Delays to streetlight repairs in Blackhall Colliery

Back in July this year we reported faulty streetlights for repair in East Street. There have been repair works carried out to these lights but with limited and intermittent success so we have made repeated requests for updates on progress.

We have now been informed that because the faults are related to the infrastructure - rather than the lamp standards themselves - they were passed to Northern Power Grid in August for repair. Unfortunately NPG has a response time of 35 days meaning that repairs may not be carried out until as late as 18 October. 

We are aware that there have also been lengthy delays to streetlight repairs in some other parts of the village - notably West Street and Hardwick Street - and we have been told that that for the same reason these are awaiting repair by NPG.

We have also recently reported faulty streetlights for repair in Third Street and Eighth Street. There is a possibility that these faults may be related to those in nearby East Street so we'll continue to press for regular updates on progress.

Roadworks notifications for Blackhall and Station Town

We have received advance notification of the following roadworks to be carried out during October and November in Blackhall Colliery and Station Town:

A1086	Middle Street, Blackhall Colliery	Resurfacing	2 way lights (9:00am - 4:00pm)	24 October	28 October	Durham County Council
C22	Rodridge Lane, Station Town	New gas service	2 way lights	21 November	25 November	Northern Gas Networks
Unclassified 29.1 / Unclassified	Eighth Street / Ninth Street / Tenth Street / Eleventh Street, Blackhall Colliery	Resurfacing on Middle Street	Road closure (9:00am - 4:00pm)	24 October	28 October	Durham County Council

The Better Broadband Subsidy Scheme - and how to apply

After publishing an update on this site last night about the poor quality of broadband provision in some areas of our ward, including Hesleden, High Hesleden and Castle Eden, we received a number of requests for information about the broadband voucher scheme which provides access to a subsidised broadband installation to homes and businesses.

Following our contact today with the Digital Durham team we have received the following information, which includes details of how to apply for the voucher scheme:

Morning Cllrs Crute and Pounder

The voucher scheme is still available.

Following the Government’s commitment to provide access to a minimum of 2 megabits per second (Mbps) download speeds, a broadband subsidy scheme has been launched to help eligible residents.

The scheme allows residents to apply for up to £350 towards the hardware and installation costs to get connected to broadband using wireless technologies including satellite, 4G and Mastband. Eligible residents will still be required to pay any additional costs such as the monthly service charge which starts from £10 for a basic broadband service. The costs increase with the more data required.

Further information and the application form is available at: http://www.digitaldurham.org/better-broadband/

Recycling Centres switch to winter opening hours next week

Household Waste Recycling Centres - winter opening hours

Title

Household Waste Recycling Centres in County Durham will switch to winter opening times from next month.

From Saturday, 1 October until Friday, 31 March, centres will be open during the following hours:

Monday to Sunday – 9am to 3.30pm

• Annfield Plain
• Heighington Lane, Newton Aycliffe
• Middleton-in-Teesdale
• Potterhouse Lane, Pity Me
• Romanway, Bishop Auckland
• Seaham
• Tudhoe

Monday to Thursday – 10am to 4pm

Saturday, Sunday and bank holidays – 9am to 3.30pm

• Coxhoe
• Horden
• Thornley

Saturday, Sunday and bank holidays

• Hett Hills, Chester-le-Street
• Stainton Grove, Barnard Castle

All Household Waste Recycling Centres are closed on Christmas Day and New Year’s Day.

For more information, visit www.durham.gov.uk/hwrc or call 03000 261 000.

UPDATE: Broadband at Hesleden and Castle Eden

We wrote recently to the BT regional director to tell him about our concerns over the continuing impasse regarding broadband provision in parts of our county ward, mainly in High Hesleden, Hesleden, Castle Eden and parts of Blackhall (please see posts dated Monday 18 January, Sunday 31 July & Thursday 1 September 2016 for background information on our campaign so far).

We have now received a response from BT which we have published below in full:. 

Hello Rob & Lynn

Thanks for getting in touch. The information you have is correct, this cabinet is not in the Digital Durham programme because it is in the area covered by BT’s own plans.

Our commercial rollout was largely completed some time ago before the BDUK projects such as Digital Durham started – the purpose of them is to fill in the gaps not covered by commercial operators such as BT and other providers. Unfortunately, some cabinets were delayed in our commercial rollout by complexities that emerged once we started the installation planning. In the vast majority of cases these were due to very high costs of getting a power supply, and sometimes involve wayleaves over private land for ourselves or the power company. Wellfield 9 is one of these.

