Planning application for a wind turbine at Dene Leazes Farm

Durham County Council has received a planning application for consent to erect a wind turbine on land to the east of Dene Leazes Farm at Castle Eden.

Full details of the application can be viewed on the council's planning site by following the links at www.durham.gov.uk and using the planning code CE/13/01502/FPA.

In order for residents to have their say on these proposals we have asked for an extension to the formal public consultation exercise and the planning case officer has confirmed that representations will be received until January 2014.

If you would like to comment on this planning application please contact the planning case officer at county hall: ann.rawlinson@durham.gov.uk or email: dmcentraleast@durham.gov.uk.  

As ever, please feel free to contact us if you would like to discuss this matter further.

Christmas bin collection details

We have reproduced below information issued by DCC regarding bin collections over the Christmas period:

Residents in County Durham are reminded that some bin collection dates may change over the festive period.

The changes will affect rubbish and recycling collections which normally take place on a Wednesday, Thursday or Friday.

Collections which usually take place on a Tuesday will not be affected and will be done as normal on Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve.

The Christmas and New Year collection arrangements are as follows:

Normal collection day	Christmas collection	New Year collection
Tuesday	Collection as normal on 24 December	Collection as normal on 31 December
Wednesday	Friday 27 December	Thursday 2 January
Thursday	Saturday  28 December	Friday 3 January
Friday	Monday 30 December	Saturday 4 January

All collections will be back to normal from Tuesday 7 January.

Keith Parkinson, refuse and recycling manager at Durham County Council, said: "Bin collections will still take place during the festive period but the date of the actual collection will change for some people.

"It is important that residents check their collection dates and ensure they put the right bin out on the correct day."

Residents can arrange for their real Christmas tree to be collected free of charge. To make arrangements people should contact the county council on 03000 26 1000 before Monday 6 January.

Alternatively people can take real Christmas trees to any household waste recycling centre in the county. They can check the opening hours of their nearest site at www.durham.gov.uk/hwrc

All sites will be closed on Christmas Day and New Year's Day.

There will be no bulky waste collections between Monday 23 December and Friday 3 January.

Further information about refuse and recycling collections can be found at

www.durham.gov.uk/bins

A1086 Blackhall to Horden - more rumours

Following our most recent post two weeks ago (3 December 2013) about the possible closure of the A1086 between Blackhall and Horden rumours have persisted and grown to the point that we are being contacted several times each day by people concerned about the extent and impact of any future road closure.

For example we heard yesterday from a number of well-meaning sources that the road would close on 4 January for four weeks, then we heard that the road would be closed off in February for four months and we were even told that the road would close next year and may never reopen!

It's understandable that people are genuinely concerned about the potential impact of landslip repair works in this area. The simple truth however is that no-one knows for certain if, or when, road works are to be carried out.

Just to be sure we checked again with senior highways officers at county hall yesterday. They insist that there are no firm plans yet to carry out repair works at this location. They are currently assessing site investigation reports before reaching a decision on how and when works will begin and, perhaps most importantly, how any impact can be kept to a minimum.

We have been told that the information in the update we published on this site on 3 December remains accurate. We have been assured that we will receive regular updates on progress and we will pass on that information through this site as soon as it is received. In the meantime please feel free to let us know of any particular concerns you might have in relation to this matter.

Response to proposed crematorium at Castle Eden

A consultation was held recently by a national funeral company regarding their plans to build a crematorium on land to the north of the former brewery at Castle Eden, between the golf club and the A19.

Since the event we have had the opportunity to meet with members of the public and members of Castle Eden parish council and from their feedback we have written to the company with our formal response to their initial proposals. This is reproduced below in full:

Dear Sir/Madam,

Durham County Councillors’ joint response to proposed crematorium on land to the North of the former Castle Eden Brewery:

We would like to thank you for the opportunity to view your plans for a crematorium at the above location. However we feel we must object to your proposal for reasons which include, but are not limited to, those outlined below:

·         Traffic generation: we are aware that there are ongoing traffic-related problems in this location and we believe that a proposal of this nature would increase the number of vehicles in and around the site and so add to existing traffic-related issues. The site in question is directly adjacent to the A19, a major trunk road through East Durham, linking the conurbations of Teesside and Tyneside. Any increased traffic generation would have a hugely negative impact on the settlements around this area.

