New Rail Station at Horden opens up opportunities for East Durham

Yesterday our neighbours over in Horden marked the opening of a fantastic new rail station in their village, and we all have good reason to celebrate along with them because of the opportunities the station brings to the whole of East Durham.

The opening event itself was unavoidably a somewhat subdued affair because of the social distancing measures put in place in response to the Covid-19 pandemic, but nonetheless it was a landmark day for the people of East Durham who have embraced the new development with the enthusiasm it deserves.

Since the first train passed through Horden early yesterday morning I've received a number of queries from residents asking about how the plans for the new station came into being and what the new station means for the communities of East Durham.

Eight years ago I published an article on this site setting out the background to how Horden station came about, and how a small number of East Durham councillors from Blackhall, Horden, Easington and Peterlee got together in county hall back in 2010 to kick-start the campaign to establish a new rail station for East Durham (please see post dated Monday 23 January 2012 for details).

I've reproduced my 2012 article in full below for ease of access:

Monday, 23 January 2012

East Durham Rail Station

Funding has been made available in the Durham County Council's capital programme for a new rail station in East Durham.

Whilst I remain firmly in favour of a station at Blackhall we must consider this in the context of previous discussions at county hall which resulted in the council's current position of supporting a station at nearby Horden.

In October 2010 members from East Durham tabled separate proposals for a station in East Durham. I put forward a strong case for a station at Blackhall on economic and environmental grounds. This was based on the existing infrastructure at the former rail halt site near to the Navy Club on East Street. A bridge remains in place connecting the north and south bound lines and there is the obvious advantage of direct access to the Durham Heritage Coast. I also emphasised the importance of integrated public transport opportunities given the close proximity of connecting bus and road links to neighbouring towns and villages.

It was accepted that a new station at Blackhall supported a strong catchment area for potential passenger numbers and also offered a clear opportunity for people in the village and surrounding settlements to access public transport on employment and leisure grounds. The benefits to the retail sector in the village were equally obvious.

However the council recommended that if a station was to be sited in East Durham Horden should be the preferred site for similar reasons. It seems the clinching argument for this recommendation was the immediate availability of land near to the proposed site at Horden which held out the opportunity for development and expansion for further infrastructure works, including public car parking and bus links.

Since this development I have contacted Network Rail and the Strategic Rail Authority to support the inclusion of a rail station in East Durham and again I drew attention to the opportunities offered by rail facilities at Blackhall on regeneration grounds as set out above.

At the moment a new station in East Durham remains an aspiration for Network Rail and the county council and whilst I recognise the obvious benefits regardless of its position I still feel strongly that a new rail station at Blackhall can and should be supported.

To mark yesterday's event Durham County Council issued the following press release setting out the potential benefits the new rail station in Horden offers to the whole of East Durham:


The first scheduled train stopped at the new Horden station this morning (Monday, 29 June), marking the entry into service of the £10.55 million development near Peterlee.

Located on South East View, the station links the east of the county into the local, regional and national rail network and will support the wider regeneration of the area.

The development is a joint project between us, Network Rail, Northern and Story Contracting and is being funded by the council, with an additional £4.4 million from the Department of Transport's New Stations Fund and a grant from the North East Local Enterprise Partnership.

Major economic boost

Rail industry projections suggest the station will see more than 70,000 passengers each year, once social distancing measures are lifted.

Cllr Simon Henig, Leader of the council, said: "It has been a long-held ambition to have a station at Horden so, after a number of years of hard work and commitment by ourselves and our partners, it's fantastic that we have now welcomed the first train and the first passengers.

"This new facility will open up significant opportunities for communities across east Durham, by providing a direct transport link to Teesside, Wearside and Tyneside. And, of course, it will also make it easier for people from outside the area to travel to the east of the county, whether for business or pleasure.

"It is going to provide a major economic boost to the county and I'm sure residents and businesses will be keen to take advantage."

Ministerial support

Transport Secretary and Northern Powerhouse Minister Grant Shapps, who visited the site at the beginning of the year, said: "Our ambitious plans to restore and revitalise the railways of the North East sits at the heart of our commitment to level up infrastructure across the country, build a railway that works for everyone, and kickstart our economy as we begin the recovery from Covid-19.

"I've seen first-hand how the new Horden Station will improve connectivity for thousands of people, easing congestion in Durham and enabling quick, convenient travel between Newcastle and Middlesbrough."

Simon Clarke MP, Minister for Regional Growth and Local Government said: "We want to improve connectivity across the North East in all its forms as part of our mission to level up every part of our country.

"The opening of Horden station is an important step for the local community - bringing new opportunities for people and businesses across County Durham. It's a great example of how our multi-billion-pound Local Growth Fund is ensuring that essential, local projects get the backing they need."

Opening event postponed

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the official opening event for the station has been postponed and will take place when it is safe for it to do so.

Passengers using Horden Station are reminded of government guidance to consider all other forms of transport before using public transport. They are also reminded that everyone using public transport in England must wear a face covering unless they are exempt.

