Alley Gating

The installation of security gates across footpaths and alleyways in residential areas and housing estates can help to combat crime and anti-social behaviour.

Alley Gating of Highway Routes

Whilst the Clean Neighbourhood and Environment Act 2005 granted powers to councils to make gating orders in relation to highways, Streetpride does not have the resources to investigate cases put forward and subsequently make orders, neither does the Highway Maintenance budget countain funds for the installation and maintenance of the barriers necessary for such schemes.

Gating orders for highways can only be considered where specific funding sources are available to finance the scheme. Such funding is often only available for certain areas of the borough. Neighbourhood Services may be able to advise which areas could attract financial support.

Alley Gating in the Eastwood Village Area

The RIDO Development Team has project managed the introduction of an Alley Gating scheme on the Eastwood Village housing estate in Rotherham in a bid to tackle crime and reduce burglaries.

RIDO has worked in partnership with the Council's Housing Market Renewal team, the police and the Safer Rotherham Partnership to implement the £245,000 Eastwood Village Alley Gating Scheme.

The first phase, covering Selbourne Street, Russell Street and Lindley Street was completed in November 2005. Work on the rest of the estate followed on. The completion of the whole of Eastwood Village Estate is anticipated end of April 2006.

More than 40 strong but attractive black and gold metal gates on the first phase were installed across passages and alleys to prevent unauthorised access to the rear of the properties on all three streets. Matching rail fencing has also been installed along the tops of walls.

Only residents hold keys to the gates adjoining their homes - and their keys will not open any other gate on the estate. Keys can only be cut by a master locksmith and only with the Council's authority.

The scheme is the first of its kind in Rotherham. Similar schemes in other parts of the country have had a big impact on reducing crime and burglaries.

House burglaries in Rotherham have been cut by 46% in the past 3 years, and the Council hopes the partnership work will reduce the total further making a real difference to people's lives.

Alley Gating of other Non-Highway Routes

In Council housing areas, alleys may be the responsibility of the Council's Neighbourhood Development Service. Please contact Neighbourhoods to check the status of the alley and to discuss the issue.

"Alley-Gating" is a very simple crime preventative measure which involves erecting steel, self locking gates to the ends of alleys and passages that are the responsibility of the home owners who live around them. There may be a number of advantages to such a scheme:

Reduced levels of burglaries.
Reduced opportunities for youths to cause annoyance. This could mean anything from drinking in the alleys to taking drugs.
Fewer problems of dog fouling by stray dogs
Safe play areas for children
Improved community spirit giving a sense of ownership of the alleys

Disadvantages include:

An on-going maintenance liability and the funding for that.
The occasional need to enable prompt access to others who have lost their keys, or to the Police, emergency services or statutory undertakers.
Funding

Gating schemes will normally need to be funded by the owner of the alley and/or the householders in the vicinity. The Council may be able to offer a grant towards the cost. The availability of grants and the proportion of any funding vary from time to time. Please contact the Council to enquire about current availability.

Implementation

How to implement a successful 'alley-gating' scheme:-

Ensure the alley is not the responsibility of the Council's Neighbourhood Development Service. See above.
The Police should be consulted and Emergency Services (If managed by the Council Keys will be supplied to them).
Statutory Undertakers should be consulted to find out if the alley contains any of their apparatus, such as sewers, pipes and cables.
Agree a system for wheelie-bin management with your neighbours. The refuse collection service will not keep copy keys and therefore all residents should ensure that the bins are placed outside of the gates on the day of collection and returned once they have been emptied. Consideration should also be given to the elderly and disabled who may struggle to move their bins. Arrangements should be made between all residents to assist those people that may require help. You must ensure that any wheelie bins which are placed on the adjacent highway do not obstruct either pedestrians or vehicles.
Obtain signatures from all those affected by the gates to show that they approve of gates being erected.
Prepare a design and specification for the gates. Streetpride is able to offer a design service, but the cost of preparing the design will be charged to the scheme. If the Council is contributing to the costs, then designs which were not prepared by Streetpride need to be submitted to the Council for approval.
Obtain a contractor's quotation for the work. Streetpride is able to construct the gates, but the cost will be charged to the scheme. Ensure that sufficient funding, including an allowance for contingencies, is in place.
If the Council is contributing to the costs, and when the gates have been erected, the original invoice should be sent to the Council. We will inspect the works and, provided they are satisfactory, will arrange for payment of the agreed contribution.
You should also request a few extra sets of keys to the gates in case neighbours move and forget to leave their keys behind.
Keys and the locks should be managed by Neighbourhood Development Service to keep a manageable system that is currently in place.

An on-going maintenance fund for the gates should be established. We suggest that all residents contribute a small sum of a few pounds per year to be placed in a communal bank account to fund any maintenance or repairs that may be required.