Planning application at Blue House Farm, Blackhall

Durham County Council has received a planning application for one dwelling at the Blue House Farm site between Hesleden Road and the Whindyke estate in Blackhall Colliery.

As there have been a number of quite severe problems with previous developments at this site I have asked the planning case officer to refer this application to the planning committee for consideration.

I am aware that one or two residents nearby have already expressed concerns about this development and I would be interested to hear from any others who may have an opinion, one way or the other, regarding this planning proposal:

rob.crute@durham.gov.uk

Residents opinions will help to decide a way forward - to either challenge the application at committee or insist that stringent conditions are applied to any consent to ensure that the development will proceed without disruption to those living nearby.

Assisted bin collection review

The county council is currently reviewing the lists it holds of those residents needing help in taking out and returning their bins on collection day.

I think it's important that those in need of help receive it so if you are currently on the list, and wish to remain on it, please ensure that you respond to the council when you receive your letter.

I have reproduced below a press release issued by the council as a reminder to residents but please let me know if you need any further information:

Title

People who receive help to put their rubbish and recycling bins and boxes out for collection are being reminded to let the council know if they still require the service.

Durham County Council is updating its records for people who are registered for its assisted collections service to check if their circumstances have changed.

The authority has already written to some residents asking if they still require assistance and these residents are being reminded to respond as soon as possible.

People who have not yet been contacted will receive a letter over the coming months.

The assisted collections service is available to households where all residents aged over 16 are unable to move their wheeled bins or recycling box to the collection point because of ill health, infirmity or disability.

 Oliver Sherratt, Durham County Council’s head of direct services, said: “It is now several years since the list of those receiving the service was updated so we want to make sure everyone who needs help continues to receive it.

“So far, the response rate from residents has been encouraging. However, we would ask that anyone who has received a letter but has not yet replied to get in touch with us as soon as possible.

“This is a massive project that involves updating the records of more than 13,000 people so we would be very grateful for their cooperation as we contact them over the coming months.”

The council is only contacting those people who applied for assistance before January 2012.

Residents can either return the form they receive in the post or complete it online by visiting: 

www.durham.gov.uk/assistedcollections

Gully and drain repairs due at Chicken's Green

I reported long-term flooding problems across the highway on the A1086 Coast Road at Chicken's Green, Blackhall  last month (see post dated 27 September 2012).

The highways drainage engineer confirmed with me today that there have been problems in the area caused by a build up of debris and silt in a highway drainage manhole at the front of St Joseph's RC church and that this takes several gullies in the area.

A specialist contractor is required to clear the area and works are expected to begin on site within the next week or two.

Half-term events at Blackhall Community Centre

Half-term programme of events for Blackhall Community Centre:

Friday 26^th October 2012

7pm – 11pm Halloween Family Party with Hi lights Disco £5.00 per family (5) single tickets £2.00

Monday 29^th October 2012

6pm – 7.15pm Line Dance for Intermediate (Adults Only)

7.30pm – 9.30pm Line Dance for Advanced (Adults Only)

Tuesday 30^th October 2012

1pm – 2pm Zumba Gold £3.50 Adults £1.00 Children

3pm – 4.30pm Hi lights Disco Fancy Dress Optional 50p per person

Wednesday 31^st October 2012

10am – 12pm Multi Sports Age 5 + £1.00

Thursday 1^st November 2012

12.30pm – 3.30pm Basic Bushcraft & Forest School £3.00

warm clothing required

5.45pm – 6.45pm Salsa Fusion (similar to Zhumba) Adults £3.00

5.45pm – 6.45pm Art Class for Kids £1.50 per child

Friday 2^nd November 2012

Funky Feet 9.30am – 11.00am £1.50 per child

4.30pm – 5.30pm Junior Gym £1.50 per session Age 9 – 14

Please ring 0191 586 7396 to register your place

or call into the Centre

Booking is Essential

Dog dirt continues to blight our communities

I take immense pride in our villages and I'm sure that most people visiting this site share my affection for our communities. Almost everyone I meet at events or talk with in the street is keen to ensure that they do their bit to look after their particular neighbourhood.

