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A successful Community Action Day was held in Colchester town centre on Monday, 16 August.
Colchester Borough Council’s Neighbourhood Service officers worked together with Our Colchester Street Ambassadors and the local community to make improvements to two areas, in response to residents’ feedback.
The aim of these action days is to work with communities and local businesses to make visible improvements to areas in and around the town centre. As part of these days, council officers will also be providing residents with information to develop a ‘communities can’ approach to support the maintenance of these spaces in future.
On Monday, the group focused on the paved area around Victoria House off Eld Lane, where they tackled overgrown weeds and generally tided up. The management company for Victoria House supported the event by painting the gates.
The Neighbourhood team also cleared an alleyway on the Riverside Estate that had become overgrown with large weeds. The area is maintained once a year by Essex County Council, however due to the unusual weather patterns this year, the weeds had put on a lot of growth and the alleyway had become impassable. A little bit of community involvement in clearing areas like this goes a long way, and the Neighbourhood team took the opportunity to speak to residents whose properties back on to the alleyway, offering advice on ways to support the maintenance of the weeds so it does not become blocked again.
Cllr Simon Crow, Portfolio Holder for Environment and Sustainability at Colchester Borough Council, said: “This first Day of Action was a big success and it’s a great example of how we work with our communities and other agencies to tackle issues that matter.
“Community involvement is crucial when it comes to maintaining some areas of our borough. Although we, and Essex County Council, have a maintenance programme in place, communities can make a huge difference when it comes to supporting weed growth. These activities do not replace our maintenance schedules but make a special contribution to support them.
“All the areas we will tackle on these action days will come from resident suggestions. We are listening to residents’ concerns and continuing to work tirelessly to make a real difference to the lives of people across the borough.”
Following the success of this event, the council will be holding monthly Community Action Days, focusing on areas in the town centre and Castle Ward.
Residents can report street problems including litter, graffiti, fly-tipping and dog fouling here.
Page last reviewed: 19 August 2021