Keeping Kingsway Headlines Positive
Created by proud kingsway residentI do not want to live in a hell-hole/sink-estate/new-Matson/new-Coney Hill or a “Hesters Way dumping ground”. DO YOU? If the answer is NO read on…
Do you want to keep crime and anti-social behaviour in our community low?
PROBLEM: There are criminals living here (local papers have named Michael Smith a violent burglar and Mark Daint a drug dealer)
BUT: there are criminals living everywhere (if you don’t believe me read the local paper to see how many live in Quedgeley)!
AND: Crime rates in Kingsway ARE low – visit the Gloucestershire Constabulary crime mapper or the local SCT report for proof – and incidently why not compare to Quedgeley/Coney Hill or Matson?
PROBLEM: Residents don’t feel safe.
ANSWER: DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT – The Council wont, QUVL won’t and the Developers won’t – Will YOU?
- Have you attended the local Police and Community Consultation Meeting?
This is a chance to put Kingsway on the priority list of our local Police officers. - Are you in touch with your local neighbourhood officers?
Ours are PC Fraser Mackie, PCSO Helen Devlin and PCSO Anna Tyndall. Ring them on 0845-0901234 - Do you ring in incidents as they occur?
Ring the non-emergency number on 08450901234 and give as much information as you can – when is this happening, where is this happening, who is involved? - Are you a member of neighbourhood watch?
Join – not only can you get a discount on your insurance but you can get regular updates about incidents in your area. - Are you keeping your home and car as safe as possible?
Also don’t forget garden sheds/garages and bikes. - Are you part of the Residents Association?
By getting together as a collective we can arrange for crime prevention advice and potential solutions (e.g. shed alarms, mobile CCTV for problem areas, resident awareness etc) - Have you shared ideas about how to solve the problem?
Join the Residents Association and make them happen.
Do you want amenities/shops/dentists/doctors/restaurants/decent roads etc?
PROBLEM: The Developers are a money-making enterprise – they have your money now so they really aren’t that interested in what you want!
AND: Pavements are wobbly, roads are unfinished and your local shop is Tescos!
BUT: The developers wont be doing these things until they have to – they don’t have to until they’ve sold a certain number of houses
BUT: We’re in a recession – no one is buying houses
AND: We’re all telling people we live in a hell hole so no self-respecting people want to move here
AND: The recession is hitting local families, and there is a lack of social housing
AND: We will get more housing association whether we like it or not so moaning is just a waste of energy
ANSWER: DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT – The Council wont, QUVL won’t and the developers won’t – will YOU?
- Stop whinging and whining – it’s a self fulfilling prophecy. If you moan that everyone here is anti-social and criminal then this is the only type of person who will be attracted to the area and then we really will be in trouble. We want to attract decent young families to the area don’t we?
- Have you shared ideas about how to solve the problem? Join the Residents Association and make them happen. For example can we put together a petition, can we hassle our local MP, how can we persuade the developers it’s in their interest? Can we provide mobile services such as the mobile Police Station/ Monthly Healthcare surgeries in the local School etc
Do you want to live in a happy community with an “urban village” feel?
PROBLEM: Your house price has dropped, you’re feeling disillusioned
AND: You’re worried Kingsway will become “Gloucester’s largest housing estate”
ANSWER: DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT – The Council wont, QUVL won’t and the developers won’t – will YOU?
- Would you pay £5.73 to make this a better place to live?
That’s the current minimum wage. What if you could make this a better community for free? If each person living in Kingsway donated an hour of their time we would have over 1000 hours of volunteer work to make this a better place – set up a sports club – 5-a-side football/cricket/aerobics/social club/running group/street dancing/litter collection. - Meet your neighbours – physically go round and introduce yourselves – they might just be nice people!
- Help organise a neighbourhood activity; a big lunch, a jumble sale, an am-dram performance, a school fair, a dog show…
- Join the resident association! Be part of running this community and shaping it to be the “urban village” you imagined.
IN SUMMARY: NO ONE ELSE WILL DO IT FOR YOU. IF YOU WANT SOMETHING DOING… DO IT YOURSELF!
This entry was posted
on Tuesday, July 21st, 2009 at 9:03 pm
and is filed under Kingsway Community, Local Crime and ASB, Local News.
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July 22nd, 2009 at 8:30 pm
Wow what a post! Lots of really useful points have been made here. For myself, I really do think we only have ourselves to blame for some of the bad publicity. Some of the inflammatory language used by Kingsway residents to describe the estate is really unhelpful – descriptions like “hell hole sink estate” and describing Kingsway as the next Coney Hill really sticks in people’s minds!
STOP doing it please!
It’s not true and it’s achieves absolutely nothing except more bad PR!
Talk about shooting ourselves in the foot…Lets get positive.
