Optima Strengthens Board

19 March 2008

Optima Community Association has strengthened its board of management with four new appointments. Margaret Coward, Head of Area Operations at Nottingham City Homes and David Guy, a Principal Consultant in the Planning, Development and Regeneration Team at GVA Grimley are joined by two tenant Board members, Richard Tipler, and Chris Downes, Housing Strategy & Research Manager at Sandwell Council.

Green Light for Haddon Tower Site

14 February 2008

Optima residents and staff are celebrating after a successful planning appeal by its development partner was upheld by the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, RT Hon Hazel Blears MP on February 14th.  

The decision means that the £350 million regeneration project led by Optima Community Association can now be completed after a 2 ½ year delay.

Simon Kimberley, chief executive of Optima said: “We are delighted that the Secretary of State has recognised the importance of the scheme to our overall plans for the regeneration of the area.  We look forward to our partner Crest Nicholson starting work on what will be a landmark project for the city.”

The £80 million scheme comprising of a 7,000 sq metre supermarket, residential and office accommodation located on the A38 Bristol Street had been “called in” by the Secretary of State after Birmingham City Council granted planning permission to a rival application, also featuring a supermarket.

Optima tenants presented evidence to the inquiry that began in March 2007.

The Secretary of State’s reasoning behind granting the decision is complex. She considered the impact on Optima’s regeneration plans if the development did not go ahead together with the quality of design, housing provision and the impact on local shopping areas of both proposals.

Downloads: Artist's impression of the scheme  Report to the Secretary of State  Decision

Building for Life Workshop

5th February

Optima's regeneration of Attwood Green will be held up as an example of good practice by regeneration experts during a workshop promoting design standards to be held on 10th April at the Attwood Green Community Centre.

The workshop is the second to be held in the area following high demand for an earlier event.

The free workshop is a joint initiative by CABE, RegenWM and the West Midlands Regional Assembly.

Downloads: Booking Form  BfL workshop invitation

Parking Scheme for Five Ways Estate

22 January 2008

From Monday 28th January a permit parking scheme will be in force at our Five Ways estate.

The scheme has been introduced after consulting with residents about the best way to tackle the problem of city centre office workers parking at the estate during the day and Broadstreet revelers using it at night.

From Monday 28th January, anyone parking at the Five Ways estate must display either a resident’s permit, a visitor’s permit or contractors permit at all times. If they fail to do so, they will be liable to a fine of £90.00 (reduced to £45.00 if paid within 14 days).

Each resident has been issued with 2 residents’ permits and 2 visitors permits free of charge. Any lost permits will cost £10.00 to replace.

Suite Success

5 December 2007

Optima isn’t resting on its laurels after delivering on our promises to residents. When we asked residents what they would like to see happen next in Attwood Green, top of their list was the replacement of all our worn out bathrooms. With our partners Bailey Garner and JD Heating, we’ve revamped 200 bathrooms suites to date.

Attwood Gemstones Now Open

22 October 2007

Attwood Gemstones is the latest Optima scheme to be occupied by residents. Formerly a brownfield site located on a major gateway into Birmingham city centre it was once the location of an unpopular subway that was decommissioned and replaced by a pedestrian crossing as part of our regeneration programme.

The scheme has been designed to be both a landmark building and maintain an attractive outlook for residents of the sheltered housing scheme to the rear of the development who now look out onto attractive landscaped gardens instead of traffic jams on the Bristol Road.   

Each of the three blocks has been named after a gemstone; amber, amethyst and carnelian with internal lighting schemes reflecting the colour of the gemstone. Residents have access to off road parking, concierge and a monitored CCTV system.

30 of the 77 apartments are for shared ownership with the remaining for affordable rent. The shared ownership tenure brings affordable home ownership to one of the most expensive residential areas of Birmingham.

Kim and Aggie clean up

3 August 2007

Fans of TV's How Clean is you house were surprised to find the show's stars, Kim and Aggie strutting down Attwood Green streets recently.