·         Visual impact: residents from properties close to the proposed development site have approached us with concerns about the impact the finished site would have on their visual amenity. After careful consideration of the plans and projected visual impact we are inclined to agree with residents.

·         Parking and turning: further to our point above in relation to increased traffic generation we feel that a facility of this nature would lead to an increase in parking and turning problems currently experienced at this location.

·         Disturbance: we share the concerns expressed by residents nearby that a proposed crematorium in this area would lead to increased incidents of disturbance caused by a greater number of vehicles and visitors to the site.

·         Effect on conservation area(s): we note that the proposal relates to a site bordered to the North by Castle Eden Dene and to the South by the settlement of Castle Eden which is a conservation area. We feel that a development of this nature is not appropriate at this location.

In addition to these material planning considerations we feel that the proposed operators have failed to identify any clear benefits to the community, either in economic, social or environmental terms.

Further we feel that the operator has not fully considered the viability of alternative sites for this development. We note that the land to the North of the former Castle Eden Brewery was identified as suitable by the developer alone. Further, we note that the developer approached Durham County Council in pursuit of a list of appropriate sites in the ownership of the authority. The proposed site was not included on that list.

In summary we feel that for environmental and social reasons the site in question is wholly inappropriate for a development of this nature. We have not received any credible economic argument for this development and we feel that other, more appropriate, sites are available elsewhere.

In planning terms we feel that the material planning considerations as detailed above would be sufficient evidence for the local planning authority to reject any future application for development at this location.

Yours faithfully

Cllr Rob Crute and Cllr Lynn Pounder

Hesleden Pit Heap consultation

A consultation exercise was held last night at Hesleden Community Centre to seek residents’ initial views on the possible future extraction of 270,000 tonnes of solid combustible materials from the former pit heap.

The consultation, which will form the basis of a Statement of Community Involvement (SCI), was arranged by Hargreaves who intend to use the SCI as part of a formal planning application in the new year to seek consent to remove low-grade fuel from the pit heap.

Plans were made available in the community centre to show how Hargreaves intend to transport the fuel from the pit heap along Gray Avenue and onto the B1281 and on toward Castle Eden and the A19. It is estimated that removal will entail four HGV movements an hour, six days a week for an estimated twenty months. Because of the potential for upheaval we have asked Hargreaves to commit to making some form of financial compensation to the general community if any planning consent is granted.

The eventual outcome of course depends on the formal planning process and it is particularly important that residents voice their concerns at the appropriate time as part of that process. We feel that if Hargreaves is prepared to spend a lot of money on gaining planning approval then there must be sufficient profit in the exercise to justify their initial outlay. We think it only fair that the community is properly compensated for its part in what could be considerable upheaval over a lengthy period of time.

As ever we will be guided by the wishes of residents and the wider community if this proposal is eventually submitted to the county council for planning consent.

Hesleden Christmas Tree

After the Christmas tree lights were switched on at Blackhall last night it was Hesleden's turn tonight to light up their village tree.

The chairman of the parish council, Cllr Gaynor Crute, again welcomed everyone to the event by introducing the staff and pupils from Hesleden Primary School who turned out in their numbers to entertain residents gathered around the tree. A selection of Christmas carols was closely followed by the countdown to the tree lighting.

Again, thanks go to the clerk and members of Monk Hesleden Parish Council for organising the Christmas lighting ceremony, but a special thank you goes to the pupils of Hesleden Primary School for their magnificent carol singing. Well done to all!

Update on road works between Blackhall and Horden

Following a number of rumours recently about possible road closures next year on the A1086 between Blackhall Colliery and Horden we have asked for a full update from the head of technical services at county hall.

