New steps at Blackhall Scheme Houses

Following recent complaints about the condition of The Steps at the bottom of the Scheme Houses in Blackhall Colliery, and also associated concerns over safety and access, we are pleased to note that last week Durham County Council completed the works to construct new steps linking the A1086 with the estate:

Wherever possible the safety of residents should be a priority and we hope that the newly installed access to the Scheme Houses serves to allay the concerns of those who have contacted us in the past about this issue.

Broadband provision in Hesleden

Last week, with the kind help of the Hesleden Voice Facebook page, we were told of a number of complaints from residents in the village about slow broadband connections.

In the past year or so we've had similar reports from residents in Castle Eden so we raised the issue again with the Digital Durham programme team at county hall. We received the following response on Friday:

Good Morning Cllrs,

There is only one cabinet in Hesleden that has not been upgraded to fibre and that is Wellfield cabinet 9, so I would presume that the residents who have contacted you are connected to it.

Cabinet 9 is not being upgraded under the council’s Digital Durham programme. It is planned for upgrade under BT’s own commercial programme. The difficulty we have is that under state aid legislation we can only invest public money in areas that are outside of the commercial broadband providers plans. This means that we aren’t able to fund the upgrade of this cabinet under our own plans.

Whilst we do our best to influence the continuation of the commercial fibre broadband roll-out, ultimately the decisions made on BT’s programme are their own. Unfortunately as such they aren’t at liberty to provide us with a great deal of information.

As you will see from the response received the problem with slow broadband connection speeds is connected to cabinet 9, which is within BT's own commercial programme, and as such lies beyond the influence of Durham County Council.

However we intend to contact the regional Partnership Director of the BT Group to make further representations on behalf of the residents of Hesleden and Castle Eden.

We will keep you informed of developments in due course.

The Somme commemorated at Blackhall library

On Thursday 28 July we went along to the Somme commemoration event organised by the Blackhalls Local History Group and held at Blackhall library.

The event was well attended and included talks on the Somme by local historian Tom Smith and also local writer AAG (Andy) Whitehead, author of Pals.

Both Tom and Andy talked of tales from the Somme, some amusing, some shocking and some absolutely tragic, but all a fitting tribute to the bravery of the lads and lasses who fought courageously and gave their lives during one of the most brutal episodes of World War One.

Our thanks go to the members of the Blackhalls Local History Group who work tirelessly to provide events like this one, and also to Carol Close and the staff at Blackhall library for once again making sure that the venue and facilities at the library are second to none.

Full details of the Castle Eden crematorium appeal hearing

Following our recent reports on this site about the forthcoming Castle Eden crematorium appeal hearing (please see posts dated Wednesday 13 and Wednesday 20 July 2016) we have now received formal notification and full details of the hearing.

We have published these below in full:

TOWN AND COUNTRY PLANNING ACT 1990 (as amended)

SECTION 78 – NOTIFICATION OF HEARING DATE

Application reference:              DM/15/01841/FPA

Appeal reference:                      APP/X1355/W/16/3148225

Name of appellant:                    Dignity Plc

Site:                                             Land To North  Of Castle Eden Brewery Castle Eden

Proposed development:            Erection of new cremation facility comprising a crematorium building, new access road, car parking facilities, ancillary external areas including gardens and pond

Appeal Start Date:                      20 April 2016

I am writing to notify you of the arrangements that have been made for the hearing to be held regarding the appeal by Dignity Plc against the Councils decision to refuse planning permission.

The hearing will start at 10:00 on 15 September 2016 at Castle Eden Village Hall Stockton Road  Castle Eden  Durham  TS27 4SD.

The Inspector J Price BA(Hons) DipTP MRTPI DMS appointed by the Secretary of State under paragraph 1(1) of Schedule 6 of the Town and County Planning Act 1990 will attend to hear representations and thereafter will decide the appeal.

Members of the public may attend the hearing and, at the Inspector’s discretion, express their views. Castle Eden Village Hall has access for disabled people. However if you, or anyone you know has a disability and is concerned about facilities at the hearing venue, you should contact the Council to confirm that suitable provisions are in place. Public parking is available.

Copies of the questionnaire completed by the County Council, the Council’s and the appellant’s Statements and any future comments are available for inspection online at http://publicaccess.durham.gov.uk/online-applications/ using reference DM/15/01841/FPA.

The decision will be published on the link above and on https://acp.planninginspectorate.gov.uk/

Should you require any further information please contact the Development Control section on the above telephone number.

Station Town road works

We have received advance notification of road works to be carried out soon in Station Town:

C22

Rodridge Lane, Station Town

New gas service

2 way lights

27 July

2 August

NGN

Date set for Castle Eden crematorium appeal hearing

We've just received confirmation from the planning case officer that the hearing for the Castle Eden crematorium planning appeal will be held on Thursday 15 September 2016.

We've reproduced the message below and we'll update with further details as we receive them:

Just to let you know that PINS have said that the hearing will now take place on 15^th September at 10am. I am just waiting formal confirmation of the village hall booking now that the date is agreed, and once I have this,  we will begin to issue letters to interested parties confirming the details.

