Consultation on extending measures to tackle dog fouling

Members of the public are being asked to share their views on whether controls to tackle dog fouling and irresponsible dog ownership in County Durham should be extended.

A new consultation has been launched, which asks members of the public if they support the extension of an existing public space protection order (PSPO) to prevent dog-related anti-social behaviour.

Three year extension

In 2017, Durham County Council introduced a PSPO that made it an offence to allow a dog to foul without picking it up or to allow a dog to stray. The order, which applies to all public spaces and play areas across the county, also enables authorised staff to request that dogs are put on leads when necessary.

The existing order, which applies to all dogs except trained assistance dogs, is due to expire in June and the council is proposing to extend the controls for a further three years. 

Reduction in straying and fouling

Since the introduction of the order the council has seen:
•    A 32 per cent reduction in stray dog reports
•    A 45 per cent reduction on dog fouling service requests
•    An 18 per cent reduction in dog fouling warden investigations

Continuing improvements

Ian Hoult, our Neighbourhood Protection Manager, said: "Despite the improvements we have made, we continue to receive service requests about dog fouling and members of the public tell us that dog-related anti-social behaviour remains a key area of concern for our communities.

"Extending the current PSPO for a further three years would enable us to continue to make improvements, working in partnership with parish and town councils and communities across the county."

Residents have until 10.00pm on Friday 24 April 2020 to have their say, with the proposed changes due to come into effect from June.

Feedback on the proposed extension can be submitted online on our Consultations web page.

Roadworks on Coast Road at Blackhall Rocks

We have been notified that Northumbrian Water will be using two-way traffic lights to carry out works on the A1086 Coast Road at Blackhall Rocks later this week. Details below:

Road No.	Location	Description	Traffic Management	Start Date	End Date	Responsibility
A1086	Coast Road, Blackhall Rocks	Replace manhole cover	2 way lights (8:00am to 4:30pm)	31 March	31 March	Northumbrian Water

County Durham Together

Durham County Council has set up a helpline, webpage and support network to help people who are struggling during the Coronavirus pandemic:

Following government advice that people with certain health conditions must stay isolated for the next 12 weeks in order to be shielded from the virus, we also want to reassure residents that they will receive the help they need.

County Durham Together has been set up by us to provide people with support, either through established networks of community or volunteer groups, or from the council itself through staff volunteers.

We will be able to help with a number of requests, such as food shopping, deliveries, general help and guidance, or someone who can listen and support.

People are advised to accept help from friends, family and neighbours where possible, but anyone in need of extra support can find a list of local groups on Durham Locate website or fill in our Coronavirus help form on www.durham.gov.uk/covid19help.

Those enquiries will be directed to our virtual council hubs, staffed by AAP workers and council volunteers, who will assess any requests for information and provide appropriate help to residents.

Alternatively, help can be accessed by emailing help@durham.gov.uk or calling 03000 260 260.

Volunteering 

We are also urging anyone willing and able to volunteer to register their interest on our website.                                                        

This will allow workers to match their skills and availability with the needs of residents in their local area and ensure that volunteers as well as the vulnerable access appropriate advice to keep themselves safe.

Local voluntary groups, businesses and other agencies who can offer help in the community are also being encouraged to join the hub to support people in this time of crisis.

People should fill in an online form at www.durham.gov.uk/covid19volunteer or call 03000 260 260.

Once they have registered their interest and their details are verified, their services will be added to our Locate site, where people in need will be able to find their information.

Jo Laverick, the executive director of Durham Community Action, said: "In this rapidly changing climate, it is vital that we all work together to protect our most vulnerable and this community hub will help us to do that. Knowing that help and support is available will go a long way in reassuring residents.

"I would also urge any group or individual who is able to volunteer or is already providing help in their community to register online so we can make best use of our resources and support as many people as possible."

Blackhall Colliery Primary School

We have received queries from key worker parents over the last few days concerned at rumours that Blackhall Colliery Primary School intends to close tomorrow (Friday 27 March) leaving them without childcare arrangements.