We have reproduced his response below in full. We have also been promised monthly updates until works in this area are completed and we will publish these messages on this site as and when we receive them:

Permanent Solution
We are currently reviewing the Site Investigation Report recently received from our consultants Aecom to identify remedial measures. Once we have identified a way forward we will be able to provide an update on timescales for any future works. Unfortunately land slips like this are complex and it takes time to identify the underlying causes and come up with a permanent solution.
Temporary Solution
We carried out an inspection last Wednesday to consider the possibility of reopening the road to two way traffic. Although there is no evidence of cracking in the carriageway there was evidence of further cracks in the verge to the rear of the kerb suggesting that further movement has occurred so in the interest of public safety we cannot reopen the road to two way traffic at the moment.

We have considered whether we could widen the road to the north to provide the width required for two way traffic but do not think this is a viable solution. This would require works to both the existing footway and verge but the presence of utility apparatus in the footpath and verge/bankside also mean protection works to the utilities which could be costly and would not be a quick solution. Any works to widen the north side of the carriageway would require a full road closure as we would not want to divert traffic back on to the south side of the road carriageway adjacent to the slip whilst work was being carried out.

We will arrange for further enquiries with the utility companies to determine the likely implications should a widening be required in the future. In the meantime the existing traffic management will remain.

Blackhall Colliery Christmas Tree

The annual ceremony to light the parish council Christmas tree was held at Chicken's Green in Blackhall Colliery last night.

The chairman of the parish council, Cllr Gaynor Crute, opened the event by introducing the children of Blackhall Colliery and St Joseph's primary schools who sang a selection of seasonal favourites.

Reverend Alison Richardson from St Andrew's church then offered a blessing for the tree before leading the children in a countdown to the formal illumination ceremony.

Thanks go to the clerk, chairman and members of Monk Hesleden Parish Council, along with the pupils and staff from both Blackhall Colliery and St Joseph's primary schools for their annual involvement in this ceremony which grows each year in popularity. Special thanks go to Reverend Alison on this her first formal tree lighting ceremony, one which it is hoped will be the first of many.

Tonight it will be the turn of Hesleden school and residents to switch on their Christmas tree lights. Please gather on the green outside of the Hesleden Community Centre at 4pm.

Blackhall Rocks planning application refused

Some weeks ago we were contacted by a group of residents from the area around the Cod on the Rocks chip shop in Broad Road in Blackhall Rocks regarding works intended to extend the business.

We met with the residents and listened to their concerns about the potential development. These included parking, traffic and access issues along with potential problems associated with noise and effluence emissions which could affect the streets around the takeaway. Residents were also quite alarmed that the owners had begun internal and external renovation works without the benefit of planning consent.

We immediately contacted the planning enforcement team at county hall and asked them to visit the site to assess the impact of any proposed development. We also asked them to advise the owner to cease works immediately pending planning consent.

Once a formal planning application for the extension had been submitted we met with residents to agree a way forward in opposing it on detailed planning grounds as identified above. Along with people living in the area who would be adversely affected by the development we wrote to the planning officers at county hall setting out our opposition to the applicant's plans.

Yesterday we received notification from the planning team that the application had been refused on the issues we had raised along with residents. While we feel some sympathy for the applicant we note that these works could well have gone ahead without planning consent had we not become involved with residents. Ultimately though we are pleased for the residents nearby who will not now have to suffer the consequences of an unwanted development. This also illustrates the benefit of residents working closely together with their local councillors to express their concerns on local issues.

Breathless demolition under way

The demolition of the former Breathless and Blackhall Royal British Legion club has begun today.

Although it is sad to see the demise of these buildings it is acknowledged that they had become derelict over recent years, causing a number of problems with fly-tipping and trespass. It is hoped that future development at this site will  eventually improve the area for the benefit of all residents, shoppers and visitors to the village (see post dated 11 April 2013 for background details).

