Roads affected by flooding in the Blackhall and Hesleden area

I have copied below the latest list of roads affected by flooding across the county, including those in the Blackhall ward villages (at 6pm on Thursday 20 December):

Roads Affected by Flooding (Flood Warning Signs erected, Gully tanker to attend)

·         A67 Gainford

·         Unc  Hollywell Lane

·         B1283 Times Inn Bank Seaham.

·         A693 High Stables Consett 

·         A692 Brooms Road Consett

·         Harrop Road Fishburn

·         B6300 Browney Lane

·         Unc 21.9 Lords Byrons Walk Seaham (New)

·         A1086 Littlethorpe

·         C60 Shadforth

·         C10 The Brooms Leadgate

·         A183 Houghton Gate to Bournmoor

·         C81 Mickle Hill, Blackhall

·         B1281 Blackhall

·         B1281 Castle Eden

·         Unc Grey Avenue, Hesleden

·         A689 Wolsingham to Harperley

·         Unc 42.9 Old Eldon

·         Unc Leazes Lane Bishop Auckland

·         B6274 Ingleton

·         B6279 Staindrop

·         C45 Bolam

·         C32 Toft Hill

Pressure to reinstate street lights

Please click on the link below for details of the council cabinet's recent decision to dim lights across the county following huge cuts to local government budgets by the Tory-led coalition government.

You will know from previous posts on this site that I have been in constant contact with council officers to ensure that street lighting is reinstated as soon as possible on the roads connecting Hesleden, High Hesleden and Blackhall following the theft of cables in these areas.

I know that the safety of motorists and pedestrians will be seriously compromised if lighting is not reinstated and I will maintain pressure on the relevant authorities to ensure that this is done.

Council to turnoff lights - Peterlee Star

Eden Transport, High Hesleden, planning application

Over the weekend I met with residents at High Hesleden to gauge their initial feelings about the planning application for 9 houses at the Eden Transport site in the village (see post dated Monday 10 December for further details).

A number of issues were discussed relating to the impact, both negative and positive, that the proposed development might have on the village and its residents. 

As there were some matters arising from this initial meeting it was decided to arrange a further meeting to be held in the new year. I have contacted the planning case officer at the county council to invite him to meet with me and the residents from High Hesleden locally in January.

I will update this site with developments as they arise but in the meantime if you have any comments you wish to make regarding this planning application please go to the council's online planning portal at:

planning.easington.gov.uk and enter the code for this application: PL/5/2012/0437.

This application is expected to be submitted to the planning committee for a decision in February 2013 and planning officers are asking that comments be received by 26 December 2012. However I have expressed concerns that the Christmas break would perhaps limit the opportunity for some people to make representations so planners have agreed to my request to revise the deadline to mid-January 2013.

Revised bin collection dates over the Christmas period

I have reproduced below revisions to refuse collection dates over the Christmas period:

Christmas and New Year changes to bin collectionsClick  to delete unwanted rows from the table above

Title

People in County Durham are being asked to check for changes to their refuse and recycling collections over Christmas.

Bins will be emptied as normal up to and including Friday, 21 December, with the following changes over Christmas and New Year.

Normal collection day	Revised collection day after Christmas	Revised collection day after New Year
Tuesday	Thursday, 27 December	Wednesday, 2 January
Wednesday	Friday, 28 December	Thursday, 3 January
Thursday	Saturday, 29 December	Friday, 4 January
Friday	Monday, 31 December	Saturday, 5 January

Normal collections will resume on Tuesday, 8 January.

Residents should check their collection calendars for details of all collection dates or go online at www.durham.gov.uk and enter their postcode in the ‘My Durham’ section.

Details of collections over the festive period are also available at www.durham.gov.uk/holidaybins

Real Christmas trees can be taken to any Household Waste Recycling Centre in the county where they will composted. Alternatively, call 03000 26 1000 before Monday, 7 January to arrange for a tree to be collected by the council.

Remember to recycle your extra waste this Christmas. Plastic bottles, tubs and trays, metal cans, cardboard packaging, cards and wrapping paper should be placed in the recycling bin. Glass bottles and jars should be put in your recycling box.

