Alley gates a boost for community

You said...   help make alleys safer and cleaner

We did…   Helped bring  the community together with neat and tidy areas for all to enjoy

Alley gates, which have been installed on Harrison Street and Lord Street in Barrow, have brought residents closer together to create community areas that are a vision of colour.  

The area was identified as a high priority for alley gates after police statics showed antisocial behaviour, vandalism and burglary were problems locally.

The county council’s Community Unit team in Barrow sent out a questionnaire to residents for their views on having secure gates installed at the end of the alleys behind their homes.

Community Involvement Worker Carol Last says: “We arranged several drop in sessions at The Forum in Barrow for residents to collect a key and raise any concerns that they might have.

“Local people also signed a social contract – an agreement that they would keep the gates locked, report any issues, not pass the keys on to other people and make sure the back of their house was free from rubbish or other obstructions.”

Local people formed a community group and made their back street a community project with seating, flower baskets and painted almost every back yard wall with different murals.  

The residents’ group still meets to talk about local issues, and hold community events like a big summer barbeque. 

Their next plan is to paint house numbers on back doors in the area and provide solar-powered lighting for most properties.

This project has had a long lasting effect on the local area as the community is now not only safer but also stronger, as residents report that they know a much wider range of neighbours, feel an increased sense of community spirit and pride in their local area and are more confident to let their children play outside safely. 

For more information contact the Barrow Community Unit.