Tributes have been paid to the leader of a pioneering community project that helped plough money back into a deprived Chester housing estate.
Paul Boylan, former manager of the £3.5m neighbourhood management programme in Blacon, died recently after reportedly suffering a brain haemorrhage. He was in his early 60s.
Mr Boylan, who resigned before the funding ran out in 2007, was highly respected for his work in delivering the Government-backed Pathfinder Programme aimed at improving deprived neighbourhoods.
He worked alongside Blacon residents to ensure the annual £60m injected into the area at the time went further through ‘joined-up working’ between public agencies.
Blacon Labour councillor Reggie Jones told The Chronicle: “He brought agencies together with residents in a way that had never been done previously. We are now seeing the legacy of work that began with neighbourhood management under his leadership.”
“His analytical skills were exceptional. He had an ability to drill down into the root causes of issues.”
Cllr Jones said the 2004 Blacon Action Plan had begun a process that had borne fruit at the time and in many cases years down the line.
His contribution had helped deliver the Car Clear scheme – the idea of a local resident – to tow away abandoned vehicles before they could be set alight.
Redeveloping the Parade area of the estate was part of the plan which had now come to fruition. The £12.3m housing redevelopment at Treborth Road had improved lives. And the investment in local schools was now happening.
The recent establishment of the Avenue Services organisation was another off-shoot from those early days. A number of key public sector assets have transferred across to Avenue Services, jointly owned by the council and Sanctuary Group, to be managed by and on behalf of the Blacon community.
Blacon resident Gerald Watts, who worked alongside Mr Boylan on the Blacon Neighbourhood Pathfinder committee, told a recent One Voice For Blacon meeting: “Like everyone in Blacon who knew Paul, I was extremely saddened to hear the sad news of his death.
“As a friend and past colleague, working with Paul on a number of committees, I found him to be truly inspirational and highly caring about the community and residents of Blacon.”
The regeneration initiative claimed to differ from earlier programmes in that it was not ‘top down’ but pursued the priorities of local people.
Mr Boylan once told The Chronicle: “Neighbourhood renewal is about reducing the gap between the poorest and the most affluent areas. We never anticipated we would have the majority of residents involved but we certainly have enough for the time-being. We are awash with community champions.”
Before coming to Blacon, Mr Boylan worked on a regeneration project in Stoke-on-Trent. After his appointment, in Chester he said a major part of his job would be ensuring residents got the skills they needed to play a leading role in creating lasting change.
As part of his work, Mr Boylan met then Home Secretary David Blunkett. Mr Blunkett said afterwards: "I have been deeply impressed with what some of the local residents groups are doing. Because the self-help programme they have put in place, overcoming car crime, theft, burglary, all of that is about real self-help and community spirit, and I think that’s exactly what we want to see.”
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