Bus to Perton

Last weekend walking from Tettenhall, I stopped to ask directions for Codsall from a man waiting at a bus-stop. He pointed out that there wasn’t a direct bus but it would be fairly easy to get there via Perton. The availability of local public transport is a significant issue in South Staffordshire for those without recourse to a private car and most journeys between the villages require a trip into and back out of Wolverhampton.

Mike and I chatted as we waited for the Perton bus. He explained that he used to work for the council, serving as a school caretaker and then helping to keep the street-scene clean. Mike said that he was concerned about the rising incidence of anti-social behaviour in Perton, combined with under-age drinking, and mentioned that he had been recently mugged in the lane which connected Tettenhall to Perton – he’d been knocked of his bike, which had then been stolen.

Our bus arrived and took us to the Perton estate, which was built on the site of a former RAF station over the 70s and 80s and has a population of approx 12,000. I couldn’t help but be struck by the uniform style of housing – Mike had joked that Perton residents themselves sometimes got disorientated while driving through the estate. We eventually arrived at the shopping centre in Anders Square which marked the middle of the estate and which also was home to an interdenominational church.

Outside the Sainsbury’s store stood two gentlemen collecting donations on behalf of the Albrighton Rotary Club. I donated my spare change and chatted to one of them about the estate's history. Apparently the origins of the square’s name lay in the second world war, when the Dutch national army were housed on the base in preparation for D-Day. Today, one cannot help but feel that the layout provides an all too-ready opportunity for young people to gather in the absence of alternative recreational opportunities, hence Mike’s comments on anti-social behaviour. The square is largely hidden from the road and access is obtained through several disconnected approaches.

In terms of tackling anti-social behaviour, Labour’s introduction of local Crime & Disorder Partnerships (CRDPs) was meant to stimulate dialogue across the various agencies which together could help to reduce the incidence of such behaviour. However, all too often these partnerships have ended up serving as little more than talking-shops, with few benchmarks set for co-ordinated action. Reflecting on the Perton estate, one can understand the importance of using the urban planning process to ‘design’ out crime and disorder in the first place.