The one glaring exception however is the tiny minority of irresponsible dog owners who continue to convince themselves that it is somehow acceptable to allow their dogs to turn our streets into open sewers. 

I began a campaign last month to try to get communities come together to work with the council to tackle this problem (see post dated 5 September 2012) yet I continue to receive reports daily of piles of excrement heaped onto our pavements, often in critical areas around schools, outside residential properties or on playing fields. 

It is understandable that residents are reluctant to report such incidents because they feel they are "grassing" on their neighbours. I don't want to see people fined, especially in these financially difficult times, but I do not find it acceptable that our children are forced to wade through piles of dog dirt on their way to and from school or whilst playing on our open spaces. Neither do I find it acceptable for people to be forced to clean their car interior, carpets and pram/pushchair wheels each time they return home, simply because a handful of misguided dog owners feel they have the right to allow their pets to use our streets as an open toilet.

The council is not able to address this problem alone and that is why I appeal again to you to make irresponsible dog owners aware that their actions are unacceptable. If they then continue to persist in their mission they have no-one but themselves to blame for the consequences.

7-a-side Football Tournament

I have reproduced below an invitation from DCC's Sport & Leisure Services section to enter a charity football tournament to be held next month. Contact details are included if you need any further information:

Positive Futures East Durham Charity

7-A-SIDE TOURNAMENT

We are pleased to announce that Durham County Council Sport and Leisure Services are giving you the chance to take part in our very own Positive Futures East Durham Charity Football Tournament. The tournament is open to anyone aged 16 – 22 living in the East Durham area.

The tournament will take place at The Pavilion, Helford Road, Peterlee, SR8 1ER on Friday, 23 November, starting at 5.00 pm. 

We are looking for a minimum of 8 teams and maximum of 12. There will be 2 leagues with the winners & runners up going through to semi finals and then to a final. With the winner taking home the trophy kindly donated by Councillor Dennis Maddison.

Teams can be male, female or mixed – we don’t mind!  Teams can consist of a maximum of ten player squad.  Entry fee £10 per team (payable on the night) and you will take part in a minimum of three matches (all matches 10 minute duration).  Any monies raised through this event will be donated to The Aplastic Anaemia Trust.

To register your team or for further information contact Peter Garrod on 07747 486 880 or via email peter.garrod2@durham.gov.uk  Closing date for entries, Wednesday 21 November 2012.

                                                                                               

Note: If you are a FA qualified referee and would like to be involved in this event, please contact Peter as soon as possible. 

MoD objection shelves North Yorkshire wind turbine plan

I came across this article in this morning's Northern Echo. There are clear similarities between the application at Eppleby and the one submitted by EDF-ER for 5 turbines at Sheraton. Notably, both have raised objections from Durham Tees Valley (DTV) airport and the Ministry of Defence (MoD) on grounds of radar clutter.

In my opinion, given that the application for a single 67m turbine at Eppleby has been withdrawn for this reason then surely the impact of a wind farm comprising 5 turbines (each at 115m) at Sheraton would also "seriously compromise" aircraft safety in our area and ought to attract a greater level of objection. 

Whilst I believe that this is positive news it must be noted that these are two separate applications submitted to two separate planning authorities and we shouldn't raise our hopes unduly. We must remain focused on the campaign to oppose the Sheraton wind farm development.

For further information on my campaign against the Sheraton proposals please see posts dated 27 & 30 January, 2, 21 & 22 March and 2,3, & 26 April or type "Sheraton Wind Farm" into the search bar at the top of this site.

Campaigners pleased as Eppleby wind turbine plan shelved

12:00pm Wednesday 17th October 2012 in News: Richmond & The Dales

By Joe Willis, Regional Chief Reporter

CONTROVERSIAL plans for a wind turbine have been withdrawn following concerns by the Ministry of Defence (MoD) and airport bosses.

