Campaign to tidy up derelict land in Middle Street shifts focus

Regular readers of these pages will be well aware that for some time I’ve been pressing the authorities to do whatever they can to coerce the owner of the abandoned patch of land in Middle Street to either keep it tidy or secure it against trespass. This follows several complaints received over the months and years from residents, businesses and visitors alike that the land is an eyesore and is attracting fly-tipping - with obvious consequences. 

Background details can be found in the following articles (each one contains additional links to past articles on this site)

Saturday 14 January 2023 https://robcrute-blackhall.blogspot.com/2023/01/round-up-of-local-issues-14-january-2023.html and

Monday 5 December 2022 https://robcrute-blackhall.blogspot.com/2022/12/derelict-private-land-on-middle-street.html

Despite a long-running tussle with the appropriate authorities, officers in the planning enforcement team insist they have no powers to direct the owner of the land to comply with its request to have it cleared and made safe. This is the latest update received last week:

Good afternoon Rob

Further to your recent query regarding the subject land, unfortunately the state of the land does not warrant Section 215 action. The local planning authority has no powers in relation to fly-tipping and therefore you may wish to contact the council’s fly-tipping team direct regarding this matter.

In addition, we are unable to insist that the landowner encloses the land to the rear. However, as a duty of care, I have written to the land owner requesting that he makes improvements to the site and also advised that he erect some form of boundary enclosure in attempt to eradicate future fly-tipping, subject to planning legislation.

As you have received reports of vermin on the land, I referred this aspect to Environmental Health colleagues to investigate, however they have referred the matter to Customer Services for Pest Control to investigate.

In response I have now had to change the direction of the campaign by writing to the public protection department at county hall with a request they do whatever they can to bring this abandoned land back up to a decent standard.

Longer-term readers of these pages will recall that a few years ago, following a time-limited, targeted campaign by the council’s Community Action Team the land was cleared and the side facing the library was made secure with new fencing. The open land on the other side - edging on to the public footpath on Middle Street - was also made secure against it falling into the street. This shows what can be achieved when private land owners - and the public authorities where necessary - work together to carry out improvements in our villages. 

However, through wilful neglect all that good work from a few years ago has been undone, leaving the land once again a public eyesore and a topic of conversation for local residents and visitors coming into our village.

My opinion and my intentions are both straight forward. If the land was secure against trespass just a few years ago it can be brought back up to a decent standard today. All it needs is local determination to put things right, alongside the goodwill of the landowner and the authorities working together to make this happen.

I’ll continue to press for as long as it takes to bring this land back up to standard our residents and businesses deserve.

Durham’s Tory-led Coalition rejects another opportunity to scrap Council Tax

Apart from the odd Tory and Lib Dem - and perhaps a handful of people too wealthy to care one way or the other - an overwhelming majority of people in County Durham think the Council Tax system is unfair and outdated. They tell us they want change.

So in the hope of actually doing something about the iniquity of the Council Tax system I tabled a motion on behalf of the County Durham Labour Group at Wednesday’s full council meeting asking all members of the council to consider an alternative system and support a move towards a Proportional Property Tax (PPT) while at the same time scrapping a council tax system that benefits the Tory heartlands in the home counties at the expense of poorer areas like County Durham. 

More details on PPT can be found on the ‘Fairer Share’ website in this link: https://fairershare.org.uk/proportional-property-tax/

I’d tabled an almost identical motion back in December 2021 asking all members of the council to join the 'Fairer Share' campaign to scrap Council Tax and adopt a fairer system based on a property’s actual value and a resident’s ability to pay. As expected the Tory-led Coalition in control of the council amended the motion rendering it virtually meaningless.

Unfortunately, in typical Tory and Lib Dem style, members of both parties came together last Wednesday to hijack Labour’s proposal and amend it again to read that they would look instead at ‘a fairer system’. Fair enough some might say, at least it’s a move in the right direction. Unfortunately it isn’t a move anywhere because since that meeting back in December 2021 the Tories, Lib Dems and ‘Independents’ in Coalition have sat on their hands and have done absolutely nothing at all to move towards scrapping the council tax regime and replacing it with a fairer system.

