JERICHO ECHO ARTICLE
A good place to live
Views of residents and businesses
June 2013
In December 2012, the Jericho Community Association carried out a survey of residents. Volunteers braved the nasty weather to distribute and collect questionnaires across Jericho. In all there were 126 responses. In addition there was a survey of local businesses. Respondents covered most age groups. Around a third were retired and a third in full-time employment. Notably, no respondent reported being unemployed. More than half were over 56 and nearly 10% had a disability. More than half the respondents were owner occupiers and the majority had moved into current homes within the last 12 years.
General views about Jericho Most residents rated Jericho highly as a place to live and said that the most attractive thing about living in Jericho is the physical environment. The social environment and sense of community were also appreciated by many respondents. People also liked feelings of safety and security as well as the general peace and quiet in an area convenient for the city centre. Port Meadow is by far the most popular place in the area, followed by the canal and towpath generally. The local facilities were generally appreciated, though with some criticism of the balance of services, and there were concerns about traffic and transport. People value the local architecture and worried when this was threatened.
Transport and road planning A majority of respondents were car owners. Problems included the volume of traffic, the lack of off-street parking and parking in general. Nearly half of respondents think that the controlled parking area works well. But while some people requested freer parking, others wanted more restrictions. A quarter of respondents reported difficulties with pavements and walking, and one in five had difficulties with cycling. A common issue was obstruction of pavements – by bins, parked cars, restaurant tables and uncut hedges. The quality of the paving was also noted. Several people were concerned about cycling on the pavements.
Facilities and services Respondents overwhelmingly rated Jericho highly as a place to live – though nearly a third of respondents mentioned concerns such as anti-social behaviour; personal safety as well as security and crime. The survey shows that the most wanted improvement is the canalside development. More than 10% respondents would like to see improvements on that site or the canal and towpath in general. Respondents were asked for their views about the proposed facilities for the proposed new community centre and to add any other facilities they would like. Half of respondents would like to add a music or arts facility and around 40% said they would use a ‘history house’, a gym; or a bike workshop. All respondents use local shops, the majority using them every day and a small minority less than once a week. Many respondents requested specific shops. Several respondents felt there were too many estate agents. The play facilities at St Barnabas School were appreciated by respondents who had children or grandchildren. Nearly half of respondents were in favour of designated play streets.
Security Respondents generally feel safe in Jericho, both during the day and at night. The few problems noted were noise, drunkenness and rowdiness. Residents felt that police visibility was very low or non-existent, though that may reflect the fact that this is a low-crime area.
Business survey Twenty seven businesses completed the Jericho business survey – most of which were pubs, restaurants and cafés. The majority – 85% – were leaseholders. Almost all were positive about operating in Jericho. They appreciated an affluent, busy and vibrant area – as well as its diversity and community spirit. The main concerns for businesses were: lack of parking and traffic issues. Social issues, included vagrants, vandalism and rowdiness. There were particular worries about the threat that more supermarkets would replace smaller businesses as well as planning threats to the character of Jericho, as well as the proliferation of estate agents.
Next steps These surveys were the first step in a community planning process. The results were discussed at a JCA meeting in June 2013 along with recommendations, which are available in the full reports. These issues will be addressed in detail in further community meetings. The full reports are available on the JCA section of the website: [url=http://www.jerichocentre.org.uk/jca/jca_documents]http://www.jerichocentre.org.uk/jca/jca_documents[/url]