We have all decided to make our homes here so let’s get on together and build our community.
For myself, I am going to make a few changes. I really haven’t found crime to be a problem (in fact the only time I’ve been burgled was when I used to live on The Causeway off Severn Vale Drive), so I’m not going to focus on that.
Instead I am going to make an effort to speak to more of my neighbours, get involved in more activities at the school, speak to the Parish Council about arranging a litter picking voluntary group and respond to only positive posts on this forum (like the recent one about the school ceremony – hope you have all read it)!
That’s for starters.
The last post was so right – we are the ones that need to make the changes. Plenty of other people are willing to be spiteful about Kingsway – let them get on with it and we shall hold our heads up high.
We are a young couple who have started our married lives here and we want to stay here and raise our family – lets make this a nicer place for all the couples and families that are building their futures on this development.
July 25th, 2009 at 6:08 pm
Hi pkr,
Thanks for joining in with this great article… and for taking the time and trouble to put it together
Police reports for the Quedgeley Parish Council (including statistics for Kingsway) are added to the site monthly, on the Community Police Reports page, (which also includes contact details and links to the relevant parts of the Gloucester Police website).
You’re absolutely right about the “negative publicity” problem; it amazes me that folks who are worried about the value of their houses would exacerbate the problem by making such negative comments about the area online… What does that do for the image of Kingsway Village from an outsiders point of view and how’s it going to help their situation?
Of course I’m in favour of publicising real problems, but much of the bithcing is hearsay and rumour, and we all know that Kingsway is a far nicer place to live than the “popular views” seem to indicate.
As reported in my Quedgeley Community Police post (April 16th), PC Fraser Mackie said that “crime figures for Kingsway Village are below average for the area”.
I have asked – on several occasions – for help from Kingsway Residents in identifying problems:
Community Police Priorities
Community Police Neighbourhood Panel
Kingsway Policing and A Plea for YOUR Help
Kingsway Community Walkabout
…and many local residents have responded (thank you).
There is also – of course – much information about local incidents in the Local Crime and ASB category.
Once again, thank you for your contribution, let’s hope your message gets across
July 25th, 2009 at 7:31 pm
Yay, it seems I’m not the only person “on something” as someone else put it
I think another good thing is the people who have been reading the Citizen online and have been willing to put their own positive comments on to counter some of the negativity!
Myself and James (my friend who has moved in round the corner) walked back from the pub on Thursday, and we were both surprised, considering all the Anti social behaviour that gets reported, just how peaceful and quiet it was.
I like it here and I hope that out of the efforts being made to make a “community” that something works to inspire everybody.
August 31st, 2009 at 1:43 pm
Hi Clive,
This has just spurred me on to remind all my lovely neighbours about the Kingsway Book Club.
We are reading “Time Travellers Wife” at the moment, we haven’t scheduled our next meeting yet but if anyone wants to join us, we have a group on Facebook or they can email me at elisabethallen@live.com.
August 31st, 2009 at 4:48 pm
Hi lis,
If you want to publicise your book club meetings, feel free to Submit an article (in our Book Club category).
September 12th, 2009 at 2:41 pm
Hi ya,
I heard a rumour at work (in Quedgeley) yesterday from 3 different people who don’t live on Kingsway, that a certain notorious family are moving our way from Hesters Way. Has anyone else heard this?
September 12th, 2009 at 4:34 pm
Hi lis,
I heard this same rumour in June, so I spoke to the Gloucester South SCT (Police) at Quedgeley about this.
It seems they too have heard the rumour(s) but they say that they have investigated (including speaking with the Local Social Housing Organisations) and have been reassured that none of those organisations are planning to house said family in Kingsway Village.
The only other possibilty is that they are planning to rent from private landlords or that one of the women in the family has obtained Social Housing under a maiden name etc (which would account for 1 house only)!
So it seems that this is nothing more than a rumour.
I am suprised at how long it’s been going on for though
September 12th, 2009 at 5:11 pm
I did think as much, good to know though, thanks.
June 16th, 2010 at 12:21 am
As a soon to be resident I have came across your site and found it useful and informative. I have however found the tone of some of the post’s harsh and judgemental.
My family is moving into a Housing Association property after we were given a Notice to Quit from our (private) landlord. My partner works, I intend to look for a job in the local area once we are settled and my son will attend Kingsway Primary.
I was looking forward to moving to Kingsway but after reading a few of the post I’m feeling less welcome. The people who read this site are trying choose the right place to live for their family. If it’s not the crime, the grass or a trolley then it’s yobs on benefits living in the Council Houses. It’s harmful to the village because hard working “decent” people won’t want to move to the area and the “yobs” will!
Anyone in between will feel looked down on and judged. I know I do and we haven’t even moved in yet.
I would rather live next door to a good honest person on benefits than a snob!