Find out more about what you can recycle at Christmas by visiting www.durham.gov.uk/recycling

Durham Big Meeting needs your help

The Durham Miners Association has established a website dedicated to saving Durham Big Meeting, currently under threat from lack of funding.

I have reproduced below a link to the DMA website and its "Friends of the Durham Miners" appeal.

www.durhamminers.org

Please do everything you can to ensure the future of one of the world's greatest trade union events and the most important date in the British Labour movement's calendar. 

Parking at St Joseph's school

I have been contacted by parents of children at St Joseph's RC primary school in Blackhall Colliery about the persistent problem of parking and traffic in the streets around the school. 

Obviously the problem is worse at key times of the day and during these periods parents and visitors to the school are encouraged to park at the nearby St Joseph's church or at the community centre car park and walk their children to school.

For some reason there is a reluctance to do this and the problem of increased traffic and parking in the immediate vicinity continues. Perhaps this relates to access issues in and around the existing parking facilities, or perhaps there are other factors at play.

Initially I intend to find out why parents and visitors are not inclined to park at facilities nearby. I will then arrange a meeting with highway officers from county hall, along with parents and school staff so that we can explore all options and agree a safe and suitable solution.

Action needed to tackle doorstep crime

At the latest meeting of the Blackhall Community Forum this week there were police reports of bogus doorstep callers in a specific area of Blackhall. These do not appear to be isolated incidents as in the past I have received similar complaints from residents in nearby streets, and last year I asked the Community Safety Partnership if a “no cold-calling” zone could be established in this area.

Whilst looking for a solution to this problem I noticed that Morrison Facilities Services, along with the police anti-social behaviour team and East Durham Homes, has now extended its National Doorstep Project into the Horden area. This scheme is designed to make residents feel safer in their homes by offering advice to householders and fitting door security devices to their properties. 

I have contacted East Durham Homes today to ask that Morrison and other interested parties consider Blackhall for inclusion in the next phase of their project, expected at some time in the new year.

Blackhall Community Forum

I chaired the final Community Forum meeting of 2012 this evening at 6pm in the Resource Centre in Middle Street, Blackhall Colliery.

The main topics raised by the wardens, police and local residents were focused on environmental issues including rubbish accumulations in rear yards and flooding at Blackhall cemetery and at Chicken's Green.

Although I'm no longer a member of the parish council (who hold responsibility for the cemetery) I met last week with the parish clerk and highways drainage engineers to discuss flood-related matters in our area, including at the cemetery. The problem here is caused in part by the unique levels of rainfall over long periods this year and is affecting the farmers field at the top of the cemetery and the allotment gardens at the bottom.

The parish council had already taken pre-emptive action to limit the effects of flooding during the summer months but the flow of water through the cemetery continued to create problems. Our meeting with engineers last week identified a potential problem with drainage trenches and underground pipework throughout the immediate area, which dates from the early 1930's when the cemetery was first established. Engineers are now to investigate the network of pipes in the cemetery and the neighbouring Glenholme allotment site to identify potential blockages and also carry out remedial works where damage has occurred.

Works to address flooding problems at nearby Chicken's Green are ongoing and are reported elsewhere on this site (post dated Thursday 6 December 2012).

The problem of rubbish accumulations in the rear yards of empty, privately rented properties in Blackhall Colliery is an ongoing issue and there are many related posts elsewhere on this site. Recently though the neighbourhood wardens have adopted a proactive approach in which they patrol streets on a regular basis to identify problem areas. There are currently around 20 such cases under investigation in the village and wardens report that they feel they are tackling the problem more effectively now than before. As ever, constant vigilance is the key.

The next Community Forum is scheduled for Wednesday 9 January 2013 at 6pm in the Resource Centre.

High Hesleden planning application

Following enquiries I made earlier this week I have been contacted by Henry Jones, planning case officer for the stable block planning application at High Hesleden/Monk Hesleden.