Anyone without a legitimate reason to visit the station may be refused access in order to ensure the safety of staff and passengers.

Helen Golightly, Chief Executive of the North East Local Enterprise Partnership (North East LEP), said: "Improved travel connections open up both leisure, employment and business opportunities which is why we were keen to support the development of Horden Rail Station by investing £3.34m of Local Growth Fund funding.

"We look forward to passengers and local communities and economies reaping the benefits this new station will bring."

Improved connections

Kieran Dunkin, principal programme sponsor for Network Rail, said: "We're absolutely delighted that Horden station is now open for passengers.

"The station is vital to help support the communities and economies which our railway serves and will provide improved connections across the region, opening up both leisure and employment opportunities.

"This has been a great example of partnership working and we look forward to passengers reaping the benefits of this much needed project."

Tony Baxter, regional director at Northern, said: "It's fantastic to see a new station in County Durham and a real honour to be the first custodians of the facility.

"Our regular services between Tyneside and Teesside will provide people in and around Horden with new commuting and leisure possibilities and will provide the opportunity for further economic growth.

"Northern is extremely proud to have worked in partnership to deliver this station and we look forward to welcoming new customers onto our network with Horden now a gateway not only to the rest of the north east, but the whole of the north of England."

Selective Licensing Scheme: Full Details

Last week I published an article on this site about an extension to the county council's consultation exercise on its proposed Selective Licensing Scheme (SLS) which is intended to help the council and other agencies to tackle a range of issues associated with housing in the private rented sector (please see post dated Monday 22 June 2020 for details). 

Since then I've been contacted quite a few times by residents interested in how the scheme is meant work, who will be affected and what it is intended to change so I've published below all available details from the council’s website, along with links to additional information that residents might find useful.

The full text is shown in this article and the link below will take you directly to the county council's website and all relevant documents:

http://www.durham.gov.uk/article/22640/Consultation-on-licensing-of-privately-rented-homes-in-some-areas-of-the-county

www.durham.gov.uk

We are proposing to introduce selective licensing into the county to help to improve the standard of privately rented properties.

All our public events scheduled for May have been cancelled due to the Covid-19. We are committed to carrying out a meaningful consultation and we will provide further information on how we will do this shortly.

The closing date for comments is Sunday 2 August 2020.

Background

We have been given powers by government to bring in selective licensing schemes for areas of privately rented housing where there is one or more of the following:

• low demand for housing
• a significant and persistent problem caused by anti-social behaviour
• poor property conditions
• high levels of migration
• high levels of deprivation
• high levels of crime

We are committed to improving the quality and management of privately rented properties within the County. We believe that selective licensing will allow us to make the improvements to housing and communities, along with our Private Landlord Accreditation Scheme and homelessness and housing strategies.

Find out more about selective licensing.

What we are proposing

From the data we have collected, we are proposing to introduce a licensing scheme in a number of identified areas across the county where we believe one or more of the conditions are met. This would cover approximately 51,000 properties.

The evidence report includes detailed technical data, area profiles (why some areas are in or out of the scheme), the proposed conditions and fees.

• Selective licensing - evidence report (PDF, 2.5mb)
• Selective licensing - area profiles (PDF, 492.9kb)
• Selective licensing - proposed fees (PDF, 100.0kb)
• Selective licensing - proposed licensing conditions (PDF, 200.2kb)
• Selective licensing - supporting statistical and geographical information (PDF, 692.3kb)

How it may affect you

• landlords: will need to apply and pay for a licence of approximately £500 for each residential property they rent out in each designated area, and show they have adequate management arrangements in place, are a fit and proper person, follow the licence conditions, and help to deal with anti-social behaviour in their properties. The licence is renewable every five years, and if they don't have a licence or breach the licence conditions, they could be fined or taken to court.
• tenants: if the rental property is in one of the proposed areas, the landlord will need to apply and pay for a licence and ensure your property is well managed
• communities: well managed and maintained housing should lead to a reduction in anti-social behaviour and improvements for local communities

Licensing conditions

Every licence must contain certain mandatory conditions and we can include additional conditions. These are:

• mandatory licence conditions (eg gas safety, electrical appliances and furniture safety, smoke and carbon monoxide detection, tenancy agreements and references)
• conditions around the tenancy management (eg tenancy deposits, access to property, rent payments and documentation)  
• conditions around property management (examples include ensuring the property is safe, secure and maintained, energy performance, and removal of waste)
• conditions around complaints of anti-social behaviour

Which areas are covered under the proposals

You can either use a map or a spreadsheet to look up which areas are being proposed. If you are having problems using them, please contact us for further help.

Selective licensing map

Find out if your postcode might be in a selective licensing area.

• Selective licensing area lookup (XLS, 2.6mb)

Have your say

• selective licensing consultation form
• contact us for a paper copy of the consultation pack

We are investigating extra ways of consulting, to make sure we are carrying out a meaningful consultation and we will provide further information shortly.

Next steps

We will look at the feedback and the results, and make a decision on whether to go ahead with a selective licensing scheme. If this is to happen, we need to agree the area boundaries and submit a business case to the Secretary of State for approval.