Improvements to the 206 bus service

We met recently with representatives from the county council's transport planning team to discuss ways of improving the existing 206 bus service through most of our villages. This was as a result of complaints made to us by residents concerned at frequent delays and other issues related to the service operated by Go North-East.

We have now received an initial progress report from the transport team setting out the first stages of proposed improvements. This is reproduced in full below:

With reference to our meeting on 19 September, following discussion with Simon Day and myself Go North East have agreed to make some adjustments to the service 206 timetable.

From the 27 January (8 weeks notice is required) there will be an additional journey commencing Peterlee 0915 which will give a 1015 arrival back into Peterlee filling an otherwise quite large gap that was referred to in the meeting, and the afternoon journey commencing 1515 from Peterlee will operate the complete round trip to Peterlee instead of terminating Hutton Henry as now.

The rest of the timetable will be adjusted by a few minutes to enable the timetable to work and this will include reassigning the running time to take the perceived stress out the timetable in the Hesleden/Castle Eden area. Connections with service 201 to the Industrial Estates will also be improved.

These changes come at a modest cost of £16 per day, but, by reassigning a similar payment for journeys recently cancelled in Durham, the overall payment to Go North East does not increase.

We do not yet have the definitive timetable but as soon as we have something we will share it with you.

Meanwhile, I hope you agree that these modest changes do address a number of the concerns raised at the meeting.

How to serve the lower part of Castle Eden has been considered but a viable solution that uses the 206 does not exist. We will continue to look for other opportunities to address that specific concern.

We will continue to monitor progress and keep residents up to date but in the meantime please let us know if you have any comments to make with regard to this matter.

Accent Housing in Blackhall Colliery

We met last week with senior representatives from the Accent Housing group to discuss in greater detail their stated plans to withdraw from their role as a social housing landlord in Blackhall and Horden (see post dated 6 November 2013 for further information).

Our main concern was to ensure that, as far as possible, all avenues for any proposed transfer of Accent's housing stock are explored, with the key aim of retaining the existing stock for social housing. Our greatest concern is that Accent may ultimately opt to sell off its housing stock to the private sector which stands largely out of the control of the housing authority and other agencies. Whilst we recognise that there are good private landlords we also note that many issues arise from the sector which are difficult to tackle, especially when the landlord is based away from the area with little knowledge or interest in our community.

We were advised that Accent has been forced into considering long-term withdrawal as a result of funding issues and also because demand for housing in the sector has fallen as a result of government legislation - mainly the additional bedroom subsidy, or bedroom tax as it's better known.

A number of options have already been considered in addressing these problems, with Accent's preferred route being the transfer of its stock to another social landlord and we have asked that all options be left open pending a decision. We believe that this should include the option of Accent transferring its properties to the public sector. 

We have specifically asked that Accent considers selective demolition and rebuild in parts of the village where there may be significant voids in any particular location. Although there will be a cost implication to the company we feel that Accent has fared well from its time in Blackhall and that they should leave an attractive legacy rather than empty properties when they pull out of the village. We have also asked that tenants and other interested parties be kept regularly up to date with progress.

In order to monitor events we intend to hold regular meetings with Accent staff in future and we will endeavour to keep you informed of progress. Ultimately though we are forced to accept that Accent's houses in the village belong to the company and the final decision on disposal will be theirs to make.

Landslip roadworks between Blackhall and Horden

Following further queries from residents and road users lately with regard to the near-permanent road-works on Blackhall bank we have asked the highways department at county hall for a progress report (previous updates are recorded elsewhere on this site).

Last month we also asked them to consider a realignment of the traffic lights to allow for two-way traffic to be reinstalled.

We received a reply from the highways engineer this morning and we have reproduced it below. We will seek a further update after the review meeting due to be held next week and continue to press for a reinstatement of two-way traffic in this location.

There are two issues here. There is the landslip and a collapsed culvert in the dene. To compound matters, there were problems with gas mains and leakages. The permanent works to resolve the landslip and repair the culvert will not take place until next springtime.