When the BDUK programmes were at the peak of their activity last year we took the decision to put these delayed cabinets on hold so as not to miss the contractual deadlines for Digital Durham and others. We are now returning to complete the commercial rollout. Often this means a substantial re-plan such as moving the cabinet location to overcome the earlier problems. We aim to do this over the next 2 financial years, and if any cabinets prove to be commercially impossible then we will work closely with Digital Durham to bring them into the subsidised programme if we can, to make sure we don’t leave communities behind.

However I’m afraid I can’t give you any good news on when we will upgrade Wellfield 9. It’s not in the plans for the current year to March 2017, but should be put in the work plan for the following year 2017-18. I know this won’t be welcome news to the community but I hope it makes the situation clearer. If residents or businesses have speeds below 2Mbps now, they are eligible for a voucher scheme from Digital Durham to help with the cost of installing other technologies such as satellite broadband which, while not as good as fibre, can meet the needs of most users. Using the voucher won’t affect our commercial plans for Wellfield 9 and doesn’t affect future eligibility for public subsidy for fibre if it’s needed.

Simon

Simon Roberson, Regional Partnership Director

0331 654 0955  |  @SimonRoberson

We acknowledge the financial considerations and timescales associated with a commercial programme operated by a private company, but we cannot accept the reasoning they apply in justifying the dreadful broadband provision many people and businesses in our villages currently receive from BT. At the very least we need to know why the Wellfield 9 cabinet which serves our villages cannot be upgraded sooner, either by BT or as part of the subsidised Digital Durham/Broadband Delivery UK (BDUK) programme. 

We will continue to pursue a solution to this problem. We have again contacted the Digital Durham team and the head of ICT at county hall to ask for their advice on a way forward in securing a fair deal for the businesses and residents of our villages. We will update on progress in due course.

Unsafe road junction at Hesleden

Earlier this year we expressed our disappointment at the news that planning permission had been granted to remove the pit heap at Hesleden. One of our main concerns was of road safety at the junction of Gray Avenue and the B1281 road linking Blackhall Colliery with Castle Eden (please see post dated Wednesday 6 January 2016 for full details of our objections).

With this in mind we were dismayed to see that an accident occurred this morning at precisely this location. We are told that fortunately there were no serious reported injuries as a result of the 3-vehicle collision but it does serve to prove the point that visibility at this junction is very poor.

We note that the developer who wishes to remove the pit heap must first prove to the council that the junction at Gray Avenue can be made completely safe before conditions can be lifted and full permission can be granted to go ahead. 

We have written to the planning office at county hall to insist that this incident is recorded on the case file for future reference. We will also make sure that this is taken into consideration if and when the developer comes forward with plans to improve visibility at this location.

Housing proposal for Blackhall - Exhibition update

Planning consultants, acting on behalf of a local landowner, held an informal exhibition in the Resource Centre in Blackhall Colliery yesterday to gauge public feeling about a proposed new housing development on land to the south of the B1281 in Blackhall (at the right-hand side of the image below).

The proposed scheme consists of 97 houses comprising a mix of 2, 3, and 4 bedroom houses and a number of bungalows. There is a quota of affordable housing built into the proposal, along with the prospect of 150 new jobs.

We have now received some initial informal feedback from the consultant which suggests that the proposal was largely well received by the public, although there were some concerns expressed by residents. We've also spoken separately to a number of people and their comments, with one or two exceptions, tended to be favourable to the development.

It would appear that many people feel that we need more housing of this type because it would enable more of our young people to stay in the village, rather than having to move elsewhere to settle. It is felt that there are insufficient newer properties available to buy in Blackhall, and when properties of this type do come up for sale they tend to be at the higher end of the scale, meaning that many of our local young people are priced out of the market. In theory at least, more housing of this type would increase choice and also reduce prices.

Some people felt that a scheme of this size would also ensure that our schools have a sufficient supply of pupils to sustain their roll numbers in future. Although our schools are doing well at the moment people tell us that they feel there is a need to sustain and increase the number of children going into our schools for the years ahead.

Concerns were expressed however about the possibility of flooding at this location, which slopes away from the track at the top down towards the Coast Road. The consultants have suggested that a SUDS pond to the north-east of the site would be sufficient to act as a conduit to prevent flooding, however this would be subject to a full flood risk assessment if the developer decided to seek planning approval. 

Some people also expressed concerns about the visual impact of any development on their properties. The consultants have acknowledged this and have said they will consider reducing any adverse impact if and when final plans are submitted for approval.

Following issues raised about the type of housing potentially on offer, the consultant has now agreed to remove the 5-bedroom property quota proposed initially and to replace them with bungalows. This would seem to be a positive concession, given the high demand for bungalows in our village.

After yesterday's exhibition developers will now need to consider the initial comments made by residents and then decide whether or not they wish to submit a formal planning application to develop the land for housing. If they choose to apply for consent this will trigger a statutory period of public consultation during which members of the public will have their say on any final plans put forward by the developer.

