Blacon Lodge Ward and Blacon Hall Ward

Blacon is the largest housing estate in Chester. It was built between 1948 and 1968 and covers an area of 1.2 square miles with a population of 13,400 living in the 2 wards of Blacon Hall and Blacon Lodge. The estate consists of 2412 houses, 918 flats, 49 bungalows and seven maisonettes. There are 26 shops in the area. More recently, there have been several new private housing and Chester & District Housing Trust (social housing) developments.

The local railway line closed in the 1960s. Today, the estate is served by a regular bus service to Chester and beyond. There are five churches, seven schools, nine play areas, a health centre, a library, and a popular adventure playground. Chester Police HQ is located on the edge of Blacon, close to a main route into the city.

There is a strong sense of community in Blacon, demonstrated by the high number of community groups, projects and social clubs which provides a variety of activities for younger and older people. The well established Blacon Community Development Trust (formerly Blacon Project), its volunteers, and the Furniture Recycling Service, have
played a prominent part in Blacon's community life for many years.

One Voice for Blacon formed a local Neighbourhood Partnership seven years ago and, with residents and partners, developed the Blacon Neighbourhood Action Plan. This was an important step along the way to identifying solutions to local problems, and residents and partners have been working to change things for the better.

Public agencies now acknowledge that they need to provide Blacon with more responsive services. One Voice for Blacon achieved Neighbourhood Management Pathfinder status in 2002 and has continued to build upon partnerships with the Primary Care Trust, Cheshire Police, Chester and District Housing Trust, Cheshire County Council and Chester City Council to deliver the vision for Blacon's
future.

Complementing this, Blacon Area Committee has responded at a grass roots level by working with residents to support a number of community led initiatives. Blacon Area Committee has also supported a range of key interventions that seek to make significant improvements to the area.