Blackhall Community Association holds its 2016 Annual Meeting

On Tuesday evening we attended the annual meeting of the Blackhall Community Association, held at the community centre on Hesleden Road.

Management committee and official positions were filled before the financial report was agreed and members present accepted the annual report of the centre manager Alison Paterson. Despite a number of challenges over the past year, the centre continues to operate effectively and in response to the wishes of the community. In particular the cafe and kitchen facilities continue to go from strength to strength and the events diary for the coming year is shaping up well with many of the regular events in advanced stages of preparation.

Although it was generally acknowledged that continued central government cuts to public services made life much more difficult, the meeting itself was very positive in outlook with a number of ideas coming forward to improve the way the facilities in the centre are promoted to the community.

The chairman's address to members is reproduced below in full:

Chairman’s Address to the Annual Meeting of Blackhall Community Association

Cllr Rob Crute

Tuesday 28 June 2016

In my address to the Annual Meeting last year I referred to the potentially harmful and irreversible impact on our communities of ongoing cuts to local authority budgets. Unfortunately we continue to live through difficult and uncertain times in terms of public funding cuts.

Central government cuts to public services, including those to local council budgets, continue to have a huge and potentially devastating impact on all aspects of community life, and buildings such as Blackhall Community Centre are no exception.

However, despite the constant financial challenges, we continue to move forward as a community centre and this is down to a number of factors:

The centre manager has been as strident as ever in her work in attracting external funding for our centre. Many applications have been completed and many have been successful. As ever, I would like to thank Alison for her continued hard work in keeping the centre on an even keel.

Although the county council is facing desperate and savage cuts, with its budget slashed by £160m in the last five years alone, I am pleased to report that along with my county council colleague Cllr Lynn Pounder we have been able to secure £30,000 in Neighbourhood Budget funding over the past three years to support the community centre, and in particular the centre manager’s post. In addition we have been able to attract funding for a number of smaller projects including the installation of computers in the bar area for community use, and a new boiler in the kitchen. We hope to continue this funding over coming years, although we are forced to acknowledge that continued budget cuts forecast over coming years will pose a significant risk to funding streams and consequently to the viability of our communities and public facilities.

We have continued to pull together as a management committee in facing the challenges ahead. Importantly we have listened to the centre’s members and the people of Blackhall and surrounding villages when they tell us what they would like to see going on in the community centre. At the same time we have preserved a number of favourite events, including the Classic Car Show and the Annual Flower and Vegetable Show, which Lynn and I helped to establish alongside John Peace, and which continues to grow in regional and even national significance.

Together, this approach has kept the centre calendar busy over the past year and we look ahead with confidence to another full year of activities and events.

No community centre could ever be successful without its hard-working and dedicated staff and volunteers. In this regard our centre is no exception. Along with my fellow members of the management board I am proud to acknowledge the diligence of our staff and their commitment to keeping the centre going in the right direction, often under extremely difficult circumstances.

The excellent work of the Blackhall Drama Group has gone from strength to strength over the past 12 months and this has contributed significantly to the success of our community centre. The Summer Show held recently in the hall is a fantastic example of what can be achieved by hard work and dedication. On behalf of the management committee I thank the Drama Group sincerely for their continued support.

Finally, I would like to thank the many members of the community centre and the people of Blackhall and the surrounding area for their magnificent support over the past year. Every community organisation needs the support of its community. We are very fortunate in this area to have such loyal and committed people in our villages to support our centre.

With a renewed sense of community spirit we as a management committee, alongside our members and residents, will strive to ensure that our centre remains a key part of its community and is best placed to meet the challenges ahead.

Cllr Rob Crute

Chairman, Blackhall Community Centre

28 June 2016

Parish Council urges residents to comment on DCC street lighting proposals

We reported last week that we had met with members of Castle Eden Parish Council to discuss with them Durham County Council's proposals to remove a number of street lights in and around the village as part of its ongoing Street Lighting & Energy Reduction Project (please see post dated Wednesday 22 June 2016 for background details).

We have already written to the county council setting out our objections to the their proposals and the parish council is about to do the same but as we reported last week, from our past experience of similar campaigns in other areas, we feel it is essential that as many people as possible make their views known to the council. To this end parish members have prepared a flyer for distribution, urging residents to write to the relevant section at county hall to express their opinion on this matter (please see below, in blue).

Although it is acknowledged that any street lighting removal at these locations would have most impact on the residents and businesses of Castle Eden, we think that there are potentially serious implications for people in other parts of our ward who use the roads linking the A19 at Castle Eden with Blackhall Colliery, Blackhall Rocks, the Hesledens, Crimdon and beyond. Please take a few moments to submit your objections to the address shown below.

PROPOSED REMOVAL OF STREET LIGHTING IN CASTLE EDEN

The Parish Council have received notification of proposed changes to the Street Lighting within Castle Eden. Durham County Council are requesting a period of public consultation on the proposals. Please contact the parish clerk for full details.

