An alleyway that has been overgrown with trees and shrubs on adjacent private land has been cleared by Ashfield District Council as part of the Safer Streets campaign.
The alleyway between Outram Street and Priestsic Road, Sutton is popular with people walking to and from Priestsic School. The overgrown shrubs and trees were not only hindering the walkway but affected the sight line from one end to the other and also reduced the effectiveness of the streetlights. Reports from residents told us that, particularly when walking alone, they didn’t feel safe walking through the alleyway. As part of the Safer Streets initiative, the Council contacted the owner and were granted permission to access the adjacent land and cut back the trees and shrubs.
This is just one of the projects being delivered as part of Safer Streets, an initiative to tackle ongoing issues with crime and anti-social behaviour in New Cross and the wider Sutton area, with a particular focus on women & girls.
Delivered by Ashfield Community Safety Partnership, including the Council, police, fire service, county council and Police and Crime Commissioner, Safer Streets is working on projects ranging from improving street lighting to trialling safety apps to help protect women and girls out on the street.
Cllr Samantha Deakin, ward Councillor for Sutton Central & New Cross said “Even small things like an overgrown alleyway can make residents feel cautious and anxious when walking down it. This is a well-used path and it is fantastic that as part of the Safer Streets initiative we have been able to work with the landowners to get the overgrown shrubs cut down.”
Nottinghamshire Police and Crime Commissioner Caroline Henry said: “We have listened carefully to the experiences of women and girls, including where and why they feel vulnerable, and are taking proactive action to make them feel safer and reduce their fear of crime.
“These works are part of a long list of measures to improve visibility in Sutton-in-Ashfield to reduce the opportunity for crime and violence and make it much more likely criminals will be caught.”