The reason for this is straight forward. Tories love Council Tax because it benefits their wealthy voters in the Tory-voting heartlands of places like Surrey, Wokingham, Berkshire and the leafy suburbs in the south and south-east of England. 

Sadly for us the Tory-led coalition in county hall managed to convince their Lib Dem collaborators and several so-called 'Independent' supporters on Durham County Council to stand four-square behind them again in defence of their Tory heartlands.

That’s why I re-introduced the idea again to full council last Wednesday - to give the Coalition another chance to come clean about their past failures - and then actually do what they’d promised to do over a year ago. 

This is the motion I tabled:

‘The current Council Tax system is iniquitous and remains unfit for purpose, even more so at a time when many households across County Durham are struggling to make ends meet under the persistent pressures of the ongoing cost of living crisis.

A motion adopted by this council in 2021 to consider options in introducing a fairer system to replace Council Tax has failed to deliver any discernible benefit to the residents of County Durham.

Therefore this council agrees to pursue every available opportunity to consider the benefits and feasibility of introducing a Proportional Property Tax to replace the current Council Tax regime in County Durham.’

I introduced the idea behind this motion by describing the inequities in the current system, and suggesting that as a council we should be looking at the benefits and feasibility of replacing Council Tax with Proportional Property Tax and then by joining the 'Fairer Share' campaign come together with other councils across the country to demand that the government scrap the Council Tax regime and move to a fairer system of raising local revenue - bearing in mind of course that Council Tax really only exists these days to replace the money removed from local communities and councils during 12 years of brutal central government austerity (by pure coincidence, austerity was another scam cooked up by the Tories and Lib Dems in national coalition back in 2010 as a way to syphon cash out of working-class areas into wealthier Tory-run areas elsewhere).

These are the notes I referred to when I spoke on the motion last week:

Tabled an almost identical motion at full council back in December 2021

Amended by the Coalition. Since then nothing changed. More than a year wasted while our residents suffer the consequences

Most of us would agree that CT is outdated and unfair – especially to those in towns and villages like our own in County Durham where the burden of Council Tax falls disproportionately on already hard-pressed households. 

 

More the case today than ever before:

• additional pressures of the current cost of living crisis
• high inflation
• soaring energy prices and punishing Tory government austerity which continues to remove funding from public services and local councils like our own here in County Durham

Governments have had over 30 years to reform the CT system - none have taken that opportunity - suggesting the system is beyond reform

 

Just two realistic options left: we either plough on regardless - or we seek to find a better way of doing things – a way that puts the needs of families and communities in County Durham before relatively wealthy local authorities in Southern England where Council Tax reaps a significantly higher return than here in Durham.

 

The first option benefits no one, suggesting that we need to consider the benefits of introducing a Proportional Property Tax: 

• a fairer system that relieves the hardest hit of the heaviest burden
• reduces housing market inequalities
• frees-up homes to those who need them most
• a system that actually puts money into people’s pockets and 
• kick-starts local economies

Something that is so badly needed: ‘levelling-up’ agenda proved a scam and can be summed-up in the form of half a bypass at Toft Hill

Michael Gove: County Durham will receive not a ha’penny in so-called ‘levelling-up’ cash while London and the South-East rake it in - whole system rigged to benefit Tory areas

 

Don’t intend to set out the individual benefits of a PPT system in detail at this stage. Instead focus on the core principles of a Proportional Property Tax

• Property tax should be based on actual property wealth: the burden should be shared proportionately
• It should be simple to understand, easy to administer and hard to avoid
• It should be fair, with wealthier regions supporting poorer ones and
• it should relate to a household’s ability to pay 

Benefits nationally:

