Following a number of unavoidable delays, caused primarily by issues associated with pandemic restrictions, the new Crimdon Hub - now known formally as Dunes - is scheduled to open to the public on Monday 14 February.
Construction on site began 15 months ago - full background details can be found here: https://robcrute-blackhall.blogspot.com/2020/10/crimdon-coastal-hub-start-date-confirmed.html?m=1
Stacey and I met up recently with officers from the council and from the Durham Heritage Coast Partnership to take a look around the new facilities and also pick up a number of ongoing issues at Crimdon, including improved access to the beach for visitors and other outstanding access issues on behalf of the horse-riding community.
From the comments I’ve received lately there’s virtually universal agreement among the general public that Dunes is a fantastic new public facility for Crimdon, but as with most issues there continue to be different and often conflicting ideas about what Crimdon should look like in the future, how it should develop and ultimately what type of destination should be on offer.
On the principle that the strongest consensus tends to be built on a combination of reliable evidence and broad public support it would seem sensible that an inclusive, well-researched development plan should guide the way forward. To set the scene it would be helpful to have an assessment of the current position at Crimdon, alongside an appraisal of what might be realistically achieved under the prevailing circumstances.
Although it’s largely owned and maintained by the council Crimdon belongs to the people so I think any future plans should enjoy the broad support of the general public. With that in mind I would hope that once things get properly underway the process used in deciding priorities will be open and inclusive. Specifically I’ve suggested that addressing public access issues at key points in and around Crimdon should be an urgent priority.
And finally, now that the days are gradually getting longer, Stacey and I will look again at how we can continue to support traders at Crimdon in sorting out their trading and land occupation licences.
Apparently this is a matter that has affected traders at a number of locations throughout the county and along the Durham coast - and it’s one that could and should have been much better handled by some departments within the council whose insensitive handling of this issue has created a problem that didn’t previously exist. However, we’ll pick up this issue where we left off at the end of last summer and do whatever we can to help. Background details can be found here: https://robcrute-blackhall.blogspot.com/2021/09/traders-at-blackhall-rocks-and-crimdon.html
This is an edited section of a broader-themed article published last week on this these pages.