Having made enquires with officers at county hall, and following contact with staff at the school, we have been assured that the school has no intention of closing.

Please note below the information received from the school via the education department at county hall:

Good morning Cllr Crute,

I am contacting you in response to your query regarding a possible closure of Blackhall Primary to the children of key workers tomorrow due to a lack of staff.

I have spoken to the Head Teacher who assures me that the school has, at no time, had any plans to stop providing care. She has managed her staff so that they are able to offer this, in line with other schools in County Durham. Plans are also in place to staff the school next week. The Head Teacher has also ensured that a member of the administration team has been in the school during its usual opening hours (8am-4pm) to so that any phone calls or emails can be answered and support offered to parents.  

Please be reassured that the school remains open to the identified groups of children and that the school is working hard to maintain this provision in line with government guidance.

If you have any further question, please do not hesitate to contact me or the school directly.

Best wishes,

Durham County Council’s response to COVID-19 guidance

We have been notified of a press release about to be issued by Durham County Council providing an update on the council’s response to Covid-19 in light of central government guidance.

The press release, which we have reproduced below in full, sets out a number of changes to council services and venues at this moment in time.

Also provided is a link to the council’s coronavirus website which will provide additional details in light of evolving government policy and guidance:

Durham County Council has announced further details of how its services and events are affected in response to government guidance on Coronavirus.

The council is continuously reviewing emerging government advice on how best to stop the spread of COVID-19, and considering how it can maintain essential services to residents in light of this.

The authority yesterday announced the cancellation of next month’s Bishop Auckland Food Festival, with stallholders and those who had bought tickets to receive full refunds.
It has today announced the following further changes to services and events based on the latest guidance:

• All council venues are to shut from close of play today, or not reopen following winter closures, until further notice. These include Durham’s Gala Theatre, the Empire Theatre at Consett, Bishop Auckland Town Hall, Durham Town Hall, Binchester Roman Fort, Bowlees Visitor Centre and Killhope Lead Mining Museum. People who have bought tickets for shows and performances up until the end of May will be contacted to arrange refunds. Gala members will have the period of the closure added to the end of their membership.
• All council leisure centres and libraries are to shut from close of business today until further notice. Leisure centre memberships, including fitness, swimming and swimming lessons, will be frozen for the period of the closure and direct debit payments automatically adjusted while sites are closed. Anyone who has paid up front for any membership, will have the period of the closure added to the end of their membership. The mobile library service will continue to operate and residents can continue to access a range of online library services, including e-books and e- magazines. The council is currently looking at how access to computers currently provided at libraries can be maintained once they close.
• All council events up until the end of April will be cancelled or postponed. Durham Adventure Festival, which was due to take place at the Gala Theatre from 24 to 26 April, has been cancelled. People who have bought tickets will be contacted to arrange refunds.
• The full council meeting scheduled for next Wednesday 26 March will not convene, with all other council meetings cancelled until the end of the month when the situation will be reviewed in light of government guidance.
• The Big Spring Clean litter-picking campaign has been cancelled with a decision to be made on whether events as part of it can take place later in the year.

In addition to the above, the Police and Crime Commissioner election planned for May has already been postponed.

The council is prioritising essential services, including adult and children’s services, refuse collections and support for community and voluntary groups and businesses. Customer access points will continue to be open and provide a service to residents, as are the One Point hubs and family centres. Household waste recycling centres remain open.
The council’s schools are open and following the latest government guidance.

Terry Collins, the council’s chief executive, said: “We are continuously reviewing the guidance from government as it is issued and considering all the services we provide and the events we organise in light of it.

“We have had to take some really difficult decisions but these are based on government advice and out of a desire to protect the health, wellbeing and safety of everyone in the county.

“We are doing our best to ensure the priority services we provide to residents – particularly the most vulnerable such as adults who receive social care and looked after children – are affected as little as possible. Similarly we are doing all we can to support businesses and those who suffer financial hardship, and working with other agencies to co-ordinate volunteering efforts in communities at this difficult time.