• Households would be better off - 75% paying less tax
• £bns would be saved by council tax payers outside London - a huge boost to our local communities and economies
• Households would be taken out of property tax entirely because the obligation to pay falls to the landlord rather than the tenant
• House buyers would no longer have to pay Stamp Duty
• An increase in GDP and
• 1000's of homes would be released to the market, freeing up homes for younger people and those who need them most

Accept at this stage that the current system is unfair, and that change is necessary

Agree that the benefits of a fairer PPT system far outweigh the current burden of the Council Tax regime

Work together with government and any external agency necessary to make change happen for the benefit of our local services and communities – and more importantly for the benefit of the residents of County Durham

 

Next month council tax demand for the coming year is probably around a 5% increase (up from 3% last year). 

 

It doesn’t have to be like this. We actually can do something about it. We know the council can’t impose a PPT policy by itself. What we are asking for is that the council supports the national campaign to fight for a better, fairer system.

Let’s see how many of us here want to see real change - and how many are quite content to go along with an unfair and iniquitous council tax system that serves relatively wealthy, Tory-run councils in the south of England far better than it does our own hard pressed households here in County Durham.

There are no surprises for guessing what came next; the Tories, Lib Dems and so-called ‘Independents’ got together once more to render the motion almost meaningless by suggesting we shouldn’t be looking at a PPT - we should be researching the benefits offered by all potential alternatives (not one specific example was offered). This is precisely the same approach adopted by the Coalition back in December 2021 when they first kicked our proposal into the long grass, hoping that the problem would just go away. 

Since then nothing has happened. Nothing has changed. And they want it to stay that way.

So if there's one single message to take away from Wednesday’s full council meeting it's this: if you think the Council Tax regime benefits richer areas over poorer ones, if you think it's unfair and outdated and should be replaced by a system better suited to the needs of working-class people and their communities - then don’t bother asking the Tories and Lib Dems on Durham County Council to do anything about it. They’re quite happy with the current system that keeps their wealthy voters in the south happy at our expense here in County Durham. 

They’re not at all interested in ‘doing’. They much prefer ‘dodging’.

We gave them another chance last week to show that they actually care about the ongoing cost of living crisis created by their own government in Downing Street and the impact it’s having on our residents and their communities. But they blew it again. 

Once more they buried their heads in the sand, hoping the problem would simply disappear. In doing so they've proved themselves incapable of grasping the impact the financial crisis currently engulfing our hard-pressed residents is having on our people and communities in County Durham - and worse still, even when we've offered a way out, they've dodged the opportunity to do something about it. 

County Durham deserves better.

Owner has plans for Chimneys Hotel on East Street

A few weeks ago I published an article on these pages about a potential new use for the Chimneys Hotel on East Street which has stood empty for some time now. Please see the article here for background information: https://robcrute-blackhall.blogspot.com/2023/01/chimneys-in-east-street-blackhall.html

As a follow up to that article I received confirmation this morning from the planning department that the owner of the property has submitted a planning application seeking to change the use of the building. Surrounding occupants and other consultees will be notified soon prior to a period of statutory public consultation.

The following application has been received in your Ward. Further details including the link to the application are contained in the attached document.

Application No:  DM/23/00095/FPA

Proposal:  Change of use of existing Hotel to a C2 use for Supported Living Accommodation for 10 people with a learning disability or autism and associated staff office

Address:  116 East Street Blackhall Colliery Hartlepool TS27 4HA 

If you have any comments to make about this proposal please contact the planning office using the link shown below.

Please use the application number DM/23/00095/FPA when submitting your comments: https://www.durham.gov.uk/article/8276/View-and-comment-on-current-planning-applications

Damaged footpath on Crimdon bank

Last Thursday Stacey and I had quite a busy morning at our latest ward surgery held in the Parish Offices (formerly known as the Resource Centre). It was great to see so many residents come along to see us and tell us about their concerns.