He has advised that, following consultation with principle planning officers, he finds the application unacceptable and is minded to recommend refusal if or when it’s submitted to the planning committee. He suggests that he has issues with visibility splays and the siting and visual impact of the proposal – which is pretty much the basis of my initial objection, along with those of residents in High Hesleden.

Finally, it has also been reported that a shelter has been erected on the site and this will be passed to the planning enforcement team for their attention.

Eden Transport planning application at High Hesleden

Durham County Council has received a resubmitted planning application for a residential development at High Hesleden.

The original application for 18 houses on the site of Cracknell's haulage business in the village was withdrawn in November 2011 in the face of considerable opposition from residents. The current application, reduced to a proposed development of 9 houses, is to be determined by the council's planning committee at some point in the future.

I have made contact with residents in High Hesleden and I will be meeting with them later this week to discuss their initial feelings and to consider options in dealing with this application.

For further details of the application go to the council's planning portal at:

planning.easington.gov.uk and enter the code for this application (PL/5/2012/0437) in the "application search"

I will update on this application on this site in due course but in the meantime please let me know if you have any comments you wish to make.

Christmas Victorian Fayre at Blackhall Primary

We all had a great afternoon at the Victorian Christmas fayre organised by Blackhall primary school. Children and staff entered the spirit of the occasion by dressing in school clothes and uniforms from the Victorian era and the school itself, from the reception area to the halls, was full of stalls selling toys, books and various odds and ends to raise money for the school.

The halls, classrooms and corridors were packed with children and parents trying their luck on tombola stalls games and raffles (true to form I spent a small fortune and came away with nowt) whilst others called into the small hall for tea or coffee and snacks.

Well done to all the children, school staff, parents and volunteers for their hard work and dedication, and for making today's event a memorable start to the festive season.

Chicken's Green & Rodridge Hall Update

Along with the clerk to Monk Hesleden Parish Council I met this morning with highways engineers from county hall to discuss progress on two long-running highways flooding issues in our area: Chicken's Green at Blackhall and Rodridge Hall between Station Town and Hutton Henry.

I have reported flooding problems in both areas over many months and I felt that a meeting with officers would be helpful to move things along.

Chicken's Green, Blackhall: 

Investigatory works were carried out at this site earlier this year and again last week and it was found that, although the main gullies remained intact, the connecting pipes were heavily silted. Specialist contractors are required to rectify this problem and works are scheduled to take place within the next few weeks - weather permitting.

Rodridge Hall:

Following my reports earlier this year, initial investigatory works were carried out in this area. However, the problem at this location appears to be more complicated than the one at Chicken's Green because of the extended network of connecting pipelines. It appears from these initial investigations that flooding across the highway may be caused by tree roots and branches and that the problem may extend as far down the underground pipeline as Heaton Terrace and Ellerbourne Terrace in Station Town. Exploratory works are to continue at this site before works are carried out to rectify the problem.

Weather, Roads & Pavements

I have reproduced below a DCC update report regarding the weather conditions and road treatment measures across the county:

Forecast

During the afternoon sleet and snow will spread from the west. At times the snow fall is expected to be fairly significant, at least over higher ground.

Action Taken by Durham County Council (5/12/12 – 6/12/12)

All priority routes were treated on Wednesday 5^th December from 2 p.m. to accommodate the rush hour traffic. All 38 gritters were on routes.

However despite priority routes being treated as planned, some areas experienced congestion, particularly Chester- le- Street, Stanley, Durham, Consett and Sacriston. This is thought to be a consequence of motorists leaving work early and as a result of the blizzard and icy conditions.

There were also issues outside of the county, particularly on the A1 and Gateshead which resulted in some vehicles re-routing through County Durham. In addition a  lorry jack-knifed on the A693 between Chester- le- Street and Stanley which caused gridlock for several hours, with traffic backing up through CLS onto the A1 junction. This situation also resulted in congestion being experienced throughout CLS and also on the A167 and A6127.

Following the first treatment gritters continued to patrol their routes and treated problem areas as necessary. This morning’s treatment commenced at 4.00 a.m. with additional resource provided by farmer contractors on priority 2 routes. No incidents on the treated network have been reported.