June 16th, 2010 at 10:49 am
Hi Jen,
Unfortunately people are all too quick to complain but don’t always think to report the positive things.
I have lived in Kingsway for 4.5 years and really enjoy it here. The small problems are greatly outweighed by the positive points. My neighbours are fab, it is quiet most of the time… I often sit in my garden in disbelief that I am surrounded by 1500 homes!
Why not pop along to the ‘Big Lunch’ on Sun’ 18th July so you can get to meet some of your new neighbours and fellow villagers? I hope the weather is good, as the planned activities certainly are
Good luck with the move and I’m sure you’ll settle in well.
June 16th, 2010 at 1:03 pm
We agree, it would always be preferred in making every effort to be as positive as possible within the community – my concern is that we should not be prevented, restricted or slammed with critism for reporting crime, alerting the community toward area’s of concern or safety fears within the community too!
The Police always expect crime (however small) to be reported, and equally this website asks the same of us too. So, when we do just that, we shouldn’t be slammed thereafter!
We want to alert everyone for the better, not for the worst. We already feel very depressed, alarmed & fearful from the crime we suffer – we don’t wish to be slammed for reporting our fears too. We are sure those who wish to slam us would be reporting in the same fashion if it happened to them, and we all hope it doesn’t – that’s why we need to alert everyone in order to make sure we all take the steps to secure our property, and ourselves as a community and not split the community by making unpleasant comments between each other.
June 17th, 2010 at 11:54 am
Social Secretary – Thank you for the welcome. We already have plan’s to come to the Big Lunch, and a few chocolate bars put back for the tombola. Let’s hope it promotes a few positive posts to read.
blastu2: I’m sorry if my point didn’t quite come out in the right way, I didn’t mean that residents shouldn’t use the site as a forum to share concerns about thing’s like crime, parking and anti social behaviour, in fact I think it is the perfect place for it. I certainly didn’t mean to “slam” you.
What I objected to was (in some case’s, not all by any means) the blame was attributed to the residents who live in the council properties or on benefits. It felt, to me, judgemental. We will be living in a housing association property as our current landlord is selling the property. We see ourselves as people that could, and would like to, contribute to the community. Yet I sort of feel as if we won’t be accepted into the fold so to speak as much as private owner.
I would like to say again it was only a few post’s that gave that impression, I didn’t want to make unpleasant comments about people, in fact that’s what I want to avoid! Apologies for any offence taken.
June 17th, 2010 at 12:40 pm
Jen,
You personally have not caused any offence to me, and I hope that any idea of such can be eliminated from our open discussion here today. I equally wish to thank you for your supportive comment relating to issues being raised as they are taking their toll. I have no objection of any kind toward those on benefits or in Social Housing. I was pointing-out what ASB was being caused, and how it was being fueled. We have befriended local residents who have indicated themselves as social housing tenants, and on benefits – they are extremely pleasant and helpful as friendly neighbours, just as I am sure you are too. The site needs to allow everyone to voice themselves in an acceptable fashion (regardless of their personal position as residents or moreover, the points they need to raise without restriction or displeasure) and I would like too be a part of that (if allowed) by the chosen elite.
We hope to have the pleasure of meeting you at the forthcoming gathering of the community – you appear to be someone who would be very welcomed as a neighbour, and a Kingsway Resident. I too would like to offer the same apology if any displeasure has been caused. We are all in this together as a community, if we stay strong and united, we can take a stand against those who create the concerns we are raising in order for them to be addressed. Blinkering ourselves in hope that such matters will just go away on their own will not solve our concerns.
With Kind Regards, and a positive outlook for us all
Blastu2
Thank you for your community spirited dialog.
June 17th, 2010 at 7:26 pm
Hi Jen,
Thanks for joining in
It’s a sad fact of life that online community forums and websites tend to attract far more negative comments than positive ones
As for "judgemental", I’m afraid this kind of prejudice can be quite common in the wider community. I will challenge, or (in extreme cases) censor opinions which demonstrate groundless prejudice, but I do tend to allow the vast majority of comments to stand… I do hope that the obvious prejudices of the small minority of contributors doesn’t deter you from joining us at Kingsway… The majority here are very friendly folk.
Welcome to Kingsway
blastu2,
I may be wrong but it seems to me that your opening comment in this thread was aimed at the original poster? If so – just to get things in context – the original post was made on 21st July 2009 and – if you look at other posts from just before that date – you’ll see that the post was triggered by some very negative (and largely groundless) press articles about Kingsway Village that were published locally, and the wave of complaints and negativity (about the area) that they triggered.
I believe the poster "proud kingsway resident" was simply trying to redress the balance, and there is certainly nothing in his post that I would consider “slamming” anyone for reporting (actual) crime and ASB.
You (et al) are of course welcome (and encouraged) to report such incidents