Public safety issues at Hesleden pit heap

Recently a number of residents in Hesleden have contacted us to express their concerns about public access and security issues at the former pit heap in the village.

We heard reports that young children had been digging channels into the spoil heap and also that the site was being used as a race track for off-road bikes. Given the instability of the pit heap, the potential danger to public safety caused by these activities is obvious.

Prior to contacting the authorities we visited the site to see for ourselves the extent of the issues residents had told us about. We saw evidence that the former pit heap was open to access by the general public, that the improvised race track had a steep and potentially dangerous slope at one side into the nearby dene and also that there were a few incidents of fly-tipping in the immediate vicinity, although these appeared to be on private land.

We reported these matters to the police, planning officers at Durham County Council and also to the council's neighbourhood wardens for their attention. Following their joint site visit last week we received the following email from the senior planning enforcement officer at DCC setting out the measures they have planned to address the problems identified by residents:

Thank you for bringing this matter at Hesleden to my attention, which is now an open investigation allocated to officers for investigation.  The case reference number  is EN/14/00541, and is being dealt with by myself and in my absence David Chong.

I confirm officers from Planning services have inspected and held meetings on the site with the owner and the person responsible for the alleged unauthorised activity which is the subject of concern.  The owner has requested the land use cease immediately and informed officers he will make arrangements for a gate to be erected to restrict ready access. This will be monitored by officers to ensure action is taken accordingly.

I can also confirm that  the Council are considering a planning application for the clearance of minerals from the land which would relieve the problem by effectively redistributing the land spoils and therefore removing the tracks being marked for the bikes.  The officer dealing with this application is Chris Shields in the strategic team who will be happy to discuss your concerns further.

I will keep you informed as the investigations progress, but please do not hesitate to contact the officers involved if you have further enquiries relating to this matter in the interim. 

We note that the planning enforcement officer refers in her correspondence to a planning application relating to the clearance of the former pit heap which she believes will tackle some of the reported problems. However, previous posts on this blogsite record our opposition to this planning application for a number of valid reasons. Our position has not altered so we have insisted that the problems reported by residents about public safety and security at the pit heap site are unrelated to the application and, as such, they must be addressed separately.

Access route to the former pit heap site at Hesleden

Planning application for houses at High Hesleden

Durham County Council has received a planning application for a housing development in High Hesleden.

Further information about the proposal is shown below, along with relevant contact details:

Application No: CE/14/00086/FPA

       

Address    High Farm, High Hesleden, Durham, TS27 4QD

Proposal:   Demolition of agricultural units, conversion of 4 agricultural buildings to dwellings and  9 new Dwellings.

Link:              http://publicaccess.durham.gov.uk/online-applications/applicationDetails.do?activeTab=summary&keyVal=MZHMA9BN09H00

Planning Officer for this application is Laura Martin

Please send your comments to dmcentraleast@durham.gov.uk

Overnight road closures at the A19/A179 Sheraton Interchange

Roadworks are due to be carried out soon at the A19/A179 Sheraton Interchange between Hartlepool and County Durham.

The press release below, issued by Durham County Council, gives full details:

Drivers advised of resurfacing work on A179

Title

Drivers are being advised that resurfacing work will be carried out at a busy road junction later this month (June).

Contractors working for Durham County Council will carry out the work at the A179 Sheraton Interchange, on the outskirts of Hartlepool, over five nights starting on Monday 23 June.

The overnight work will take place, between 7pm and 7am, and the road will be closed during those times.

Diversion routes will be in place while the night-time road closures are in force but the road will remain open during the day.

Drivers are being warned to expect delays and to plan for extended journey times.

John Reed, head of technical services at Durham County Council, said: “These works are part of our on-going resurfacing programme.

“We are carrying out the work at night in order to minimise inconvenience to drivers but unfortunately some delays will be unavoidable.

“We would urge people to plan ahead and we appreciate their patience while the work is underway.” 

Durham International Brass Festival 2014

The full programme for Brass: Durham International Festival 2014 has been announced:

The annual celebration of the county’s musical past, present and future returns to Durham next month, with innovative new commissions, a great line-up of live music and fantastic free family events running from Friday,11 to Sunday, 20 July.

This year’s event will include three spectacular world premieres – chart-topping indie rock band British Sea Power’s Sea of Brass (17 July, Gala Theatre); Steamsong, a multimedia opera from John Kefala Kerr inspired by the locomotive Mallard’s record breaking run (12–13 July, Gala Theatre); and Fractal Sparks, featuring stunning visual effects accompanied by music from Jo Hamilton and a brass-inspired performance from Lanterns On The Lake with the Durham County Youth Big Band (18 July, Durham Cathedral).

Other highlights include performances by jazz trumpeter extraordinaire Jon Faddis, Onyx Brass, The BBC Big Band, The Brighouse and Rastrick Band and The Stars from The Commitments.

BRASS 2014 also welcomes the return of family favourite Streets of BRASS, a fantastic free event which sees the best UK and international bands bringing a party atmosphere to the streets of Durham City.

Families are also encouraged to bring their deckchairs and a picnic to the Big BRASS Bash at Spennymoor (17 July) and Chester-le-Street (18 July), where street theatre companies and funky brass bands will be entertaining the crowds.