“We are looking at whether we need to change how we deliver some services in light of the current situation and will ensure residents are kept fully informed in the fast changing situation.”

Amanda Healy, the council’s director of public health, added: “The decisions we have taken are to assist with the government’s advice that people should reduce unnecessary social contact and to self-isolate if the guidance is that they should.

“We would encourage everyone to follow the advice from Public Health England on how best to protect themselves which includes washing their hands for 20 seconds more often. We understand the impact this is having on our residents’ mental wellbeing and we are increasing support and advice in relation to personal wellbeing and mental health.”

Information about how services and events are affected will be available on the council’s
website at www.durham.gov.uk/coronavirus

Temporary Road Closure at Glenholme Terrace and Leaholme Terrace

We have received notification of a proposed temporary road closure at the junction of the A1086 Coast Road and Cemetery Road, Blackhall Colliery to enable Virgin Media to carry out duct works. Please note the details below:

Durham County Council has been asked to process a temporary road closure for the junction of Coast Road and side Glenholme Tce, Blackhall from 26/03/20 for 2 days for Virgin Media duct works crossing the side road junction.

Residents in the affected area will be notified by letter drop in advance of works being carried out.

Parking at Hesleden Primary School

We were contacted earlier this week by parents and residents concerned about inconsiderate and potentially dangerous parking in the streets around Hesleden Primary School.

We contacted the neighbourhood wardens and local PCSO to ask if they could visit the area at peak times in the mornings and afternoons to advise people parking at these locations of the potential dangers they pose, particularly to children going to and coming from the school. In addition officers from the civil parking enforcement team have confirmed that they are prepared to patrol the area around the school to enforce parking restrictions where necessary. They have issued the following comment:

We have added the area onto our enforcement request list, so civil enforcement officers will visit the area over the coming weeks and issue penalty charge notices to any vehicles seen contravening the parking restrictions in place.

We have also copied in the Major Projects Team Leader, who is responsible for the introduction of parking restrictions.

Finally, we have notified highways engineers of this problem and we’ve asked them to consider the possibility of introducing physical parking constraints and their potential impact if and when required.

The school is also aware of residents’ parking concerns at these locations and we are grateful to the headteacher for her support in seeking a working solution which would benefit parents, staff and children alike.

No one wants to see parking fines issued, but equally neither does anyone want to see our children put at risk by careless or inconsiderate parking. So please make every effort to park safely in areas that do not present a danger to children, their parents and school staff.

Scheduled roadworks in the Blackhall area

We have received notification of the following road works scheduled for the Blackhall area over the next few weeks:

Road No.	Location	Description	Traffic Management	Start Date	End Date	Responsibility
A1086	Middle Street, Blackhall Colliery	Install telecom ducts	2 way lights (9:30am to 3:30pm) Sundays only	15 March	22 March	Virgin Media
A1086	Coast Road, Blackhall Rocks (Leaholme Terrace)	Install telecom ducts	2 way lights (9:30am to 3:30pm)	17 March	19 March	Virgin Media
A1086 / B1281	Coast Road, HesledenRoad, Blackhall Rocks	Install telecom ducts	3 way lights (8:00am to 5:00pm) Sundays only	29 March	5 April

Planning application for 123 new homes in Blackhall Colliery

Following enquiries we made earlier this month with officers in the planning department at county hall we received an update on progress with the planning application received last year seeking permission to build 123 new homes on land to the south of the B1281 in Blackhall Colliery (please see post dated Monday 20 May 2019 for background details).

The planning case officer has now told us that the planning department is awaiting additional information from the applicant (relating to improved design). Further, if this information is received in time the case officer is hoping to put the applicant’s proposals before the planning committee next month for consideration and decision.

We will continue to track progress with this issue and we'll keep you up to date with developments as we are notified of them. In the meantime if you would like to submit your comments on this proposal please go to the council's planning portal at publicaccess.durham.gov.uk and use the planning reference number DM/19/01230/FPA to link to the relevant consultation and comments section.