We held a meeting last week to look at ways of amending the traffic management arrangements to open the road to two way traffic, in the interim.

I'll get an update on the TM arrangements tomorrow.

Fly-tipping at Deneholme - your views matter

Following incidents of fly-tipping in the area around Deneholme over recent years we have approached the Durham Heritage Coast Partnership with a request that they consult the public on possible methods of dealing with this problem.

We have now received a response detailing a number of consultation events to be held in Blackhall over the next week or so.

We have reproduced this response below for your information:

Following on from our meeting in the summer and subsequent flytipping incidents, we have now arranged dates for community consultation on the options for Deneholme/Denemouth area.

This is an informal consultation.

These will be as follows:

 

Friday 22nd November                   10.00 a.m. – 12.30 p.m.                  Blackhall Community Centre      Morning Session         

 

Friday 22nd November                   1.30 p.m. – 3.30 p.m.                      Blackhall Resource Centre           Afternoon Session

 

Saturday 23rd November              10.30 a.m. – 1.00 p.m.                    Blackhall Resource Centre           Weekend Session

 

Wednesday 27th November        4.00 p.m. – 7.30 p.m.                      Blackhall Community Centre      Evening Session         

We will have a story board of the area including images of its current state with the preferred option of the Durham Heritage Coast Partnership and seek comments and ideas for alternatives. Present at each of the sessions will be representatives of the Heritage Coast, Police, Street Wardens and Natural England.

I will be passing this information on to the Parish Clerk, others who we know have an interest locally including the Horden councillors and Horden Parish.

I will also be asking the Hartlepool Mail and the Peterlee Star to publish information about the events along with a current image.

If you cannot attend any of the above events please forward your comments to the Heritage Coast Partnership manager, Niall Benson, on:

03000 268 130 or at niall.benson@durham.gov.uk

Crematorium consultation in Castle Eden

We have been made aware of a public consultation exercise to be held next week regarding an initial proposal to build a crematorium on land to the North of the former brewery in Castle Eden.

The public consultation event will be held at The Old Brewery in Castle Eden on Wednesday 13 November 2013 between 3pm and 6.30pm.

Whilst this proposal is at the early stages of development we think it is essential that members of the public have their say now prior to any possible planning application being submitted in future (although there will be a full public consultation exercise carried out as part of the planning process if a planning application is eventually submitted).

We tend to keep an open mind on planning issues until the developer has had the opportunity to tell us how they think a particular proposal will directly benefit the community and its residents.

Most importantly though, as local councillors, we want to hear what the people of Castle Eden think of this proposal so if you have any comments please don't hesitate to contact us:

rob.crute@durham.gov.uk or lynn.pounder@durham.gov.uk

The Miners' Hymns - a free event at Blackhall Welfare

Blackhall Welfare (better known to some as the Community Centre) on Hesleden Road will be hosting a free event on Friday 22 November at 6pm.

The Miners Hymns is a film by the American artist Bill Morrison and is focused on the former coalmining communities of North-East England. It depicts the hardship of pit work, the role of the trade unions and also the world renowned Durham Miners Gala.

The show is entirely free and there is no need to obtain a ticket beforehand.

For further details contact: 0191 586 7396 or visit www.theminershymns.com

Coastal fly-tipping continues

Once again, unfortunately, we have further incidents of fly-tipping to report. On this occasion the neighbourhood wardens took this image of discarded rubbish at the bottom of Deneholme and reported it to the coastal partnership for clearance. This is the same section of the coast targeted by fly-tippers over the past year or so and the cost of clearance is a heavy burden for the authorities in these cash-strapped times.

Incidentally, the Durham Heritage Coast partnership is currently consulting on plans to close the top of Deneholme bank to non-emergency vehicles in an attempt to prevent further fly-tipping in this area. It is vital that you let the partnership know of your views with regard to this proposal.

If you are aware of any other incidents of fly-tipping in our area please contact us so that we can arrange clearance.