Most of the issues we covered with residents related to illegal and inconsiderate parking in a few locations throughout the village - especially in Middle Street and at the Hesleden Road junction with the A1086 Coast Road. These matters are already being dealt with as set out in recent articles on this site. Full details can be found here: https://robcrute-blackhall.blogspot.com/2023/01/round-up-of-local-issues-14-january-2023.html

Following additional concerns expressed at the ward surgery on Thursday morning we’ve also passed a number of highways related issues on Station Road in Blackhall Rocks to the authorities for their attention.

However we were told by one resident about the potential recurrence of a flooding issue on Crimdon bank. A public footpath between the north-bound bus shelter and Evergreen Park is prone to flooding in some parts. In addition the pathway has become worn away and narrowed in some locations, partly by erosion but also because of vegetation overgrowth on either side.

Works carried out to prevent flooding from the land above and behind the bus shelter was carried out some time ago, so we’ve asked for a drainage engineer to re-inspect the area to see if they can identify the source of the water in this instance - and then do whatever is necessary to stop it off. 

We were also told that pedestrians were having to walk into the road to get past some of the obstructions on the pathway so we’ve asked for the footpath to be cleared of debris and overgrowth so that residents and visitors are able use it safely without having to step into a very busy Coast Road.

I’ll update on progress with this and other issues, but in the meantime if you have anything you would like us to know about please get in touch at: rob.crute@durham.gov.uk or stacey.deinali@durham.gov.uk 

Update on Friday’s flood at Primrose Court

Yesterday I wrote about a flooding incident at Primrose Court in Blackhall Colliery. Please see details in the article here: https://robcrute-blackhall.blogspot.com/2023/01/flooding-incident-at-primrose-court.html

Thankfully the damage to the interior of the building was minimal, with the corridors and ceilings rather than the individual living spaces affected by water ingress. 

However I assured residents and their families yesterday that I would keep them up to date with developments as soon as I had more information from Believe Housing following their assessment of the situation. 

Last night I received an update from the Director of neighbourhoods at Believe Housing and I’ve published it below in full: 

Evening Councillors,

I am just dropping you a note to make you aware that we have been dealing with an incident at Primrose Court in relation to a major burst that happened late this afternoon. (Cllr Crute I know you are already aware of this following your visit to site)

We have had staff on site who have been supporting customers , clearing damage and repairing the pipework to re-instate the heating to the building and surrounding properties which we have done. Damage has been predominantly to the corridors and the ceilings within one part of the scheme.

In relation to the current position I would advise as follows:

The building is safe with the debris removed and temporary lighting in one part which was damaged

We have a security guard on site up until Tuesday should there be any issues

Bottled Water has been supplied and is on site with replenishment over the weekend by our staff

All residents (with the exception of 4 have been contacted but these are in hand)

Lifts are operational

There are 50 portable heaters on site should there be an issue over the weekend

De-humidifiers to the corridor will be in place tomorrow and we will de vacuuming the corridor to further remove water at this time

Only 1 customer has been moved to the guest room due to water ingress to her flat adjacent to the burst

In terms of rectification:

The part will be available and delivered with site attendance 8am Monday and water will be re-instated at the latest Tuesday after the appropriate repair and water hygiene checks

Staff will be on site again on Monday to review the position and deal with the insurance related matters to put repairs in hand with the loss adjuster

Customers will be further contacted on Monday

This has been an extremely unfortunate incident and we have had a large number of staff on site and we have done what we can at this stage. We will return on Monday but our emergency staff are aware of the situation and the Duty Manager has attended this evening and will ensure matters are in hand over the weekend.

I am sorry that this has happened but I hope that you are happy with the update and appreciate that the team on site have done as much as possible given the circumstances. My Neighbourhood Manager will co-ordinate things with the team on Monday

Best Regards

I’m expecting an additional update early next week and I’ll publish details as soon as I receive it. In the meantime if you have any concerns about this incident please let me know at: rob.crute@durham.gov.uk and I’ll do whatever I can to help.

Flooding incident at Primrose Court

I took a phone call earlier this afternoon alerting me to what was reported to be a flooding issue at Primrose Court in Blackhall Colliery. 

