Community Celebrating 30 Years of Pembroke Street Estate Management Board
stories. An inspirational story, a story of a community coming together 昀椀ghting back, 昀椀ghting hard, believing in their community and succeeding and improving their area for the bene昀椀t of generations to come. Simply true to say, that if Pembroke Street hadn’t happened, the way that Devonport has been rebuilt and regenerated wouldn’t have happened either. Tudor Evans, Leader Plymouth City Council 1 30 Years of Pembroke Street Estate Management Board
When I was Minister for Housing in the 1990’s, I visited Plymouth and have vivid memories of the poor conditions of housing in Pembroke Street which formed part of the most deprived council ward in the country at that time. I did what I could at the time to promote regeneration. The 1994 Right to Manage regulations had formally enshrined the right for council tenants to follow a clear process to take on the management of their housing. It was intended as a means to reinvigorate socially deprived neighbourhoods, led by those who knew what ingredients were needed to improve a neighbourhood, based on their daily lived experience. Alongside the ‘Estate Action’ regeneration funding programme, it was recognised that good quality, well managed housing is at the core of a sustainable community. Pembroke Street Estate Management Board was one of the 昀椀rst organisations of its kind in the country. It remains the only tenant management organisation in the south west of England; con昀椀rmation that tenant led management is not an easy path to follow and that it requires dedication and determination from residents, but that where it succeeds it can lead to positive outcomes for generations of individuals and families. It is wonderful to know that Pembroke EMB has continued to thrive in the years since I visited and to see it has proved to be a catalyst for further regeneration, having served as a beacon to others by demonstrating what can be achieved through resident led action. I am enormously impressed and encouraged by the progress that has been made and I hope that in the years ahead we will see Pembroke Street Estate Management Board continue to be a cornerstone of the community. My congratulations to the EMB on their 昀椀rst 30 years. Lord Young of Cookham CH 30 Years of Pembroke Street Estate Management Board 2
Pembroke street is an amazing place to live. I have called this estate home since 1975. It’s a place where we look out for one another, where we come together to celebrate. It’s more than a place to live, it’s a community. When people move here, they lay down roots. But it wasn’t always that way. In the 1980’s, Pembroke Street became somewhere you ended up living when you had no other options. In the darkest days, hope was in short supply. The difference has been the determination of a small group of residents to breath new life into the neighbourhood. And since the Estate Management Board was formed in 1994, we’ve never looked back. Thousands of people have been a part of the EMB journey over the past 30 years as residents, volunteers, employees, trainees and visitors. These pages capture some of the key moments in the unique story of this amazing organisation. The determination, the dedication, the people and the parties! Anne Crocker PEMB Chair 3 30 Years of Pembroke Street Estate Management Board
The estate was built in the post war period and had been a popular place to live. Pembroke Street rapidly deteriorated in the 1980’s to become part of the most deprived council ward in the country. The decline of the naval dockyard saw unemployment rapidly rise and with it followed poor health, crime and social unrest which led to the estate gaining a reputation as a ‘no go’ area. Pembroke Street and Prospect Row residents say they constantly live in fear of attacks on their cars and property in the crime ridden area. Plymouth Herald, 1991 30 Years of Pembroke Street Estate Management Board 4
A gang pelted police and 昀椀remen with bricks, bottles and railings in the second terrifying ambush in a week on Plymouth’s Mount Wise Housing estate. Plymouth Herald, 1992 5 30 Years of Pembroke Street Estate Management Board
Step forward a small group of Pembroke Street residents determined to see their housing and wider living conditions improve. They teamed up with some key advisors and advocates and targeted Government regeneration funding with a plan to take over the management of their Council housing. A £6 million renovation scheme was unveiled yesterday to clean up one of Plymouth’s most deprived estates and help the residents stamp out crime. By forming the South West’s 昀椀rst management co-operative residents of Pembroke Street will be able to apply for a Government grant to help their area. Plymouth Herald, 1991 30 Years of Pembroke Street Estate Management Board 6
Plymouth housing of昀椀cers were today drawing up multi million pound plans to give one of the city’s worst housing black spots in Devonport a major facelift. Those plans will be taken to Housing Minister Sir George Young. Plymouth Herald,1991 7 30 Years of Pembroke Street Estate Management Board
The residents secured a multi million pound Government regeneration grant to enable the estate to be completely transformed. The scheme was entirely resident led and designed, supported by key advisors. It included ground breaking elements such as ‘Secured by Design’ where the potential for criminal activity is reduced through the use of open plan visible areas and improved lighting. Other elements included a focus on energy ef昀椀ciency, drastically reducing the carbon footprint of buildings years before this became mainstream thinking. The use of vibrant colour in the choice of building materials and the introduction of resident designed public art along with a diverse planting scheme which included a central boulevard of trees, helped to transform the estate from grey and drab into a warm and welcoming oasis. Another key element was the demolition of neighbouring Clowance Street 昀氀ats which had become a focal point for much of the criminal activity. The 昀氀ats would later be replaced by new build housing, the start of the wider regeneration of the neighbourhood which the Pembroke Street scheme initiated. Once one of the most rundown estates in the country, the 13 four storey blocks are now nearing the end of a major £6 million facelift. Plymouth Herald, 1995 30 Years of Pembroke Street Estate Management Board 8
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