But on closer inspection the "queens of clean" turned out to be look-alikes played by Optima's Finance Manager, Leo Luik and Estate Services Supervisor, Jim Duncan.

Although they weren't the real deal, the message they carried was a serious one: take pride in your community.

Together with Optima staff, police and cleaning company Sheldons, the duo handed out tips to help keep the neighbourhood tidy.

End in sight for last of clearance

20 March 2007

The regeneration of Attwood Green celebrates another important milestone with the last group of residents affected by our clearance programme due to move into brand new homes on Lytham Croft in April.

At Park Central, new houses facing the park have been completed for Optima residents and over at Woodview we are waiting for planning permission for the partial redevelopment of the estate by developers Persimmon. Both schemes will be completed in 2011.

Residents’Jury

15 March 2007

More than 80 people took part in a event to talk about the government’s Respect agenda and to discuss the best approaches to anti-social behaviour.

The participants were invited to join a residents’ jury to adjudicate on an anti-social behaviour case. But unknown to the jury, the residents involved were in fact actors. Once this was revealed, the actors went through their scene a second time with the audience directing the actors in order to  resolve the dispute.

New Artwork for Attwood Green

8 March 2007

Attwood Green residents will be getting a special delivery on Monday 12th March when the first section of the area's newest artwork is delivered for construction in Sunset Park.

The structure is called the Sky Mirror and it gets its name from the shallow pool of water at its base.

Optima and the City Council plan to officially open the park during Love Parks Week 16-24 June.

Carl Chinn opens St Thomas House

8th December 2006

Local historian Carl Chinn led the celebrations that marked the opening of St Thomas House on Friday 8th December.

The building is home to Optima's new offices on the first and second floors with a nursery for 50 children, ranging in age from birth to reception, on the ground floor. The nursery includes a state of the art kitchen so that staff can provide healthy food for the tots.

A community hall, part funded by Optima, will be available for community events and resident meetings.

National Construction week

4 October 2006

Optima is delighted to be working with Crest Nicholson on a joint project that will educate and inspire young people about career prospects in the construction sector.

Pupils from Four Dwellings secondary school will be building a raised flowerbed at St Thomas primary school. The event will be held from 1 - 3 November.

Raising a cuppa for charity

2 October 2006

Optima staff were stirred into action to help support sheltered housing scheme resident Vi Andrews’ coffee morning in aid of McMillan Cancer Support. The event raised £1,200 for the charity smashing last year’s fundraising total of £400.  

Over 50 people attended the coffee morning including the local MP Gisela Stuart.

Local police give their support to fundraiser.

The funds were boosted by a £300 donation from JD Heating.

Local people are experts on their own lives!

6 September 2006

We are looking for 6-10 local people to join us for a free training course in researching local communities. Read more

National accolade for park keeper

1 September 2006

Fredy Tematema pictured in the wild flower meadow at Moonlit Park.

Fredy Tematema, who looks after two of Attwood Green's newest parks on behalf of Birmingham City Council, has come second in a national competition to find Britain's best park keeper.

The judges shortlisted Fredy for the deep commitment he has demonstrated and for the personal sense of enjoyment in his park work which he manages to spread to visitors. They felt he shone out above the others on the shortlist as a real role model in his community. Fredy believes that a park should be 'like a home which should be clean and ready before anyone arrives', and gives regular talks and guided tours of his parks with local schoolchildren.

The competition is run by CABE, the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment.

Dancing in the street

22 August 2006

Jo Lea and James Hobbs in 1920s costume on Grant Street, Lee Bank.

Residents were dancing in the street 1920s style this summer when Optima’s Jo Lea and James Hobbs rolled out the tea trolley to offer new residents a cuppa and a song.

The idea behind the events was to welcome residents who have moved into 150 new homes across the area since the beginning of the year.