In summary:

Street Lighting would be removed from the junction between Stockton Road and the B1281 to The Village, (although a couple a lights may be maintained around the area of the Old School House and Hudworth Cottages), and along the Stockton Road from the War Memorial South (past Castle Eden Inn) to the junction with the A19.

If these proposals go ahead this would mean that the roads between the main parts of Castle Eden would not be lit.

The Parish Council have reviewed the proposed changes and have the following objections:

1.    Pavements are narrow and in some areas in poor condition. Visibility for dog walkers, people moving between areas of the village would be badly affected, leading to increased risk of personal injury from falls.

2. Visibility of pedestrians from moving traffic would be poor, particularly around bends, increasing the risk of collisions/accidents between vehicles and pedestrians.

3.    Bus Stops on the B1281 would be in darkness, creating a fear of crime around these areas.

4. The above concerns are of particular concern during the winter months when hours of darkness are increased and the number of pedestrians, including the elderly and people with pushchairs using the pavements, increases.

5.    Fear of crime would be increased.

6.    Social impact – people would be less likely to move between areas within Castle Eden (for example to and from the Village Hall or Businesses), reducing footfall in community facilities, and impacting negatively on social isolation.

The Parish Council will be submitting its objections to the proposals, and strongly urge you to also submit personal objections, to add further weight.

If you would like to object, including some or all of the objections above, please contact Yvonne Edwards, Senior Programme Manager on telephone number 03000 265 280 or by email at yvonne.edwards@durham.gov.uk . You can also write to Yvonne at : Construction Programme and Project Management Unit, Technical Services, Neighbourhood Services, Durham County Council, County Hall, Durham, DH1 5UQ. Quote “SLERP63” in any communication.

Objections should be submitted as soon as possible, and no later than Monday 8 August 2016.

County Durham Plan consultation

We have been notified of a series of public consultation events designed to help residents and businesses in the county have a say on the development of the County Durham Plan.

Please see below for background information and details of how to participate, including links to enable you make your representations:

Durham County Council is now consulting on the County Durham Plan Issues and Options between the 24^th June 2016 and the 5^th August 2016.

The County Durham Plan will set out how much development, including jobs, housing, shopping and infrastructure is required in the county up to 2033 in order to support a prosperous economy and improve our quality of life. The Plan will direct development to where people want to live and businesses want to invest and seek to secure the infrastructure needed to support this new development including schools, transport and green space. It will also seek to protect and enhance the natural, historic and built environment, promote good design and help us address the causes and impacts of climate change.

Details of dates, times and venues of consultation events are included below. Area Action Partnership meetings will also be considering the County Durham Plan Issues and Options and details of future meetings are available at www.durham.gov.uk/AAPs.

The Issues and Options document is also available to view at the Council’s customer access points, at libraries and on our website at: http://www.durham.gov.uk/CDP.

If you wish to comment on the County Durham Plan Issues and Options please do so in writing by 6pm on 5^th August 2016

Write to: FREEPOST Spatial Policy (no other details are required for the address)

Email to: CDPconsultation@durham.gov.uk

Online at: http://durhamcc-consult.limehouse.co.uk/portal/planning/issuesandoptions

Objections to street lighting reduction proposals at Castle Eden

We met recently with members of Castle Eden Parish Council to consider Durham County Council's proposals to remove a number of street lighting columns in and around Castle Eden as part of its ongoing Street Lighting & Energy Reduction Project.

Following discussions with parish members there was a general consensus that the county council's proposals to remove some street lighting in two separate locations at Castle Eden could not be supported because of a number of specific concerns. 

We are aware that the parish council has written to the county council outlining its concerns. We have also submitted our own objections and we have published our correspondence below in full for information.

Over recent years we have submitted a series of letters objecting to the council's area-specific proposals, particularly as they relate to the other villages in our ward which we feel are being affected unfairly by this policy due to its bias against rural areas.

From past experience we know that it's essential to have the community behind us if we are to be successful in keeping the street lights on in and around our rural villages. Consequently we would encourage anyone with concerns about the council's street lighting proposals for Castle Eden to submit their objections as soon as possible. 

Please follow the link below for details of the council's street lighting and energy reduction project:

http://democracy.durham.gov.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=154&MId=7294&Ver=4

If you have any issues you would like to be considered as part of these proposals, please contact the senior programme manager: yvonne.edwards@durham.gov.uk

Objections to Street Lighting and Energy Reduction proposals for Castle Eden

Cllr Rob Crute & Cllr Lynn Pounder, Blackhall Division

Having studied closely the council’s SLERP proposals for Castle Eden we can confirm that we cannot support any of the recommended lighting column removals.

Castle Eden is in an entirely rural location with a considerable agricultural background and with very busy roads throughout which link the main A19 arterial road through east Durham and the villages along the coast, including the visitor destination at Crimdon Dene Holiday Park. It is also designated by the highway authority as an alternative route for traffic diverted to and from the A19 in the event of an accident or emergency.