I had a walk round to the estate to see for myself what had happened and when I got there it was obvious there had been some kind of flood in the building, with the cause not immediately clear. Thankfully workers and officers from Believe Housing were already on site dealing with the situation.

Having listened to some of the residents, their family members and a few of the workers on site it became clear that there had been quite a bit of water damage in the corridors after parts of the ceiling came away. 

At the time of writing it hadn’t been confirmed what had caused the flooding but thankfully it appears at this stage that the corridor areas were the worst affected, and apparently not so much the living spaces.

I spoke with officers from Believe Housing who were on site to make sure any debris from the building was cleared away, and also to assess any damage caused. It was hoped that residents would be able to get back into their rooms as soon as it was safe for them to do so.

I’ve asked Believe Housing officers to keep me up to date with developments once the cause of the water ingress has been identified and the extent of any damage has been assessed.

I’ll update on any significant developments as soon as I have more information.

Round-up of local issues - 14 January 2023

The following articles set out brief details of just a few of the local issues I’ve been dealing with over the last week or so. Please get in touch with me if you have any issues in your area that you would like me to know about: rob.crute@durham.gov.uk

1. Dangerous parking practices on Middle Street:

Regular readers of these pages will be aware that Stacey and I have been pursuing a workable scheme to address residents' concerns about inconsiderate parking and dangerous driving along the public footpath outside the shops on Middle Street. 

Just before Christmas we met with highways officers on site to identify a workable scheme to address these dangerous practices. Please follow the link here for details: https://robcrute-blackhall.blogspot.com/2023/01/next-steps-towards-tackling-dangerous.html

2. North East Ambulance Service comments on claims of an access issue at Park Avenue: 

On Saturday 7 January I was contacted by a number of residents concerned about a report on social media stating that an ambulance had been prevented from getting to a property in Park Avenue, with the author suggesting that a ‘parking’ issue was to blame. The post is shown below.

I contacted the health scrutiny office at county hall to express concerns on behalf of residents, and also to ask the North East Ambulance Service (NEAS) to carry out an investigation into the allegation in the social media post that an ambulance had been ‘unable’ to attend an address in Park Avenue - with the author implying that a patient had been left unattended.

The response from NEAS appears to suggest there were no incidents recorded on their data systems to indicate that an ambulance had been obstructed in any way as described in the social media post shown above. Furthermore NEAS reported that they could find no record of an ‘ambulance response’ anywhere on their systems matching the circumstances described in the same social media post.

Full details, including the complete NEAS statement, can be found in this link: https://robcrute-blackhall.blogspot.com/2023/01/ambulance-service-responds-to-claims-of.html

There are a lot of background details to the wider issue at Park Avenue and they can be found by following the links in this article: https://robcrute-blackhall.blogspot.com/2022/11/drop-down-bollards-at-park-avenue.html

3. MHPC Environment Committee: 

Every month I’m invited to attend a meeting of the parish council’s environment committee. This gives me the opportunity to meet with the clear and parish members to discuss a number of ongoing environmental issues in the parish area, and also to exchange ideas about how together we can make improvements in our patch. The latest meeting was held on Wednesday 11 January 2023 and amongst other things the main issues covered included:

• Vehicles driving on the public footpath on Middle Street
• Parking issues elsewhere in the village, including in First Street/Middle Street and at the bottom of Hesleden Road at its junction with Middle Street (all reported issues at these locations have been passed on to the neighbourhood wardens, local police and the parking enforcement team for their attention)
• Flooding at a number of separate locations including: The Crescent, Fifth Street and along the B1281 adjacent to the ongoing housing development at Hardwicke Place
• Derelict land on Middle Street (please see comments elsewhere in this article for details)

All the issues discussed at the environment committee meeting on Wednesday evening have been passed to the relevant authorities for their attention.

