Wellingborough £600,000 safety works under way on Queensway estate

Work to improve safety for residents of Wellingborough’s Queensway estate will see new doors, alley gates and security lighting installed thanks to a £600,000 grant.

Funded by the Office of the Northamptonshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner (NPFCC), the money from the Home Office’s Safer Streets Fund is being used to tackle acquisitive crime such as burglary.

Improvement works in the project include about 650 new doors for properties in Kiln Way and Minerva Way – in partnership with Greatwell Homes – the gating of alleys in the Shelley Road area, security lighting for some properties and a rollout of security products to residents.

NPFCC Stephen Mold said: “It is great to see this work under way in Queensway, and we thank Greatwell Homes for their partnership in delivering this scheme.

“The doors and security lighting are practical measures that can help to deter crime and anti-social behaviour, and these are issues which residents have told me they want to see dealt with.

“I look forward to visiting Queensway at the end of March once all the improvements have been made and I feel sure that it will have the same positive impact that our other Safer Streets schemes have all had on their local communities.”

Work is under way on the door scheme in Kiln Way, with more than 100 doors fitted so far and about 140 left to fit. A total of 104 properties will receive security lighting –contractors are expected complete the project by March 31.

Jo Savage, chief executive of Greatwell Homes, added: “It’s a fundamental human need to feel safe and secure at home.

“We are extremely proud of partnering with the Northamptonshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner again to ensure our customers and other local residents feel safe in their communities. These new doors and lighting will help improve the security in the area and will shape places people are proud to call home.”

Northamptonshire has been allocated £3.3m since 2020 after successful bids for money from the Safer Streets fund after its launch.

Wellingborough has seen three areas of the town targeted for help including Victoria ward and the Hemmingwell estate when more than £400,000 was spent on crime reduction measures.