In reaching our decision we have considered the following points:

·    Proposals to remove street lighting columns along the highway between the B1281 junction and the Haswell to Hart walk-way bridge on Stockton Road would leave this entire stretch of road in complete darkness. We note that there are access and egress points to residential properties at seven separate locations, along with access to and from two public footpath and agricultural facilities. It should also be noted that this is on a scheduled bus route. We consider that any street lighting reduction at this location would lead to a serious and unacceptable safety risk to residents, pedestrians and road-users alike.

·    In relation to the second set of proposals to remove street lighting columns from the stretch of highway linking the junction at The Village to the B1281 junction we note that there have been a number of reported incidents of speeding at this location, along with a number of vehicle collisions (although it is acknowledged that none have been fatal up to this point). We feel that the twisting and undulating nature of this stretch of road would lead to an unacceptable risk of further accidents in future should street lighting be reduced or removed.

·    Finally, we would draw your attention to a major planning application approved recently by the strategic planning committee at Durham County Council to remove spoil from the pit heap at the former Castle Eden (Hesleden) Colliery. Although works to remove the spoil heap have yet to begin we note that the scheme would involve the movements of four heavy goods vehicles per hour, each day between Hesleden and the A19 at Castle Eden for a period of not less than 20 months and using the highway where street lighting is recommended for removal. Given the concerns about speeding, traffic collisions and the nature of the road linking this location and the A19 we feel strongly that road traffic accidents are almost inevitable. Removing street lighting in this area would increase that risk considerably.

We have met with Castle Eden Parish Council and other local organisations and we can confirm that they share concerns as detailed above.

For the reasons we have outlined in this correspondence we would strongly urge the council to reconsider its proposals to remove street lighting columns in and around Castle Eden.

Cllr Rob Crute & Cllr Lynn Pounder

22 June 2016

Blackhall Primary School Friendship Ceremony

Every year Blackhall Colliery Primary School, in conjunction with St Andrew's church, organises a friendship ceremony at which the children pledge their friendship for life.

We had the pleasure this afternoon to go along to watch the children perform a wedding-type ceremony, supported by parents and school staff, in the beautiful St Andrew's church on Hesleden Road in the village.

Afterwards there was a reception in the church hall where the children enjoyed a buffet and disco before heading home with their share of a specially made wedding cake!

We would like to offer our sincere thanks to the headteacher, teachers and teaching assistants from the school, along with the members of St Andrew's church, for inviting us to be a part of their big day. It is truly heart-warming to see such well-behaved children taking part in a special ceremony to celebrate their life-long friendship. They are a credit to the school and our village.

We look forward to being a part of it all again in years to come.

Open Day at Fieldview Care Home, Blackhall Colliery

Last week we called in to meet the staff and residents of the Fieldview care home in Blackhall Colliery at their annual open day.

We spent hours chatting to residents and their families and, when they had time to stand still for long enough, we met with the staff to talk about some of their plans for the future. We even had the pleasure of presenting two 90 year old residents with commemorative china to mark the Queen's 90th birthday! All in all it was a lovely day spent in good company and pleasant surroundings. 

We always appreciate the warm reception we receive from staff and residents whenever we visit Fieldview, so thanks from both of us. We look forward to seeing you all again soon!

Ward surgery details

We held a ward surgery this morning at Blackhall Library but unfortunately one of our residents turned up at the wrong venue to see us.

Because of this confusion we've decided to publish again details of our monthly ward surgeries. If in doubt, please check our posters which are displayed throughout the village.

FIRST Friday: Blackhall Community Centre: 9.30am to 10.30am

THIRD Friday: Blackhall Library: 9.30am to 10.30am

LAST Thursday: Hesleden Methodists Chapel: 9.30am to 11.00am

LAST Thursday: Blackhall Library: 6.00pm to 7.00pm

Please don't forget: If you're not able to get along to one of our surgeries you can get in touch with us on social media or by using the contact details on our public posters or on the county council's website and we'll make whichever arrangements are necessary to deal with your query.

Unauthorised encampment at High Hesleden

Please note below the notification we have received today from the GRT team at county hall in relation to an unauthorised encampment on land to the rear of Dene View, High Hesleden

The Gypsy, Roma, Traveller, Service have been advised today of an Unauthorised Encampment on a field to the rear of Dene View, High Hesleden TS27 4QE.

An initial visit also took place today by Neighbourhood Wardens to confirm the location of the UE and to record family/trailer details. The UE comprises at this time of one trailer and would appear to be the same one which formed the UE behind the public library at Thorney last week. This trailer vacated from the UE at Thornley at some time over the weekend.

The land behind Dene View is owned by DCC and a follow-up visit is to be made to the UE by GRTS. A full update will be provided in the weekly Friday UE update.

GRT Service Direct Tel:                 03000 266 042