Sunday 10 January 2021

Footpath repairs update: A1086 Blackhall Rocks to Crimdon

Last year I published an update on pathway repair requests in our patch (please see post dated Tuesday 20 October 2020 for background details). 

Most requests for restructuring or resurfacing works have been met, with repairs carried out in many locations including:

  • on Mickle Road between Blackhall Rocks and High Hesleden
  • sections of the pathway between High Hesleden and Hesleden
  • between the railway bridge at Station Road and the picnic area at Blackhall Rocks
  • at Eden Cottages in Hesleden and 
  • at the structurally damaged pathway opposite South Blackhalls Farm on the Coast Road at Blackhall Rocks.

However repair works along one particular stretch of pathway on the A1086 Coast Road between Blackhall Rocks and The Seagull could not be completed. Along with the parish clerk I continued to press the highways office for works to be carried out at this location as soon as possible, partly because of the atrocious condition of the pathway surface and also because we felt it was essential to bring this stretch of pathway up to standard before the next summer season got underway, and in advance of the opening of the new Crimdon Hub later this year (please see posts dated Wednesday 14 October 2020 and Saturday 21 November 2020 for details of the Crimdon Hub and other schemes along the Durham Coast).

Consequently we were pleased to receive confirmation from the highways office last week that repair works to this stretch of pathway are to be prioritised for the coming year’s works programme - scheduled to commence in the spring. I’ll update on progress with this scheme closer to the start date, but in the meantime this is the confirmation we received from the highways office:

Good Morning Cllr Crute


We have now assessed this section of footway (Blackhall Rocks to the Seagull PH) and agree that it requires a capital maintenance scheme to resurface it. Therefore it will be added to our 2021/22 programme of works which will begin to be constructed on-site from the April 2021.


I appreciate your comments regarding the new hub and visitors so we will endeavour to make this scheme one of the ones we tackle at the start of the works programme.