Obviously at this stage we are not in a position to decide whether or not we support the proposal, partly because we don't know enough about it - beyond the details on public display yesterday - and partly because we feel that this initial stage should all be about what members of the public think. Final plans and proposals will become clearer if and when the developer decides to seek approval.

Whatever happens in the future we will write to the consultants to urge them to consider carefully the representations made by all of our residents, whether for or against the initial proposals. We believe strongly that people and communities should be at the very centre of the planning process - and as such their views are paramount.

We will update on progress with this matter as and when we receive further information.

Housing proposal for Blackhall Colliery

We have been notified of a proposal to build houses on land in Blackhall. Details are shown below, along with an invitation to attend a public exhibition at the Resource Centre:

Steve Hesmondhalgh & Associates (Planning Consultants) have been appointed to prepare a planning application for residential development on land to the south of Hesleden Road, Blackhall. 

We would welcome your views and input into the design of the proposed scheme and invite you to attend a Public Exhibition at:

Blackhall Resource Centre, 68 Middle Street, Blackhall, TS27 4EA

between 4:00pm and 7:00pm on 15th September 2016

The project team will be on hand to discuss the development proposals in more detail and answer any questions you may have.

Parliamentary Boundary Review

We have received notification that the Boundary Commission for England (BCE) has begun its review of parliamentary boundaries in England.

We have published further details below, along with links to the BCE website, so that you can see how their proposals may affect our area, along with details of how to contact them with your comments:

On 24 February, 2016, the Boundary Commission for England (BCE) announced the start of a review of the Parliamentary Constituencies in England. The BCE is required to report to Parliament in September 2018.

As part of the review, the BCE will look at current constituency boundaries and local government patterns in redrawing the map of boundaries before making its recommendation to Parliament. This will involve regularly consulting the public for their views and refining proposals in a number of stages.

Parliament has specified that the review must reduce the number of constituencies, and therefore MPs, in the UK, to 600. It has asked the BCE to consider where the boundaries of the new constituencies should be, ensuring that every new constituency has roughly the same number of electors – no fewer than 71,031 and no more than 78,507. England will have 501 constituencies, 32 fewer than there are currently. With regards to the North East, BCE proposes to reduce the number of constituencies from 29 to 25.

The BCE have today published their Guide for this review, which you can find on their website at the link below.

http://boundarycommissionforengland.independent.gov.uk/guide-to-the-2018-review-published/

The Guide aims to explain:

·         The policies that the Commission will work to in conducting the review within the statutory framework;

·         The changes that were most recently made to the law governing Parliamentary constituency reviews by the Parliamentary Voting System and Constituencies Act 2011 (‘the 2011 Act’). The 2011 Act has a major impact on the way a review operates, and particularly the first review to be completed following that legislation is likely to result in some degree of change to a large number of existing constituencies; and

·         The details of the process that the 2018 Review will follow including the number of public hearings that we will conduct around the country this autumn.

The BCE have also announced that they intend to publish Initial Proposals for new boundaries on Tuesday 13 September 2016. Although it should be noted that while this is the Commission’s current intention, they reserve the right to revise that timetable if necessary.

Request for dropped-kerbs at Hazel Drive, Hesleden

Following a request received recently from a resident we contacted the highways department at county hall to ask if it would be possible to have additional dropped-kerbs installed at Hazel Drive in Hesleden.

We have now received the following response which confirms that our request will be placed on the scheme list:

I have been forwarded your enquiry concerning the lack of dropped kerbs at Hazel Drive, Hesleden.

As I am sure you will be aware, the County Council receives more requests for dropped kerbs than it is able to fund from limited highway related accessibility budgets. As such, all requests for dropped kerbs are added to a future scheme list which is periodically reviewed. 

Priority is typically afforded towards dealing with locations in town/commercial business areas as improvements at these locations would serve the most users as they look to get access to facilities. This location (Hazel Drive) is a good candidate due to the nearby bus stops on Gray Avenue and Church Street.

Looking at the area on Google Earth, I suspect that additional dropped kerbs elsewhere nearby would also be welcomed. I will ensure your request is added to the future scheme list to be considered against the many other requests that we have outstanding.

We will monitor progress with this proposed scheme and update on any significant developments as they arise.

Proposed temporary road closures

The council has issued notice of a series of proposed road closures for access onto Middle Street from Eleventh Street, Tenth Street, Ninth Street (top & bottom) and Eighth Street.

Please see advance notification below, as received from the council:

I have been asked to process a temporary road closure notice for side roads leading onto A1086 at Blackhall Colliery.

To minimise disruption to local traffic, only one side street to be closed at a time. Access can always be maintained via adjacent streets.