Campaigners say they are pleased, but will remain vigilant after the application for a 67-metre tall wind turbine near Eppleby, between Richmond and Darlington, was cancelled by the applicant.

The decision was taken after objections were received by the MoD which said the turbine would interfere with the radar at RAF Leeming.

A further objection was submitted by Durham Tees Valley Airport (DTVA).

Airport chiefs said the turbine’s blades would cause “clutter” on its radar which could be mistaken for aircraft.

Peter Nears, strategy planning director at the airport, said the turbine would be “seriously compromise” safety at the airport.

Planning officers told the applicants that the scheme would be rejected unless they could reach agreement with the airport and MoD about their concerns.

About 60 members of the public also raised concerns with Richmondshire District Council about the scheme.

Stephen Eastham, who led a campaign against the development, welcomed the applicant’s decision to withdraw the proposal.

“And this doesn’t men these people won’t come back with an alternative plan to put up smaller turbines.”He said: “We’re pleased, but we will remain vigilant that someone won’t come and submit something similar in the future.

District councillor Mick Griffiths said the outcome was an example of “local democracy in the planning system working at its best”.

He added: “Residents put their concerns forward through the planning process and as a result the application has been withdrawn.

“I’m grateful to the 130 local people who attended a meeting purely to discuss the application.”

The application for a single 500kw turbine was submitted by applicant Paula Scott, from Barnard Castle, however the land is owned by farmer James Milbank, from Dalton, near Richmond.

The application was withdrawn (OCT16) by the applicant’s agents,Harrogate-based Carter Jones.

Andy Lowe, from Carter Jones, said: “It’s been withdrawn for aviation reasons after concerns were raised that it would interfere with nearby radar.”

Mr Lowe said the company was in discussion with the MoD and DTVA, but no decision had been taken on whether the application would be resubmitted.

Fury over boundary plan - Peterlee Star

Click on the link below for an article in this week's Peterlee Star on the Boundary Commission for England's recent proposal to transfer the Blackhall ward into the Hartlepool constituency before the 2015 general election.

Fury over boundary plan - Peterlee Star

Further details of my position on this issue, along with my campaign to keep Blackhall in the Easington constituency, can be found on this site in my post dated Tuesday 16 October 2012.

Boundary Commission recommends the transfer of Blackhall into Hartlepool constituency

From previous posts on this site you will be aware of a campaign I have been running to keep the villages of the Blackhall ward in the Easington constituency (see posts dated 19 January, 5 February, 5 April & 12 April 2012 for further information).

Last year the Boundary Commission for England (BCE) initially recommended that Blackhall ought to remain in the Easington constituency but has now published its revised proposals as part of the ongoing review of parliamentary boundaries. Unfortunately it has overturned its original position and has now recommended that the Blackhall ward be transferred into the Hartlepool constituency. 

Please note that if it is ever implemented this recommendation will affect most of our villages in parliamentary constituency terms alone. In other words the villages of the Blackhall ward will remain part of County Durham and will continue to be part of Durham County Council. Parish councils and parish boundaries will not be affected. Curiously though the village of Castle Eden (currently in the Wingate ward but which will be in the Blackhall ward by 2013) is recommended to be part of the Easington constituency because the Wingate ward is recommended to transfer from the Sedgefield constituency into Easington as part of the BCE proposals. That means that the Blackhall ward will be split between two separate constituencies, Easington and Hartlepool, yet the BCE offers no  rational explanation or justification for this proposal.

This revised recommendation will now be subject to a further 8-week consultation period to 10 December 2012, and whilst I feel that the BCE has already made its final decision I think it is important that as many people from our area contact them to let them know how we feel about their proposal. 

It is of note however that these recommendations may never be implemented because the current coalition government continues to squabble over the format of parliamentary reform. This is not to say of course that we should be complacent. I would urge everyone in our area to ensure that the BCE is made aware of their concerns over these revised proposals.