With regard to the treatment of footways, Streetscene staff have been working in all areas since early morning clearing priority 1 footpaths.

In the south of the county, Streetscene staff are working ahead of refuse crews and salting any potential icy areas. Not all priority 1 footpaths have required salting as they are relatively clear.

In the north of the county, refuse crews are collecting waste on flatter ground initially and will collect in other areas later in the day.

In the east of the county, gritting is being carried out on priority 1 areas including Durham City Centre, Church Street Shopping Centre at Seaham and emergency services premises.

Although refuse and recycling crews are working hard to complete today’s collections, road conditions in this area are reported as being hazardous.

Planned Action

 We will continue to monitor weather forecasts and base our operations on these.

 Gritters will be out again this afternoon before the rush hour commences.

 Our winter maintenance routes can be found on the DCC website at www.durham.gov.uk/winterroads 

Communications

The council is regularly updating the website on any interruption to services resulting from the weather conditions and is using facebook and twitter as well as the media to get messages out to the public. There is also a news item on the home page called ‘weather and highways’ which will take people straight to the latest updates.

Council policy on street lights

I have posted below a press release from Durham County Council regarding plans to address street lighting issues across the county. Whilst it is important to seek cuts in carbon emissions I would suggest that the real reason for the proposed policy change is savage central government cuts to local authority budgets.

I will do everything I can to ensure that the villages in our ward are protected but please let me know if you have any comments to make or if you have any specific areas of concern regarding this matter:

Plans to replace and dim street lighting in County Durham would mean a significant cut in carbon emissions, councillors will hear next week.

Durham County Council is also proposing to replace outdated pedestrian and traffic signals and remove lighting where it is not deemed necessary as part of a project to reduce energy consumption.

Street lights, illuminated signs, bollards, traffic signals and pedestrian crossings currently account for 18 per cent of the council’s carbon emissions.

The proposed changes would mean a 73 per cent reduction in emissions from the equipment affected and a seven per cent reduction in overall council emissions – a significant boost to the authority’s efforts for an overall reduction of 40 per cent by 2015. They would also result in net savings of £24 million over the next 25 years, rising to £55 million when inflation is taken into account.

Cllr Bob Young, Durham County Council’s Cabinet member for strategic environment, said: “These proposed measures will not only mean a major reduction in our carbon emissions, they will also save us money in the long-term and reduce the impact of increases in energy costs.

“Dimming street lights should have little impact on motorists and pedestrians as the difference will hardly be visible.”

The council is proposing to dim lights by 25 per cent between 10pm and midnight and by 50 per cent between midnight and 5am. This amount of dimming is not generally perceptible to the human eye and dimming of 25 per cent has been in operation on the A167 for a number of years.

The plans also include updating more than 41,000 street lights, 2,991 traffic signals and dozens of other items to cut energy consumption, replacing illuminated signs with non-lit ones and removing some equipment which is deemed unnecessary.

Members of Durham County Council’s Cabinet will discuss the proposals when they meet next week (Dec 12) at County Hall.

Christmas Trees in Blackhall and Hesleden

You know that Christmas is just around the corner when two local events take place!

The Christmas tree lights were switched on at Chicken's Green in Blackhall yesterday evening. Despite the looming darkness and freezing weather the ceremony, organised by Monk Hesleden parish council, was very well attended by people keen to see the new tree and lights.

The chairman of the parish council, Gaynor Crute, welcomed everyone along and officially opened the event by introducing the choirs of both Blackhall Colliery primary and St Joseph's primary schools who warmed the air by performing a selection of popular carols. Fr. Ian Jackson offered prayers to mark the occasion.

Congratulations must go to the staff and members of the parish council, along with the children and staff of both schools, who consistently make the evening one of the most keenly anticipated events of the civic calendar.

Tonight, Tuesday 4 December, it's Hesleden's turn to switch on the Christmas tree lights in their village. Everyone is welcome to come along and celebrate the event which starts at 4pm on the green opposite the Hesleden Community Centre. Make sure you're well wrapped up!