Roadworks scheduled for the Blackhall area

We have been notified of the following roadworks scheduled to take place soon in the Blackhall area:

Road No.	Location	Description	Traffic Management	Start Date	End Date	Responsibility
A1086	Coast Road, Blackhall Colliery	Street lighting works	2 way lights (9:30am to 3:00pm)	11 March	11 March	Durham County Council
A1086	Middle Street, Blackhall Colliery	Install telecom ducts	2 way lights (9:30am to 3:30pm) Sundays only	15 March	22 March	Virgin Media
A1086	Coast Road, Blackhall Rocks (Leaholme Terrace)	Install telecom ducts	2 way lights (9:30am to 3:30pm)	17 March	19 March	Virgin Media
A1086 / B1281	Coast Road, Hesleden Road, Blackhall Rocks	Install telecom ducts	3 way lights (8:00am to 5:00pm) Sundays only	29 March	5 April

Community Action Team to carry out environmental improvements in Blackhall Colliery

We received confirmation this week from Durham County Council that the Community Action Team (CAT) will be returning to Blackhall Colliery for three months from April this year. 

The CAT initiative, which follows on from the team’s most recent visit to the village a few years ago, is time-limited and focuses on carrying out environmental improvements in a single defined area (please see posts dated Sunday 10 January 2016 and Tuesday 19 January 2016 for background details and the post dated Thursday 17 March 2016 for an example of the type of improvements carried out by the team).

The notification we received from the CAT, including the proposed coverage, format and scope of the project, is set out below: 

The Community Action Team is currently planning our next project in Blackhall Colliery from 21 April until 5 July 2020.  This will be an 11 week project to tackle local housing and environmental issues. It covers approximately 550 properties in Blackhall Colliery. This includes the numbered streets, Middle Street and East Street. Most of these are terraced housing, many of which are privately let:

• The initiative will begin with two weeks of engagement/priority setting.  At that time we will speak to community groups and residents to gage current concerns and involve the Community in setting priorities for the action weeks. 

• Following this we will agree a strategy with partners prior to holding seven weeks of action. During the action weeks there will be weekly walkabouts, project work and the team will attend community meetings. 

• The final two weeks will be focused on our exit strategy where we review the work undertaken and feedback to all relevant parties.

We are currently pulling together the programme for the period and will be in touch in the coming weeks with further information.  Would it be possible to hold our partner meetings in the resource centre on the following dates:

• Tuesday 21 April, from 10am to 12 noon

• Thursday 30 April, from 10am to 12 noon

• Thursday 25 June, from 10am to 12noon

In the meantime, please let us know your thoughts on:

• Whether the proposed focus area (enclosed with the green line) tackles the key streets or concern, or whether there are other streets which you think would benefit more from the CAT’s intervention – we are currently looking at a focus area of around 550 properties
• Contact details of all people you think could have an interest in the scheme?  We have started speaking with the Police, Fire Service, Wardens, Strategic Waste, Planning, Housing, Groundwork, Councillors and Community groups mapped by the AAP.
• Any particular concerns in the area that you would like us to target;

We welcome the team’s involvement in the areas set above but we have asked them if they would consider extending the boundary of the scheme to cover additional locations nearby. Bearing in mind that the team is hoping to keep the project area at a manageable level of 550 properties we are hoping to persuade them to include School Avenue, West Street Cottages, Corry Close and Chicken’s Green.

We are currently drawing up a list of potential environmental improvement schemes for the team to consider, and there will be an opportunity for residents and community groups to have their say too during the consultation stages of the initiative. In the meantime we will keep you up to date with progress and developments as they arise.

Traffic lights on Hesleden Road & Middle Street

This is a reminder that there will be four-way traffic control lights in Blackhall Colliery today to enable telecom duct works to be carried out on Hesleden Road and Middle Street:

A1086 / C82

Middle Street, Hesleden Road, Blackhall Colliery

Install telecom ducts

4 way lights (9:00am to 4:30pm)

1 March

1 March

Virgin Media