AMBITIOUS plans have been drawn up improve life for tenants of a run-down Halesowen housing estate.

The move takes forward the Government’s Our Place programme which has carried out environmental projects on Highfields estate, which figures in the top four per cent most deprived areas in England Under the management of Dudley’s Centre for Equality and Diversity, the operational plan aims to accrue a net public value of £1.65 million over three years.

Centre chief executive Kenneth Rodney said it was hoped to do this by reducing crime, improving wellbeing, increasing self-esteem and pride, reducing community tensions and improving the appearance of the estate.

It is hoped to achieve this by improved working with agencies to involve residents, having better joined up services, which are more responsive to community needs and working together with communities and voluntary groups.

Mr Rodney said it was believed the result would mean fewer children ending up in prison or the criminal justice system, fewer families with health and isolation issues, better educational and job outcomes for young people.

It is hoped that a variety of organisations will sign up to a Memorandum of Understanding to create a partnership to drive forward projects on Highfields over the next three years.

Mr Rodney said the centre would become one part of the partnership and it was hoped to attract an estimated £90,000 needed from the Government, charitable trusts, grant-giving bodies and local agencies, such as Dudley Council and the borough’s Clinical Commissioning Group.

He said projects would be devised with residents and is hopeful that whoever wins next month’s local and general elections, will support the plan.

Mr Rodney said: “These are very exciting times and we have a real opportunity to make a difference.”

Although little can happen until after the elections, there is £2,000 available from the Cadbury’s Trust for small-scale improvements.

Meanwhile, Sunday’s rain forced the cancellation of a parade of decorated supermarket trolleys which had been dumped on the estate into the town centre to hand over to Asda and Lidl.

Mr Rodney said the event would be re-scheduled later this month or in May with an artist leading a workshop to transform the trolleys into mythical beasts.

Plans to put up window boxes on homes around the estate have also been delayed until Dudley Council rules on what type of brackets can be used.