The BRASS Samba Blow Out! in Crook (11 July) will feature a performance by Runaway Samba, a new youth band created for BRASS by Jack Drum Arts featuring young performers from across the Durham Dales.

Once again there will also be a range of events giving children and young people, communities and local musicians the opportunity to engage with BRASS in new and inspiring ways.

The festival’s popular Community Tour returns with bands bursting into village halls and community centres across Durham on 13 July while BRASS Fusion will see street band New York Brass Band performing with Blackhall Youth Band at Castle Eden Village Hall on the same date.

The full line- up is detailed in the festival brochure. Copies are available from all BRASS venues or can be downloaded from www.brassfestival.co.uk

Drainage works next week at Station Town

Following recent reports of drainage and flooding issues in the area around Milbank Terrace in Station Town we have been informed by the highways section at county hall that drainage works are due to start next week.

Works are to begin on Thursday 11 June and are scheduled for completion by Saturday 14 June. During this period the B1280 will be subject to 4-way traffic lights to enable the works to be carried out.

Reports of obstructive parking on the Coast Road

At a local PACT (Police and Communities Together) meeting some time ago we received a report from a resident that vehicles parking in the marked bays on the Coast Road were causing an obstruction to other vehicles exiting side roads onto the A1086.

We contacted officers at both Durham County Council and Durham police on behalf of the complainant and have now received the following response from the police traffic management officer:

Now that D**** has returned we went to take a look at the parking situation last week. We have spent some time looking at the issues in light of the comments raised by the residents and would comment as follows.

First I would confirm that the white lines on the pavements were introduced to try and clearly demarcate the point after which it was not acceptable for drivers to park their vehicles on the wide pavements and encourage drivers to leave the rear half free for unobstructed pedestrian movement. Before this many drivers were fully parking on the pavement causing difficulties and dangers for pedestrians who had to walk on the road to pass.

As with just about everything in the field of Traffic Management for every action there is a knock on consequence and a balanced approach has to be taken in relation to creating the safest possible option for all road users, but in particular the vulnerable road users e.g. pedestrians  – which as you will know is by no means an easy task and it is generally impossible to please everyone.

In this case by introducing the white demarcation lines and with previous police education activity, the parking is now generally more uniform along the areas with little in the way of parking obstruction offences now being committed. The parking half on the road half on the footpath now maintains a free passage for pedestrians, pushchairs, wheelchair users without having to try and pass on the running carriageway. By parking only half on the road this also allows the passage of two-way traffic flow along the A1086 road.

The issue of visibility when exiting the side road junctions was also considered and given parking fully on the pavement also inhibited views it was felt that this uniformed parking regime of half on/half off the footpath would not unduly worsen the visibility situation but have a greater positive impact on pedestrian safety.

While the above was what was considered when the white demarcation lines were first introduced to regularise parking practices and address the safety concerns raised at the time, all the issues have been reconsidered in light of the recent residents concerns raised.

Having spent some time looking at the situation since residents have raised their concerns in March,  it is the view that the original decisions made at the time were the correct ones and still relevant today. If anything the only difference now appears that there is slightly more demand for parking than when the lines were first introduced.

While acknowledging that the visibility for a driver can be restricted when exiting a side road it is no different to many places and if a driver proceeds with due care and attention there should be no reason why they can’t safely execute a turn onto the A1086 road.

We also considered the positions of the street name plates which have been in situ for a number of years - these did not restrict visibility when stopped at the give-way markings.

If consideration was given to opening up more vision for Oak and Lime Avenues the only way would be to introduce parking restriction on the main road to stop all parking. If this were seriously considered then it is suggested that the side road accesses on the opposite side of the road have just as great a justification, if not more, for the implementation of parking restrictions.

What has to be seriously considered is that if parking restrictions were to be considered , then as parking provision is needed to accommodate the high level of vehicles residents have in this area, then, assuming no one contravenes the restrictions, parking displacement will be a feature. Where else do the displaced vehicles go? The side roads, rear of properties and driveways are already well utilised. The danger is that vehicles will start to park in far more problematic areas creating other, more unsafe, parking practices, which could have a greater negative impact on the community, not least if emergency service access to dwellings is compromised.

In summary, while appreciating the concerns raised by residents and acknowledging it is not a perfect situation, having considered all options and consequences it is the view that the parking half on/half off the footpath on the east side of the road should be allowed to be continued as it is.

Clearly there is a problem with parking in this area but from the information supplied by the police there does not appear to be a simple solution which would satisfy all road users.

We would be grateful for any comments which we could take back to the police and council.

Speeding on Crimdon bank

Following complaints about traffic and obstructive overgrowth on Crimdon bank in March we have been contacted again by residents concerned about speeding at this location.

We have contacted the traffic management officer at Durham police and also the highways department at the county council with these concerns and have asked them to investigate further and advise on a solution.

Back in March we were told by the police that as the stretch of road between Crimdon and Hartlepool is currently a 60mph zone it is not suitable for a Community Speedwatch scheme which can be useful in slowing down traffic in some areas.

However, following our contact again today with Durham police, we have been told that they are awaiting the outcome of an ongoing 24-hour, 7-day traffic survey by the county council in the area and that the information from that survey will guide them on any potential solution.

We will update on progress with this matter as soon as we hear from either the police or the council. In the meantime if you have any complaints about speeding in your particular area please let us know in the usual way.