Pathway Repair Requests Update

Regular readers of these pages, and followers of the Blackhall-Make a Difference Facebook page, will be well aware of my persistent requests for repairs to be carried out to three particularly badly damaged footpaths in and around Hesleden, Blackhall Rocks and Crimdon (please go to the post dated Tuesday 26 May 2020 for the latest details).

The condition of the pavements between Blackhall Rocks and High Hesleden, Blackhall Rocks and Crimdon and around Eden Cottages in Hesleden are particularly badly affected (I've received three separate complaints this week alone about the poor condition of the pathway surface between Blackhall Rocks and Crimdon).

Every time I've received a complaint from residents about the condition of pathways in our area I've submitted a request to the council for an inspection and for repairs to be carried out where required. I've been advised on each occasion by highways engineers at county hall that only those pathways considered by codified standards to be dangerous will be recommended for full structural repairs, while others may qualify for surface treatments, depending on condition.

This is a process led by national guidelines, it is followed by all highways authorities and it establishes a consistent approach to highways maintenance works. Where necessary however, when my requests for repairs have been declined, I've challenged the engineers' decision. Sometimes as a result they reverse their decision, but sometimes they don’t. You win some, you lose some.

However, the pathways referred to above are in such poor condition that I felt it necessary a few weeks ago to invite a highways inspector to visit the area to see them for themselves, and also to meet with me afterwards to see if we can find a way forward. He agreed to come to Blackhall and after he'd been out on site to carry out his inspections he met with me and the parish clerk at the Resource Centre (socially distanced of course).

To cut a long story short the highways inspector has agreed to consider recommending a range of works at a number of the locations mentioned above. We are hopeful that repairs to the worst affected areas will be included in this year's works programme, but we won't know for certain until the highways inspector's report has been 'through the system'.

I'll update on progress as soon as I have a final report from the highways section at county hall. In the meantime, if you have concerns about these or other pathways in and around our villages please report them to the council at www.durham.gov.uk 

Housing issues in Blackhall Colliery

I’ve been made aware of a number of comments made on social media recently, many of them relating to housing matters in the private-rented sector in Blackhall Colliery. Some comments appear to be born of sheer frustration, and that’s understandable in light of long-term issues with some private sector properties in the Colliery area. Those issues have become even more apparent during the current Covid-19 pandemic period when most public services have been effectively forced to close down. 

However, there have also been a few misunderstandings (and more than a few deliberate misrepresentations) about how properties in the private-rented sector in Blackhall Colliery are owned, managed and let.

In response to those residents who have taken the time to contact me directly with their comments and queries I’ve explained that Durham County Council is not a housing authority. It does not offer homes to rent. As a direct consequence DCC has no role in vetting prospective tenants before they move into private rented properties in the village. To make matters worse, the council has only very limited powers at the moment in addressing problems associated with irresponsible private sector landlords, the condition of their properties or the conduct of their tenants.

However, the council is currently holding a public consultation exercise on its intention to introduce a county-wide Selective Licensing Scheme (SLS) which is intended to address that anomaly and bring some much needed regulation to the private-rented sector (please see post dated Monday 22 June 2020 for the latest details). There have been one or two delays during the process, caused most recently by Covid-19 restrictions, and these are largely beyond the control of the council. When I first raised the prospect of a SLS at a PACT meeting in 2018 I was warned by housing officers at the time that there was a rigid statutory process to be followed and that progression towards implementing a SLS would be complex, arduous and time consuming - and that has certainly proved to be the case (please see posts dated Tuesday 15 May 2018 and Friday 17 May 2019 for background information).

One or two comments on social media recently have made specific reference to an address in Hepscott Avenue. This generated a number of comments which require a response to set the record straight. I contacted the housing office at county hall some time ago to ask for clarity on the background to this particular property. This is the response I received by return:

With regard to Nacro taking the property in Hepscott Avenue, unfortunately the Council has no jurisdiction over where they operate their business from. We do try to work with companies offering this type of accommodation to try to ensure that they have as little impact on the communities where they are situated as possible. The Private Rented Sector team did speak with Nacro about incidents at this property earlier this year and were not aware of any further incidents being reported since then.

Some additional comments posted recently on social media suggest there is still some confusion about who to contact when there are crime, anti-social or environmental issues in the community. I have reproduced below the guidance received from the authorities:

In relation to reporting incidents, anything of a criminal nature should be reported to the Police on 101 (non-urgent) or 999 (emergency). Residents reporting ASB should do so either by accessing ‘Make a Complaint’ via the DCC website at www.durham.gov.uk or by telephoning Customer Services on 03000 260 000 who will report it via the CRM system. Fly-tipping or rubbish in yards should also be reported via Customer Services and will be directed to the Wardens, and any abandoned/empty properties causing a blight on the neighbourhood should be reported to the Empty Homes team at EmptyHomes@durham.gov.uk

If residents prefer of course I’m always happy to help wherever possible and I can be contacted direct at: rob.crute@durham.gov.uk