Public footpath in Hesleden to be closed from January 2017

Earlier this month we wrote about a proposal by developers to temporarily close Pathway No24 at Hesleden to allow for preparation and reclamation works (please see post dated Thursday 3 November 2016 for background details).

We have now received advance notification that the pathway will be closed from January next year, as shown in the table below:

Footpath 24

Hesleden

Reclamation works

Footpath closure

5 January 2017

4 July 2018

PBU (UK) Ltd

Please note: Having made our concerns known to the licensing and planning sections at county hall we have been assured that, although planning consent has been formally approved, no development or reclamation will be allowed to proceed at this site until specific planning conditions have been met. 

These conditions include addressing our concerns about access, visibility and the risk of traffic accidents at the Gray Avenue/B1281 junction (please see posts dated Thursday 22 September 2016, Wednesday 22 June 2016, Saturday 6 February 2016 & Wednesday 6 January 2016 for details).

Blackhall and Hesleden Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremonies

You know that Christmas isn't far away when Monk Hesleden Parish Council lights up its Christmas trees in Blackhall Colliery and Hesleden.

The details for this year's lighting ceremonies are shown below. We look forward to seeing you there.

  

The lighting service for the Christmas tree at Chickens Green, Blackhall will be held on Monday 5 December 2016 at 4 pm

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The lighting service for the Christmas tree in Front Street, Hesleden will be held 

on Tuesday 6 December 2016 at 4 pm

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Drainage works in Middle Street, Blackhall Colliery

We have received notification of roadworks scheduled to take place in Middle Street, Blackhall Colliery.

Full details are shown below:

A1086

Middle Street, Blackhall Colliery

Drainage works

2 way lights (manual control as required)

21 November

25 November

Durham County Council

Environmental issues

Each month either one of us or both of us meets with the parish clerk and members of the parish council's environment sub-committee to coordinate our approach to addressing a number of environmental issues across the parish area.

Issues vary widely and range from planning enforcement, flooding and drainage, litter, dog-fouling, fly-tipping, grass-cutting, street lighting and the general appearance of our villages, all matters that we know are a priority for residents in the parish area.

At the monthly meeting for November, held last week, we took a closer look at a number of issues. Although the following list is by no means exhaustive, these are among some of the more pressing matters for our area at the moment:

Flooding at the entrance to the Co-op store in Middle Street: this is a long running issue with a lengthy history of remedial works (please see image above). The highways section has now confirmed that further works, including drainage and gully investigation and repairs, will be given priority.

Surface water along Middle Street: reports have been received of flooding and surface water at various points along Middle Street, including a particularly persistent area at the top of Fifth Street. We have reported these incidents to the drainage department for investigation.

Eighth Street resurfacing: the poor condition of the road surface was reported for assessment earlier this year but was not deemed to be in need of immediate repair. We have asked that a re-assessment be carried out.

Fly-tipping in rear yards of private properties: sadly this is another recurring problem throughout the village, particularly amongst the former colliery housing stock which is now predominantly in the private-rented sector. We have asked that landlords be identified and requested to secure rear yards against fly-tipping where this is presenting a problem.

Problem parking at Primrose Court: this issue is currently with the police, East Durham Homes and DVLA for their attention.

Traffic flow through Blackhall: we have contacted the highways section and Durham police to ask that a survey be carried out in Blackhall to assess the volume, speed and type of traffic coming through the village. Both agencies have agreed to our request, and have confirmed that a 24 hour a day, 7 days a week traffic monitoring survey will be carried out. The findings from the survey will guide the council and police on which measures, if any, will be recommended to tackle any traffic related issues identified.

Footpaths at Corry Close: the poor condition of the footpaths around this area have been reported for assessment and repair.

Various street lighting and road surface issues: by their nature, these are ongoing matters and we report damage and faults on a daily basis to the relevant departments for assessment and repair work.

There are many other issues we both deal with on a daily basis, and reports on most of these can be found elsewhere on this site. 

Please don't hesitate to get in touch if there are any matters in your area that you think we might be able to help with. We can be contacted on social media (Facebook and Twitter) or at:

rob.crute@durham.gov.uk or lynn.pounder@durham.gov.uk

Temporary road closures at Station Town

We have received notification of temporary road closures to allow for highway resurfacing works in Station Town:

Sections of the C22 (Rodridge Lane) and B1280 (Milbank Terrace) are proposed for closure between 9.30 am and 3.30 pm on both Saturday 26 November and Sunday 27 November 2016.

Prior notification of the closure is to be given to those residents and premises directly affected by the restrictions.