Accent Housing in Blackhall

We have been made aware recently that the Accent Housing group is seeking to transfer a number of its properties in Blackhall and Horden to an alternative housing provider.

Details are rather sketchy at the moment but later this week we will talk to the Head of Housing at Durham County Council to try to identify which options may be available to Accent and, more importantly, what the implications may be for residents and the wider community.

Along with the parish clerk we then intend to seek a meeting with officers from Accent and other interested parties to discuss with them the issues around any potential ownership changes to their housing stock.

We will update on progress in due course but in the meantime please get in touch if you have any particular concerns about this matter.

Damaged road signs at Chicken's Green

The road direction signs on the A1086 at the Dene Road side of Chicken's Green have again been reported as presenting a danger to the public.

The image below, taken this afternoon, shows that the supporting poles are severely corroded and are in imminent danger of collapse so we have asked the highways department to deal with our request for replacement signs with urgency.

Please let us know if you are aware of any other similarly damaged street furniture in need of repair or replacement.

Half-term events at Blackhall Welfare

Friday 25^th October 2013

7pm – 11pm Halloween Family Party with Hi lights Disco

£5.00 per family (4) single tickets £2.00

Tuesday 29^th October 2013

4pm – 5.30pm Under 12’s Halloween Disco

Fancy Dress Optional 50p per person

Wednesday 30^th October 2013

10am – 12pm Multi Sports Age 5 – 13yrs £2.50

Spaces Limited

Wednesday 30^th October 2013

5pm – 6pm Street Dance Free Taster Session

With Tom from URBAN ROCKZ

Spaces Limited

Friday 1^st November 2013

Funky Feet 9.30am – 11.00am £1.50 per child

Additional monthly surgery for Blackhall Colliery

Beginning next month, in response to increased demand and in support of our local library, we are to hold an additional monthly ward surgery at Blackhall library.

As you will be aware we already hold a monthly surgery on the first Friday of each month at Blackhall Community Centre. Following the success of these events, and in recognition of the growing number of issues affecting our constituents, we now intend to hold an additional surgery on:

the third Friday of each month at:

Blackhall Library, Hesleden Road from 9.30am until 10.30am

The first new library surgery will be held on Friday 15 November 2013 and no appointment is necessary, however if your query or complaint is urgent please contact us in the usual way:

Rob: rob.crute@durham.gov.uk or
Lynn: lynn.pounder@durham.gov.uk

Rodridge Hall flooding update

Following our enquiries with the highways drainage team at county hall regarding long-running reports of flooding on the road connecting Station Town with Hutton Henry we have received the following update on progress.

As with the similar report elsewhere on this site relating to flooding at Blackhall Colliery, only time will tell if these works have been successful but the engineer's comments appear to be quite positive.

Works in the area of Rodridge Hall are complete.

Investigations found several issues:

The highway drainage connects to a nearby  watercourse in farmland to the east and this watercourse was silted above the level of the outfall blocking the flow.  This was remedied by the farm owner the same day as he was contacted.

There was an intruding connection in the highway drain from unknown and possibly redundant land drainage adjacent to some farm buildings near the bend in the road. The connection was causing a 90% restriction in the highway drain and has been removed and connected correctly.

There was a collapse on the highway drainage in the verge adjacent to Rodridge Hall, this has been repaired.

The system was generally silted, likely caused by the blockages and restrictions. The entire system has been cleansed and surveyed.

Following the works we have no further reports of flooding to the highway.

Plans to prevent illegal access to the former pit site at Blackhall Colliery

We met recently with the head of the estates section at county hall to discuss security breaches last August at the DCC-owned former pit site at Blackhall, and particularly the issues to be addressed if we are to avoid a recurrence.

At the meeting we outlined our intention to take whichever measures are necessary to prevent any future illegal access onto the Hackworth Road site. We also expressed our concerns about the council's initial proposals to lease the land and the potential impact it could have on the community if leased to an inappropriate party. As a result the estates section has agreed to defer the proposal to lease the land and they have also confirmed that they are willing to allow sufficient time for both of us, and other agencies, to work up our own plans for the site.