The works are scheduled to take place between 9.30 and 3.30pm from Monday 24 October 2016 over a 5 day period to Friday 28 October 2016.

Please note that only one road at a time will be temporarily closed off, and for a period of six hours (9.30am to 3.30pm).

All potentially affected residents will be informed by letter, well in advance of the proposed closure.

Comments should be directed to: 

Steven Galloway

Tel: 03000 267 095
Email: steven.galloway@durham.gov.uk

"War Memorial" Open Day at Hesleden Chapel

Despite the wet weather there was a fantastic turnout out yesterday for the open day organised by the Blackhalls Local History Group to ask the people of Hesleden if they wanted a memorial dedicated to our war heroes in their village (please see post dated Wednesday 17 August 2016 for background information).

Hesleden chapel (pictured above) was very busy throughout the whole event, which started at 10am and lasted until 3pm, as residents and visitors gathered together in the Sunday School room to reminisce about village life in times gone by, and also discuss the merits of the History Group's proposals over a cup of tea or coffee and a cake.

A member of the East Durham Area Action Partnership (AAP) was there to help with enquiries and to guide people through the proposals which could lead to the erection of a war memorial at a chosen location in Hesleden. A large-scale map was provided to enable residents to identify their preferred site, and a record was kept of everyone who opted to make comments and leave their contact details for future reference.

The History Group had also put on a photographic display in the chapel itself, and this jogged many memories and generated much discussion about who the faces from our past were, and what had happened to them - and as is usual in a place like Hesleden our family trees expanded and blossomed in just one short day as we talked ourselves related to almost the entire village!

As often happens with public events of this nature the open day also doubled as a kind of impromptu ward surgery and many residents from Blackhall and Hesleden took the opportunity to talk to us about a wide range of local issues - and we'll be reporting on progress in due course on some of those matters raised.

We will meet again next week with members of the History Group to trawl through the information gathered, and then recommend a way forward in line with the wishes of the people of Hesleden.

We will update on progress at regular intervals with this project. So watch this space.

Gas service roadworks later this month in Station Town

Please note that roadworks are scheduled to take place in Station Town later this month:

C22

Rodridge Lane, Station Town

New gas service

2 way lights

23 September

29 September

Northern Gas Networks

Broadband in Hesleden and Castle Eden: Our contact with BT

For some time now we have been posting regular updates on this site about developments with the Digital Durham broadband roll-out programme, and particularly about some of the issues affecting a few of the villages in our ward.

This year we've received a significant number of complaints from local businesses and residents about delays to the roll-out of broadband, especially in High Hesleden, Hesleden and Castle Eden (please see posts dated Monday 18 January, Thursday 24 March & Sunday 31 July for background information). 

As a result of our recent enquiries on behalf of residents and businesses it appears that poor broadband connection speeds in these villages are caused by a delay in the fibre upgrade of Cabinet 9 in Wellfield, which is part of BT's own commercial programme and as such beyond the remit of the wider Digital Durham project.

Clearly this is unfair and unacceptable, especially when it is considered that many residents in our rural villages rely on broadband speeds to maintain contact with friends and family, make their usual day-to-day arrangements or in many cases run their businesses.

As we suggested we would in our most recent report we have now written to the Regional Director of BT Group to ask for further details about BT's commercial programme, and specifically for an indication of when broadband speeds will be improved for the people of High Hesleden, Hesleden and Castle Eden. 

We have published our correspondence in full below and as soon as we receive a response from BT we will report on progress:

As local members of Durham County Council for the Blackhall Division (which includes the settlements of High Hesleden, Hesleden and Castle Eden) Cllr Lynn Pounder and I have received a significant number of queries and complaints from residents recently relating to the slow speed of broadband provision in their villages.

Many complaints come from residents frustrated at the extremely low connection speeds at these locations, but we have also been contacted by several local businesses - mostly SME’s dependent on high speed connections - who report that they are struggling to manage their day to day business transactions because of the same problem. 

In the current competitive business climate we find this unfortunate and unacceptable, and we fear that thriving companies providing vital local employment - along with the viability of our communities - may eventually be put at risk if this problem is not resolved as a matter of urgency.

We understand that broadband currently provided in those villages is reliant on Cabinet 9 at Wellfield which has not been upgraded to fibre. We are also advised that responsibility for upgrading this cabinet is part of BT’s commercial programme, and thereby beyond the scope of the Digital Durham scheme.

We would be grateful if you could give a little more information about BT’s commercial programme, along with an indication of when Cabinet 9 at Wellfield is scheduled for upgrade. Finally, to ensure the sustainability of our local businesses and communities, we would appeal to BT to consider upgrading Cabinet 9 at Wellfield without delay.

If you feel it would be helpful we would be happy to meet you to discuss this matter further.