How do I get started?

One of the key issues for anyone responsible for a neighbourhood or a local area is simple: how well do you really know the area?

If you’re a long standing local resident, it may be easy to say ‘very well’, but even people who’ve lived in one place all their lives may miss important issues because they’ve got used to things being the way they are. If you’re new to the area, you need to research the place thoroughly. If you don’t do this you’re likely to be seriously embarrassed when people start talking about places or issues you know nothing about.

Therefore:

• Start with local people – ask them to give you a guided tour on foot, and don’t be scared to ask lots of questions;
• Check the background data: one easy way to do this is by feeding postcodes into www.upmystreet.com where you’ll find a lot of useful information;
• Talk with local community workers, whether they’re in the nearest community centre, with the council, or in an agency like SureStart (which works on education and children) and Connexions (young people). Phone them or visit their offices. If they’re busy, make an appointment to visit later. And don’t forget the police, local schools and local religious groups – they can all provide good local knowledge;
• Find out if there are other similar projects active in the area (or ones that have closed or finished recently) – who is/was involved in these? What do/did they do?;
• Walk around by yourself (or with a friend if you don’t feel safe);
• Look at the state of the streets and the open spaces;
• Look at the advertisements for events that are in shop windows;
• Ask yourself what it would be like to live here – would you like it?;
• Examine what the facilities are like – the shops, the schools, the religious buildings, the pubs, the post office and so on;
• Make a note of the names of the main roads;
• Check out the public transport links; and
• Find out if there’s a library in the area, and spend some time there checking the local materials collection.

Even two hours spent like this will give you a much better feel for an area.

Looking around the local area will give you a good picture of the place and the people, but its environmental issues may not be so obvious. What looks like overgrown wasteland to some people may be a refuge for small animals or an important habitat for butterflies for others. Similarly, derelict industrial land may have some nasty secrets if it has been used for waste dumping in the past or was the site of polluting activity, such as a gas works. This is very important to know if you’re intending to create a site where children will play or vegetables might be grown. The planning department of your local council will also be able to give advice on previous land uses.

If you’re planning a major project, these things matter, and the best thing to do is to get some outside advice if you’re at all unsure. A first stop for such advice may well be your local BTCV office: if they can’t help they’ll probably know someone who can. There is also likely to be a Local Biodiversity Action group or Partnership, made up of organisations, specialists and interested local people who will know which habitats are important in your local area.

This kind of assessment may take time and cause delay, but it does matter. Firstly, because there’s not a lot of point in making the environment look nicer if you’ve actually made it worse for the resident wildlife. Secondly, because many grant-making bodies will need to know the answers to these questions about environmental issues before they allocate any grant to your work.

With the help of some good advice you should be able to find ways to produce a ‘win-win’ solution – one that meets local needs and improves the overall environment.