Housing Estate Services and Improvements

To report concerns, comments or questions to the Neighbourhood Services Team by email:nservices@winchester.gov.uk

Our team will endeavour to respond to your email as soon as possible but we ask you to appreciate that our priority in terms of resources, finances or people, might be diverted to critical functions during this unprecedented period.  This may result in us not being able to respond to you as quickly as we would like to.

In an emergency please contact during office hours 01962 840222 and out of office hours and the weekends 01962 865407 or for emergency housing repairs 01962 865405.  

Customers can continue to report issues on-line via the reporting app: www.winchester.gov.uk/report

How your neighbourhood and communal areas look and making sure they are safe and secure for you to use is very important to us. We have a dedicated team of Neighbourhood Services Officers who regularly visiting all Housing owned communal areas to carry out checks and put right any problems.

Estates Inspections

The team is responsible for the day to day management of communal areas of blocks of Housing flats, maintaining a safe and clean environment of buildings and surrounding grounds, by undertaking regular checks and observations. Their duties include:

• Carrying out regular Health & Safety checks to communal areas of blocks of flats to ensure communal areas are safe
• Reporting repairs and making sure they are put right promptly
• Encouraging residents to keep communal areas clear of all items
• Arranging for clearance of litter & bulk rubbish from Housing land
• Checking bin areas to make sure residents are disposing of their rubbish properly and encouraging residents to recycle more
• Monitoring the standard of cleaning and grounds maintenance services, raising any performance issues to our contractors, City Cleaning and ID Verde
• Reporting environmental problems such as fly tipping, vandalism and abandoned cars
• Inspecting open spaces and garage areas on our Housing estates
• Looking for ways to improve our estates

Grounds Maintenance

The neigbourhood services team is also responsible for managing the open space on our estates, including managing the delivery of the grounds maintenance contract on our housing estates and communal gardens at all our blocks of flats.  This includes grass cutting, cutting back hedges and maintaining shrubs and flower beds.  We also arrange inspections of trees on our Housing land on a programmed basis, as well as responding to concerns about damaged or diseased trees. 

Contact us:

If you have any questions, comments or concerns about how our estates are managed please contact the Neighbourhood Services Team:

Neighbourhood Services Officers Housing: Jane Moore, Christianne Shaw, Sandra Smith
Estate Improvements Officer: Enquiries to  Email:neighbourhoodservices@winchester.gov.uk
Estates Services Officer: Caroline Robinson
Tel: 01962 848 400 Email:neighbourhoodservices@winchester.gov.uk

We are always looking for ways to improve our estates and blocks of flats through the Estate Improvement Programme, which continues to be popular with residents.  Through the work of the Estate Improvements Officer and Neighbourhood Services Officers, this programme delivers low level improvements and larger scale projects to address community issues or in support of the council’s corporate priorities. The Estate Improvement Programme is focused on but not limited to:

• Community safety issues –  increasing security through door entry systems, communal lighting, fencing and other measures to prevent anti-social behaviour, fear of crime and promote feelings of safety
• Enhancing biodiversity through focused projects in shared gardens and Housing open spaces, such as trees, shrubs and flowers or habitat boxes.
• Environmental issues – such as safe storage of waste bins & bicycles, improved parking provision, and installing Electric Vehicle Charging Points (EVCPs).
• Small scale regeneration projects of communal gardens, external drying areas and lobbies.

If you have any ideas for an estate improvement, please contact the Neighbourhood Services Team or complete the Estate Improvements Proposal Form available on this link.  The form can also be downloaded from this link. ^{(doc, 64kb)}

Proposals can be made by Winchester City Council tenants and leaseholders, Councillors and Council Officers.  Please refer to the Guidelines for Estate Improvement Proposals ^{(pdf, 134kb)} when completing your proposal.  Completed forms should be returned via the website or paper forms sent to Tania Harris, Estate Improvements Officer at the City Offices, Colebrook Street, Winchester, SO23 9LJ or call on 01962 848 314

Parking on some of our housing estates is limited and we rely on residents and visitors parking their cars considerately in order to minimise any disputes. Cars should be parked on the public highway or in a designated parking area and consideration given to not causing an obstruction or damaging grass verges.

• Disabled parking bays – If you have a disability and have mobility difficulties you may request a disabled parking bay near your home.  This could be on the public highway or in a car parking area.  Disabled parking bays are not allocated to an individual and may be used by any resident or visitor with a Blue Badge.  We are unable to enforce any abuse of the use of disabled parking bays in designated parking areas on our housing estates.  Disabled parking bays on the public highway will be monitored and enforcement action taken, where appropriate, by Civil Enforcement Officers.

• Commercial vehicles - If you drive a commercial vehicle and it is over 3.5 tonnes, we would ask you, where possible, to leave the vehicle at your workplace, so as not to increase pressure on parking in your community. If you need to park your work’s vehicle near your home, please request permission from us beforehand.

• Caravans, boats & trailers – If you own a caravan, boat or trailer and wish to keep it at your home, you will need to request permission from us first.  You will only be allowed to keep a vehicle of this type if it can be parked behind the building line (front of your house), either at the side or back.  Caravans, boats and trailers are not permitted to be parked in parking areas on our housing estates due to the pressure on available space for parking.

• Garages - We have a stock of garages throughout the district, which you can lease from us to park a vehicle in. If you are interested in leasing a garage from us, please contact the Garage Management Officer 01962 848 197.  Further details can also be found on the Garage Applications page.  

Neighbourhood Considerations

• Neighbourhood Considerations – In order to minimise any inconvenience and nuisance to your neighbours caused by vehicles in our neighbourhoods we would encourage you to follow the advice below:
• Abandoned vehicles – If your car tax has expired or your vehicle is not roadworthy you are not permitted to keep the vehicle on the land around your home, on the public highway or anywhere else on the estate.  These types of vehicles can present a risk of harm, as well as being an eyesore.  If your vehicle is untaxed and temporarily ‘off the road’ you are required by law to obtain a SORN (Statutory Off-Road Notification) from the DVLA (Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency).  It is against the law to park an untaxed vehicle and one without a SORN on the public highway.
• Car repairs – You are allowed to carry out minor repairs to your car, but regular ongoing car maintenance is not permitted. If you need to undertake a repair please do this during the day.

Full details about car parking can be found in your Tenants Handbook