Last week we met with a business representative along with officers from the countryside section of the council to discuss our next steps and we have now agreed a scheme which, amongst other things, would see the removal of the existing gate to be replaced by continuous metal fencing to take away the opportunity for unauthorised access to the site. We also propose to carry out security works at the alternative point of access from Station Road at Blackhall Rocks.

 

We are currently waiting for an estimate of the costs involved before we can get started on the security works which will ensure that the site is made sufficiently secure to prevent illegal access in future.

Update on Blackhall drainage issues

We have received a progress report recently from the drainage engineer, and at the risk of tempting fate we seem to be in a position to report that the long running flooding problem in the Chicken's Green/St Joseph's area has been resolved.

Clearly we won't know for certain that works have been fully successful but the engineer's report appears positive enough. We'll sit tight now and wait for heavy downpours over the winter months to test his optimism!

We have copied the engineer's comments below for your information:

 

Here is my update for the above. Works in this area are now complete.  

A new connection has been constructed from the Coast Road highway drainage to a culverted watercourse in Chickens Green.  

During the investigation it was discovered that the highway drainage which serves in excess of 800m of the coast road connected to an non operating soakaway near the Chicken’s Green Play Area.  This resulted in regular flooding at the lower areas mainly around the junction of the B1281 and Emerson Court.

Following the completion of the works there have been no reported flooding of the highway in this area.

Street lighting matters

Following the conclusion of the county council's recent public consultation on the provision of street lighting we have asked for a meeting with the head of strategic highways at county hall to discuss further the potential to reinstate street lighting on the roads connecting the villages in our ward.

In our written response to the consultation exercise we drew the council's attention to the necessity for adequate lighting on the roads between our villages because of very strong social and family links, particularly between people from Blackhall and the Hesledens.

We have also insisted that lighting in these areas is essential to ensure public safety, especially given the poor public transport links between the villages as a result of bus companies withdrawing services which they see as unviable (please see elsewhere on this site for details of our campaign to reinstate bus services in the area).

We will keep you updated on progress but in the meantime please let us know if you have any particular concerns about street lighting in our area.

Central Park at Blackhall Welfare

Blackhall Community Association

Proudly Presents

Central Park

 Saturday 7^th December 2013 

Doors Open 7pm

Tickets £3.00

 First come first served

Tickets selling fast get yours now

 Contact 0191 5867396 or call into the centre

Proposed charges for garden waste collection service

As coalition government imposed cuts to its budget reach £190 million Durham County Council is consulting on proposals to introduce a charge for garden waste collections where residents choose to remain part of the scheme.

We have reproduced below details of the consultation. If you want to have your say on the council's proposals click on www.durham.gov.uk to take part in the on-line survey or call 03000 266 112 for a paper copy of the survey.

Consultation on review of garden waste collections

This consultation gives you the chance to have your say on proposed changes to the garden waste collection service in County Durham which include the introduction of a charge for the service.

Timetable

The consultation began on Friday 20 September and ends on Monday 28 October 2013.

How to get involved

You can have your say in the following ways:

• Read the background information and complete the online survey below.
• Call us on the contact number at the bottom of this page for a paper copy of the survey.

Background information

We currently provide a free, fortnightly garden waste collection service to 151,700 properties in County Durham between spring and autumn. A further 4,200 households in the Teesdale area also receive a free collection service from Teesdale Conservation Volunteers (trading as Rotters) who work in partnership with the County Council. In 2012, around 24,500 tonnes of garden waste were collected by us and Rotters.

We have carried out a review of the garden waste collection service. The existing service does not cover all households with gardens. In addition, we need to save £933,000 from the waste management service in line with the council’s medium term financial plan. The County Council is continuing to face large reductions in funding and is required to make savings of almost £190 million for the period 2011 to 2017.