Roadworks later this month at Station Town and Blackhall Colliery

We have received notification of scheduled roadworks in Station Town

C22

Rodridge Lane, Station Town

New gas service

2 way lights

27 July

2 August

NGN

and in Blackhall Colliery (please see post dated Monday 16 May 2016 for previous report)

Unclassified

East Street / Eleventh Street / Ninth Street / Eighth Street / Seventh Street / Fifth Street / Fourth Street, Blackhall Colliery

New telecom service

Phased road closures as required

23 July

21 October

Virgin Media

Environment issues in Hesleden and Blackhall

As usual we attended the Monk Hesleden Parish Council monthly environment committee meeting yesterday evening. Alongside members of the committee and the parish clerk, this gives us the opportunity to discuss together a range of environmental issues throughout the parish area.

If there are any particular problems identified we then make whichever arrangements are necessary to address them. We also update members on a number of long-term environmental works and give prior notice of upcoming works in the parish area.

As a result of the latest meeting we raised the following matters with the relevant sections at county hall this morning:

• Potholes in the road surface at Hardwick Street and Glenholme Terrace, Blackhall (on the A1086 Coast Road between Cemetery Road and St Joseph’s)
• Damaged street lighting column at the B1281 junction with the Kenber Hill housing estate
• Overgrown grass at the B1281 junction to Gray Avenue at Hesleden which is restricting visibility for drivers leaving the village
• Waste timber dumped behind the bus stop at Thornton Terrace, Blackhall
• Poor condition of the footpaths at Corry Close, Blackhall
• Food waste dumped in the rear yard of 2 Coast Road, Blackhall. There is a background to this property logged on the CRM but there is some confusion about the status of requests to clear the yard (which is a private property)
• Untidy condition of the grassed area, roads and pathways around Primrose Court, Blackhall. This is apparently caused by wheeled bins being dragged around the area on collection days. Residents have requested a bin storage area (which may be the responsibility of EDH/CDHG)
• The untidy condition of the car parking area to the rear of Daffodil Close, Blackhall (previously reported, but no feedback received)
• Road junction markings at the RAFA/Co-op store (works previously requested but not yet carried out)

We will update on any significant developments in relation to these matters as and when we receive further information from the county council. In the meantime however, if you are aware of any particular issues in your neighbourhood please let us know.

Castle Eden crematorium: Planning Inspector calls for public hearing

A few months ago we wrote on this site about another appeal by Dignity plc against Durham County Council's decision to refuse consent to build a crematorium at Castle Eden. We also published a full transcript of our objections to Dignity plc's proposals (please see post dated Wednesday 27 April 2016 for background details).

Dignity plc propose to build a crematorium on land directly alongside Castle Eden Golf Club

Officers from the planning department at county hall have contacted us again today to inform us that the national planning inspector has ruled that the appeal must now be heard by a full public hearing, rather than by written representations which was the preferred option for Dignity plc.

We have been told that the public hearing is likely to be held in Castle Eden sometime in September this year, and as soon as we have further details we will make arrangements to get together with the parish council, residents and local organisations to agree a way forward. 

Once again we will stand together with the community to convince the planning inspector that Dignity plc's proposals for a crematorium in Castle Eden are ill-conceived, unworkable, unnecessary and unwanted. And who knows, this time around even Dignity plc might get the message!

Petition for the Return to Use of Hartlepool Hospital

Pressure group 38 degrees has set up a petition for the Return to Use of Hartlepool Hospital.

We have been directly involved for many years in the local campaign to return all services and facilities to Hartlepool (for details please see posts dated: 2 June 2013, 9 July 2013, 23 October 2014, 28 November 2014, 11 January 2015 & 18 August 2015 or simply enter "Hartlepool Hospital" into the search bar on this site).

However, the campaign is more important now than ever before. Proposals are currently on the table to downgrade some A&E facilities elsewhere in our region, meaning that patients from the villages in East Durham, particularly in and around the Blackhall area, might have to travel even further in the event of an emergency.

We have excellent facilities already in place at Hartlepool hospital which could be developed into a first rate, state-of-the-art centre. But they're currently standing dormant because of a series of poor decisions by the local NHS Trust. We need to turn that around.

Please click on the link below to add your name to a petition for the Return to Use of Hartlepool Hospital.

http://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/petition-for-the-return-to-use-of-hartlepool-hospital

The rally in support of returning services to Hartlepool (see post dated Sunday 11 January 2015)

Durham Big Meeting 2016 - Blackhall is ready!

Once again Durham Big Meeting (or the Durham Miners' Gala if you prefer) is almost upon us. This year it will be held next Saturday, 9 July and the Blackhall Banner Group has everything in place for the greatest day of the year for our mining communities.

As in years gone by we have worked through the Blackhall Banner Group to make arrangements for the big day and we can now confirm that everything is in place.

We are delighted to confirm that the Kirkbymoorside Town Brass Band will once again accompany the banner through the streets of Durham and onto the Racecourse. The band has been an almost constant companion to the Blackhall Banner Group over the years and we look forward to welcoming them once again to the Big Meeting this year.

We have also secured funding for transport for the day. A 51-seat coach has been booked to take the banner and its followers to Durham and back again once the event is over.

The coach will be leaving Blackhall Rocks at 7.45am on Saturday and will return from Durham at 5.00pm. Although we haven't yet set a firm price we can assure you that because it's subsidised by the Banner Group it'll be much cheaper than public transport!

There are still a few seats available on the coach but to avoid disappointment it is essential that you book a seat first if you would like to come with us to the Big Meeting. 

Please contact us at: rob.crute@durham.gov.uk or lynn.pounder@durham.gov.uk if you would like to reserve places on the coach. But hurry, time is running out and it's first-come-first-served!