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