My thanks are due to the many people and organisations from our communities who have taken the trouble to contact the BCE as part of the campaign to date. 

Finally, throughout my campaign I have received the full backing and unswerving support of the Blackhall Labour Party and along with the local party I will make further submissions to the BCE on behalf of our communities in due course. The people of the Blackhall ward are justifiably angry and disappointed that their identity, culture and heritage appear to be of secondary importance in the pursuit of political expediency. I will ensure that our voice is heard.

Repairs to damaged paths and pavements

I visited a number of sites in our area last week with officers from Durham County Council to take a closer look at residents' reports of damaged pavements.

Highways officers have agreed to assess costs and carry out surface repairs as a matter of urgency at the bend at the Hardwicke Hall and also at Pieroni's corner at Blackhall Rocks. This is because of the severity of the damage to pavements and associated danger to pedestrians in those areas (see post dated 26 September 2012).

Pavements at Station Road in Blackhall Rocks and at Front Street in Hesleden will be revisited early next year with a view to carrying out repairs after the spring when new highways budgets are in place.

Traffic in High Hesleden

I visited High Hesleden on Friday morning with the parish clerk and officers from the highways department at Durham County Council to begin the process of assessing the extent of traffic speeding through the village as reported by residents (see post dated 8 September 2012 for further details).

I have asked the county council to initiate a traffic survey to gauge the volume of traffic passing through High Hesleden along with speed estimates. This evidence will then be used to assess an appropriate response to any traffic issues arising. 

Clearly the public will not be given advance notice of the survey in order that a true reflection of any problem can be recorded. However I will ensure that residents are kept up to date on progress at the appropriate time.

Garage site improvements at Hesleden

Following the recent public consultation exercise, including the drop-in session at Hesleden Community Centre last night (see post dated 8 October 2012), a decision has been reached on how best to tackle the safety problems at the former garage site at Hillcrest Place.

I received no objections from the public to works being carried out at the site to address safety concerns raised by nearby residents. Everyone who contacted me regarding the proposals agreed that the favoured option was to reduce the height of the wall to about 3 feet and erect a railing across the top to prevent climbing or jumping. It is proposed that the rest of the grassed area will be graded off to a less severe slope. This option will remove the damaged wall and also reduce the risk of danger to children playing in the area.

I have now asked the East Durham Area Action Partnership (AAP) to finalise the paperwork for the funding of the scheme and arrange for an offer letter to be sent to the workforce to enable works to begin as soon as possible.

I will keep residents up to date with developments as and when they arise.

Councillor continues hospital battle - Hartlepool Mail

Click on the link below for an article from Saturday's Hartlepool Mail about the continuing fight to save Hartlepool hospital:

Councillor continues hospital battle - Hartlepool Mail

Station Town traffic calming - Residents must have a say!

I was contacted earlier this year by residents in Station Town concerned at the amount of speeding cars passing through the village. I got in touch with the police with a request for a community speed watch event to gauge the extent of the problem. Feedback from police suggested that there was evidence of speeding in the area and that traffic calming measures would be helpful in addressing the problem.

Highways officers from Durham County Council then carried out a consultation exercise and recommended that a chicane be installed on the hill coming into the village from Wingate, roughly where the steps are. 

I feel that this is the wrong recommendation as the evidence points to speeding in the Milbank Terrace and Heaton Terrace areas at the other side of the village and this position is supported by the vast majority of residents who have spoken to me about this issue.

I contacted the highways section of DCC and asked for evidence of public consultation and was told that residents were not consulted as there were none near the recommended site! I think that this is the wrong approach to public engagement and as a result I have refused to support the proposal until a full public consultation is carried out to assess the feelings of residents on this matter. 

There may well be a valid reason for highways engineers recommending a chicane at the above location as opposed to another area but I feel strongly that residents in the village have a right to have their say on an issue which is of considerable concern to them.