Blackhall Remembers: Remembrance Day Service at Blackhall Welfare

As in years gone by there was another fantastic turnout today for the Remembrance Day service at Blackhall Welfare Park and afterwards at Blackhall Cricket Club.

The service was conducted by Deacon Annabel Graham before wreaths were laid in turn by representatives of Monk Hesleden Parish Council, Durham County Council, Blackhall ex-services organisations (Blackhall Navy Club & Blackhall RAFA), Blackhall Air Training Corps and Blackhall Youth Action Group. Members of the public took the opportunity to lay their personal tributes too.

As ever, the buffet held at Blackhall Cricket Club was very well attended, giving people the opportunity to warm up and have a drink together after the service.

Our thanks go to the parish council for putting the event together, to the representatives of all the organisations named above, and also to Ian Harris who impeccably performed the last post and reveille. Mr Settrey, on behalf of St Andrew's church, and Brooke Dawson from St Joseph's RC primary school read a eulogy for the fallen.

Special thanks also go to the many people of Blackhall and the surrounding area for coming along year after year to offer their respect and gratitude to the brave men and women who gave everything in the course of two world wars.

Blackhall Remembrance Day Service - Sunday 13 November

The Service of Remembrance and Commitment this year will be held on Sunday 13 November at the Memorial in Blackhall Welfare Park. Please congregate at 10.45 am.

Following the traditional service and laying of wreaths members of the public will have the opportunity to lay their personal tributes.

As in previous years we have arranged for a buffet to be made available in the Cricket Club immediately following the service. Everyone will be made welcome so please come along and join us.

Replacement safety handrail for Blackhall Steps

Works to renovate the steps linking Blackhall Scheme Houses with the A1086 Coast Road were completed during the summer. Shortly afterwards we were contacted by residents concerned that the new steps did not have a handrail, leaving them vulnerable to falls (please see post dated Thursday 18 August 2016 for background information).

We followed this query up with the relevant departments at county hall and we are pleased to confirm that the engineer has assured us that a replacement handrail is to be installed as soon as possible:

Councillors

This scheme was undertaken as part of our DCC Terrier Unadopted works.

I have spoken to our Design team who will design a new handrail and have it installed as soon as possible.

Regards, Jonathan

Jonathan Cardy

Engineer – Capital Programme

Planning application for housing development at Blackhall

Although we have yet to receive any formal notification from the council, we have been made aware that a planning application for a housing development adjacent to the B1281 at Blackhall has been submitted to the planning department at county hall for consideration (please see post dated Friday 16 September 2016 for background information).

The county planning committee will make the final decision in due course on whether or not this planning application should be approved. If you have an opinion on this application it is essential that you register your comments, either for or against the proposal, with the planning department as soon as possible using the link below (this link will also direct you to all the relevant information, plans, surveys etc. associated with this application):

http://publicaccess.durham.gov.uk/online-applications/applicationDetails.do?activeTab=summary&keyVal=OFRLX3GDJR300

If you have any questions about the proposal that you would like to put to the agent acting on behalf of the applicant please contact: 

Craig Stockley: email: craig@stevehes.co.uk or telephone: 01325 628 109

PLEASE NOTE: When planning applications of this nature are open to consultation and public comment we always try to frame our own formal comments in a way that most accurately reflects local opinion. 

With that in mind we intend to reserve our own formal written submission until the end of the consultation period when we might be able to identify a clear local viewpoint on this proposal.

Proposed temporary closure of a Public Right of Way at Hesleden

We have been notified of an intention to temporarily close public right of way FP 24 between the Haswell to Hart walkway and Hesleden WMC. 

The notification we received is reproduced below in red text:

Hello Cllrs

I have been notified of the works below to commence early 2017 for up to 20 months for reclamation works affecting a public footpath linking Front Street/Gray Avenue, Hesleden to the Haswell-Hart Railway path.

An alternative route is proposed via the access along Station Road.

Can you let me know if you have any concerns or comments.

The intention is to temporarily close the public right of way which links the Haswell to Hart walkway and Hesleden WMC and divert walkers along Front Street and back onto the walkway at the bottom of Station Road.

Our immediate concern is that this proposed closure appears to represent the early stages of long-term works to remove the pit heap, a scheme that we opposed earlier this year when it was put before the planning committee at county hall (please see post dated Wednesday 6 January 2016 for background information and full details of our objections).

For the same reasons, and because we feel that a public right of way should remain open to public access, we are minded to oppose the closing up and diversion order. However, we think comments from the community would be particularly helpful in adding weight and balance to our comments.

If you would like to comment on this proposed temporary public right of way closure, or if you have any questions about it, please contact the Licences Team Leader at: steven.galloway@durham.gov.uk or 03000 267 095