Why Camp Hill
Camp Hill, in northwest Nuneaton has a population of just over 7,000, and some 3,000 dwellings (55% owner occupied). The large Local Authority estate was originally built in the 1950s, along with National Coal Board (NCB) houses, to accommodate miners moving into the area to work in the then thriving nearby coalfields, although here are also a significant amount of older, more traditional owner-occupied properties.
Following the demise of the mining industry during the 1980's, the area fell into decline. Pockets of severe deprivation, economic inactivity, poor skill levels and poor quality existing homes fueld the need for regeneration. The street pattern, schools, shopping and other local facilities were in need of major improvement and investment.
Despite the improvements seen following the ongoing regeneration of Camp Hill, there remains significant gaps between the performance of Camp Hill against the Borough and County averages. Some examples are:
- Educational attainment – in terms of the percentage of Pupils attaining 5 grade A* - C at GCSE, the Camp Hill has improved 16.3% against the County improvement of 12.7% between 2002 and 2008, however Camp Hill remains 24.2% below the county achievement.
- Teenage pregnancy – while teenage conception rates in Camp Hill ward have decreased at a faster rate than those at a Borough or County level between 2001 and 2006, Camp Hill still has more than twice the teenage conception than Warwickshire as a whole (96.3 per 1000 15-17 years olds against 37.7 for the county.)
- Unemployment rates – while Camp Hill rate of unemployment has increased slower than the Warwickshire rate between 2004 and 2009 (153.5% change for Camp Hill against a 165.2% change in Warwickshire as a whole), the Camp Hill Unemployment rate stands at 8.6% against a Warwickshire rate of 3.8%
These statistics demonstrate both the significant improvements that have been made in Camp Hill and the work still to be achieved.