Please contact me if you have any concerns or comments to make in relation to this issue:

rob.crute@durham.gov.uk

Improvements to the former garage site in Hesleden

Following safety concerns expressed by a number of residents I will be dropping leaflets through doors in Hesleden tomorrow from about 10 am onwards advising of options to improve the former garage site at Hillcrest Place and also inviting comments (see posts dated 21 August & 4 September 2012 for background details).

Please note that I will be delivering leaflets only to those streets in the immediate vicinity of the garage site but I would welcome comments from any residents with an interest in this issue.

I will be holding a drop-in session at the Hesleden Community Centre in Front Street between 5 & 6 pm on Wednesday evening if you would like to discuss these proposals further but I'd be happy to talk through the options if you see me out and about in the village tomorrow.

Alternatively if you would rather comment by email please contact me on:

rob.crute@durham.gov.uk

Station Town Neighbourhood Group AGM 2012

Following tonight's STNG meeting the group has decided to hold its Annual General Meeting on Saturday 24 November 2012. 

The meeting will focus on the achievements of the group over the past year and will set out its future programme for the coming year. We will be distributing flyers and displaying posters in the village in the weeks leading up to the event. All residents, organisations and businesses will be encouraged to attend to have a say in how they would like to see the community develop in 2013. 

In the meantime watch this space for regular updates or if you would like further information on the STNG or its AGM please contact: 

John Lyons (Chairman) jrl@lyonsandco.co.uk or Rob Crute rob.crute@durham.gov.uk.

Bin collection "assist lists"

The county council is about to update its records of those residents requiring assistance in putting out and replacing their bins on collection days. The following message gives further details of the first phase of contact which will see letters delivered to those currently on the assist list in our area. Please let me know if you have any queries or comments.

Durham County Council provides assistance to those residents who are unable to put their bin or box out on collection day due to ill health, infirmity and disability. This important service is set to continue, but from time to time we need to update our records, to ensure that it continues to be focussed on those who need it.  Circumstances can change of course, including new occupants, so it is important that we check if the service is still required.

Durham County Council will be contacting those on the assist list asking if they still need our help. Areas within your constituency are within the first phase which starts on 8^th October. The response form is simple to complete (see attached), and we will provide postage paid envelopes to minimise any inconvenience. Alternatively, the response can be done on-line at www.durham.gov.uk/assistedcollections. We will also follow up with reminder letters if this is necessary.

Customer Services on 03000 261000 will be pleased to help if you have any queries.

Deadman's Bank, Blackhall Rocks

Durham County Council is currently consulting the public on a proposal to introduce a Traffic Regulation Order (TRO) at the junction of Deadman's bank and Station Road, Blackhall Rocks.

The proposal includes the potential erection of a padlocked gate at the junction which would prohibit all motor vehicles from Deadman's bank. Emergency vehicles, pedestrians, wheelchair users and cyclists will retain access to the area.

Please note that this is a public consultation exercise only and not a formal recommendation by the council. If the scheme is to progress in future there will be further public consultation on the full content and implications of the TRO.

I think it is vital that everyone has the opportunity to have a say on these proposals so please let  me know of your comments as soon as possible:

rob.crute@durham.gov.uk

Breathless in Blackhall

I have received a number of complaints recently about the poor condition of the former Breathless club (formerly the Blackhall Royal British Legion) behind the Co-op store in Blackhall Colliery and I thought an update on progress would be useful.

I have been working for some time now with the clerk of the parish council (through the parish environment committee) to trace the owner of the property. The county council's planning enforcement section has now made contact with the owner and has asked that the building be made secure and brought back to a decent standard of repair. The county council is legally obliged to give the owner sufficient time to deal with this request and if the owner fails to comply within this time the council has the option of taking further legal action to force the owner to take any measures necessary.

I appreciate that this can be a frustrating process for the community given the legalities involved but I have been assured that the council will take action at the appropriate time allowed by law. In the meantime I will continue to work with the parish clerk to apply pressure to bring this property back to a decent and safe standard of repair as soon as possible.

If you area aware of any similar properties in our area please let me know:

rob.crute@durham.gov.uk