The review has concluded that we need to introduce a charge for garden waste collections for the service to continue in future. This will affect all households with a garden, particularly those households that currently receive a garden waste collection service.

Proposals for garden waste collections in 2014

Proposed collection area

We are proposing to offer the service to 35,000 additional households in the county which have previously not had the chance to join the scheme. The proposed changes will also mean that households in some very rural areas will no longer receive the service. Garden waste - proposed collection boundary.pdf (1 page, 7735kb) is a map that shows the areas of the county where we are proposing to offer garden waste collections from 2014.

Introducing a charge for the service

We are proposing to introduce an annual charge of £20 for 16 fortnightly collections of garden waste between April and November.

Residents who sign up for the service and pay the annual fee will receive a sticker for their garden waste bin. Residents who haven’t previously been supplied with a garden waste bin but wish to sign up for the service will be issued with a new bin with sticker on payment of the annual fee. The bin collection crews will be able to identify which households have subscribed to the service by the sticker on the bin. Details will also be logged on the collection vehicle’s electronic system. Residents can be provided with more than one bin. There will be a charge for additional bins.

Residents who choose not to sign up for the service but who have previously been supplied with a bin for garden waste will be able to have the existing bin removed on request.

Have your say

We would like your views on the proposals for the garden waste collection service. Please complete our Garden waste online survey.

Gully and drain works at Castle Eden

Gully repair and renewal works are to begin on the B1281 at Hallow Hill, just to the east of Castle Eden, on Monday 30 September 2013.

Works  will take place under two-way traffic lights and are expected to take between 3 and 4 days to complete.

We have also been assured that missing drain covers in the area are to be replaced once the works programme is finished.

Littering and other environmental issues in Blackhall

Along with the parish clerk, me and Lynn met a couple of months ago with the manager of the clean & green team to discuss a number of environmental issues in our area.

After seeing initially a real improvement in the performance of the team it would seem that over the last week or so there have been a number of problems with litter picking, especially in certain areas of Blackhall Colliery. 

Following a walkabout in the village yesterday we identified a number of locations which continue to cause concern for us and residents, particularly around the library and the former British Legion club and also at the fenced area along the length of East Street.

We have contacted the team manager again today to express our concerns. He agrees that the service has regressed a little and has committed the team to a full clean up of the area over the next day or so. We have also asked that the streets be cleaned each Friday following the bin collection rounds, when some places tend to become quite untidy.

Because shrub beds also cause problems with collecting and holding litter we have asked that shrub beds in our area be removed, but only where residents are in agreement. 

Please contact us if you know of any specific areas in need of attention and we'll forward your ideas to the clean & green team for their attention.

Environmental issues in Middle Street, Blackhall

On 7 August 2013 we contacted the Environmental Health & Consumer Protection department at county hall in response to residents concerns about a number of environmental issues in Blackhall. This relates to the patch of unused land in Middle Street immediately adjacent to the library.

EHCP replied to our query today and we have reproduced their response below:

We took at look at all the issues you raised back in August - here are our findings.

Garage: We did not think it looked dangerous although we took the view that the open door allowed unauthorised access. The owner was asked to secure the door and shortly after our visit the door was secured. There were waste materials stored / dumped in the garage. We asked for them to be removed at the same time as the door was made secure.

Fence: Although not an EHCP issue the fence was found to be leaning back into the garden and therefore unlikely to be a danger to passers-by.

Overgrown garden: The overgrown garden is not in itself a public health issue - therefore we were looking only for any public health / rodent infestation issues. The officer gained access to the garden area and could see no evidence of an infestation of rodents.

If the leaning fence still causes concern to passers-by then you may wish to consider contacting Building Control (dangerous structures) or Highways (via Highways Action Line) as the fence is immediately adjacent to the public footpath. They may also wish to consider whether the commercial wheelie bins cause an obstruction to footpath users by being left on the pavement by whoever hires them from DCC.

Clearly not all of our concerns have been fully addressed so we have contacted the Building Control section and the Highways Action Line as advised. We will update on progress in due course.