streets of anti-social behaviour.

The types of initiatives to be undertaken include parking facilities in areas where vehicles have been damaged, fencing and gates where anti-social behaviour has been an issue and security lighting.

2010 Rotherham Ltd is managing the scheme, working alongside Rotherham Borough Council.

The government-funded plans will target key areas, each one designed to benefit the street or area as a whole.

Over the last year, 2010 Rotherham and the borough council have been asking residents for their views on the improvements they would like to see in their areas.

Tenants Maureen and Michael Morton, of Finlay Road, think their quality of life will be much improved by the plans. 

Maureen (62), the first to have her driveway constructed, said: "They have been fantastic. The street is very narrow and is always full of parked cars.

"It means that passing cars have to wait to get through and sometimes we see drivers having heated arguments because someone has refused to back up the street or wait to get through."

The majority of people living in the area were concerned mostly about the anti-social behaviour problems and called for more secure off-street parking in the area.

Cabinet Member for Housing and Neighbourhoods, Cllr Jahangir Akhtar, said: "We have been mindful to consult robustly with tenants and residents and we have listened to what they want.

"We are very pleased to have been given the opportunity to spend this funding on such a worthwhile initiative.

"This is a fantastic opportunity to improve neighbourhoods throughout the borough and will continue to feed into our plans to create safer and stronger communities."

Work on the scheme is due to continue until March 2011.

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