For many, they were making a welcome return home as some people moved off the estate five years ago when the regeneration work started and have been living in other parts of the city since then. Many have been reunited with old neighbours and friends

Baroness Andrews visit

14 August 2006

Baroness Andrews, The Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department of Communities and Local Government, visited Attwood Green on Friday 11th August during a flying visit to Birmingham.

She chatted with residents Steve Austin, Lee Moore and Audrey Flash MBE at the Nash House community flat before going on a walking tour of the area. Baroness Andrews was the keynote speaker at the Tenant Participation Advisory Service conference being held at the Metropole Hotel.

MBE for Audrey Flash
19 June 2006

Optima resident Audrey Flash has received an MBE from the Prince of Wales in recognition of over 30 years of community service.

Audrey Flash has been a surrogate mum to hundreds of kids, cooked untold number of meals for the community’s elderly, chairs the Woodview residents’ association and has had her say in the regeneration plans for the area.

Audrey’s passion is sport which she has shared with hundreds of youngsters over the years. At first she ferried the local junior and senior schools' sports teams to and from matches, but later Audrey ran her own clubs.

Until a couple of years ago, she used to run a Sunday football team. “For 18 years I was secretary, manager, trainer, driver - the lot. I even washed the kits!"

St Thomas pool reopens
17 June 2006

Clare Short joined the pupils of St Thomas primary school for the reopening of their swimming pool on Saturday 17 June.

The pool has been closed for the past 6 years.

Award Win for Money Adviser

25 May 2006

Attwood Green's money adviser, Margaret Weekes, was today the proud recipient of Birmingham City Council's Working with Communities award for her work in the area.

Margaret set up Attwood Green's money advice and debt counselling service in October 2004. Since then 600 people have benefited from the service. She has identified a total of £492,125 in additional income for local people and she's helped residents to better manage their finances.

For more information, you can contact Margaret on 0121 687 3144.

Homebuy. An affordable way to own your own home.

5 May 2006

Do you want to own your own home but never thought you could afford to? With Attwood Homes shared ownership scheme, you can.

Attwood Homes has a striking range of quality new build homes and apartments available on Park Central, Phase 1 of the award winning Attwood Green development, and coming soon at Hemisphere and Scholars Gate. So, take your first steps to owning your own home and find out if you quality for a shared ownership scheme now.

For more information, call 01902 378611, email homebuy@attwoodhomes.co.uk or visit the website by clicking here.

Customer Satisfaction rates reach an all time high

5 May 2006

Resident satisfaction at Optima reached 90% according to the latest survey carried out by the Customer Services Network.

This result means that Optima is one of the best performing housing organisations in the West Midlands in terms of the level of residents' satisfaction.

15th February 2006

Optima Community Association’s role in the regeneration of the city centre Birmingham estate, Attwood Green, has achieved national recognition from the Deputy Prime Minister, John Prescott, for its outstanding achievement in turning around a former ‘no go’ area into a desirable place to live.

Attwood Green was selected as the overall winner by the Deputy Prime Minister for his Award for Sustainable Communities which recognises projects and initiatives that contribute to making towns, cities and communities, including those in rural areas, better places in which to live and work.

The award panel commended the project as:

“The epitome of innovation and high quality… the Regeneration of Attwood Green provides us with an excellent example of how to turn an area around. It offers valuable lessons in creative financial agreements and in first class community engagement. The project should also be commended for its strong environmental commitment in demolition and new build and in its seeking to end distinctions in the quality of sale homes and those for social housing. As one panel member commented Attwood Green proves ‘it can be done!’”

Simon Kimberley, Chief Executive of Optima said:

“We’re absolutely delighted to have won and that the achievements of our residents and staff have been recognized at the highest level of Government.

“Local people have been at the heart of this ground breaking project that has become a model of regeneration which is being replicated, not only in Birmingham, but across the UK. Many Attwood Green residents have worked with us and put in a tremendous effort to turn these estates around by throwing themselves into the strategic and day-to-day running of the project. ”

This page was last updated 28 January 2008