Before coming to university, I lived in Blakenall Heath, near the town of Bloxwich or Walsall 012C according to Neighbourhood.Statistics.gov. As shown in the link below, it was an area of quite high deprivation, although this may be to a high number of statistics not being available:
http://www.neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/NeighbourhoodSummary.do?width=1280&a=7&r=1&i=1001&m=0&s=1269548353906&enc=1&profileSearchText=ws3+1hs&searchProfiles=
Memories of Blakenall don’t seem to disagree with what these statistics have to say; the education rates being the least surprising. During primary school, most time would be spent further away in other children’s houses or quiet cul-de-sacs and never after dark. For secondary school I hardly ventured out at all. The consequence of not dressing like the upper echelon of the non-working class was not worth the effort of leaving the house. Anti Social Behaviour Orders were not uncommon in Blakenall and as shown in the below video, the rate at which they were issued even reached the attention of the media. Although the video is not of highest quality, its message is clear:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=39E4Yu1dhco
However, this behaviour untoward others was more the personalities of the locals rather than the attitude of local government towards sustainable issues. It always seemed the case in Blakenall that the efforts made by local councils would only be ruined by locals a week later. New bus stops would have the glass smashed, new trees planted to try to improve the local wildlife and greenery would be snapped, flowers trampled on. One memory I have is that of a baby, placed in a water-filled recycling box, playing while several adults sat drinking cans of cider in early afternoon. I feel that this image will sum up the reaction towards sustainable development for many years to come.
One definition of sustainability is “Meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs”. New Deal was a government programme set up in the Walsall area in order to provide assistance to those seeking jobs. At first I remember passing it by not caring for its purpose but as the years went by, noticeable changes to the community would occur, all with the sponsorship of New Deal behind them. Returning one day after school, I found the surrounding green area to have been totally transformed by landscapers and gardeners. My father, who works from home, told me that the New Deal trucks had just pulled up and got to work. They’d told him what they were doing and why and then got to work. The change made the area look much better and definitely improved our outlook on Blakenall. Although I wasn’t sure of the employment aspect of New Deal, I was most definitely won over by the community aspect. There was always a police car stationed outside the main New Deal office. This provided a greater sense of security when going into Blakenall Village as it was renamed with the scheme. The community now had a more important meaning than just people who lived in an area. Fairs were more frequent and plans were more widely accepted as they had been designed by the people. This kind of environmental improvement would no doubt make life better for future generations if it could be kept up.
However, after returning back to Blakenall recently not much seems to have improved any further. It’s possible that the effort made to develop the area and the damage done to that effort has reached equilibrium; that or the Walsall Council feel that Blakenall has had its chance. I feel that it is the current generation that has let the neighbourhood down. It could be argued that the parents should have disciplined their (often numerous) children and taught them good behaviour but it is the children who will be complaining in 30 years time and the whole cycle will no doubt repeat itself.
In terms of pollution, Blakenall does not have any factories to speak of. There are cars as there are anywhere else in the world now but from personal experience the bus service is often used. There is not much evidence of renewable energy use except for one house at the bottom of Mouse Hill on the outskirts, using solar panels. As mentioned earlier, there is evidence of recycling, thanks to the many green recycling crates, though not as much as there could be. Overall Blakenall, in my eyes, is not a sustainable environment. It shouldn’t be either. There is no need for an area like this to be kept alive for future generations without some major changes to its structure. After moving to Kingsthorpe in Northampton (one of the more deprived areas as I have been told), I have found that I prefer it to Blakenall. Hopefully this will give inhabitants of Northampton some clearer idea of my previous residence.