4. Damaged property at Eighth Street: 

I was contacted earlier this week by residents concerned about the condition of a property in Eighth Street. I raised residents’ concerns with the relevant departments at county hall and received the following response in return:

Good morning Councillor Crute

I am in receipt of the complaint relating to 28 Eighth Street and the property being open to access.

A legal Notice will be served upon the owner which will require the front door to be secured.

Should these works not be undertaken by the 19^th January 2023, the Authority will undertake the works in default and the property will be secured.

If you do have any further queries, then please do not hesitate in contacting me.

I’ve asked the council to monitor progress until the issue is resolved and the property is brought back to a decent standard (the fly-tipping in the back lane behind the property was cleared the same day I reported it):

5. Derelict private land on Middle Street: 

Regular readers of these pages will know that I’ve been pressing for some time for the council to carry out a planning enforcement investigation into land abandoned in Middle Street. This follows several complaints from residents and businesses in the area who have concerns about the appearance of the site and also the risk of additional fly-tipping. 

Once again this week, following additional complaints from residents, I’ve issued a request to the council to take whichever measures are necessary to bring this patch of land - in the very centre of our village - up to a decent standard. I’ll monitor progress and report on any significant developments. 

Please see the following article for background details: https://robcrute-blackhall.blogspot.com/2022/12/derelict-private-land-on-middle-street.html

Next steps taken towards tackling dangerous driving and parking practices on Middle Street

Regular readers of these pages will be aware that for some time Stacey and I have been pursuing a workable scheme to address residents' concerns about parking and dangerous driving practices outside the shops on Middle Street. 

Background details can be found in this link: https://robcrute-blackhall.blogspot.com/2022/11/safety-scheme-for-middle-street-step.html

From listening to residents we know that inconsiderate parking at this location is a problem. However most additional comments we've received recently have also expressed growing concerns about vehicles driving along the public footpath outside the shops. In other words, residents are telling us that although parking is an issue the priority should be to install ‘hard’ measures to physically prevent people driving onto and along the footpath. 

It should go without saying that driving on a public footpath under any circumstances is dangerous. Yet some people seem to think it's acceptable to risk the safety of others just to save themselves a short walk. On the other hand, everyone who has contacted us about this issue insists that they should be able to go about their daily business without the risk of being hit by a moving vehicle. 

People feel very strongly that public safety should come before personal convenience.

In my most recent article on this matter I referred to a site meeting we'd arranged before Christmas (please see details in the link above). Stacey and I have now met on site with the parish clerk and other relevant agencies to show highways officers the extent and the potentially catastrophic impact of dangerous driving practices in public spaces. 

As it happens there were a few near misses outside the shops while we were actually stood in the footpath - with one vehicle almost reversing into a highways officer while the driver attempted to pull out into the face of oncoming traffic. This incident alone reinforced our message that something must be done sooner rather than later - especially given the difficulties we've come across to date trying to find an acceptable, workable solution.

Highways officers have assured us they’re confident there's a workable scheme to address these issues, and they've submitted ideas to the design section to come up with a solution that retains access to the shops for those who genuinely need it, at the same time as preventing vehicles driving along the public footpath. 

I'll update on progress when I have completed details from the highways and design teams. In the meantime I've asked the parking enforcement team to continue giving this location an increased presence for the foreseeable future.

Ambulance service responds to claims of an emergency services access incident at Park Avenue

Over the weekend I published an article on these pages after a resident contacted me about a post on social media stating that an ambulance responding to a call in Park Avenue had been ‘unable’ to attend a patient’s property. The author of the post suggested that access had been blocked by a ‘parking’ incident and implied that the patient had been left unattended.

Full background details can be found here: https://robcrute-blackhall.blogspot.com/2023/01/reported-incident-at-park-avenue.html

With local residents understandably alarmed at reports on social media that an emergency vehicle had been physically prevented from reaching a patient I contacted the health scrutiny office at county hall with a request that officers from NEAS (North East Ambulance Service) carry out an investigation and then report back on what had actually happened - and also what the impact might have been in terms of patient safety if there was an access issue at Park Avenue.

I have now received a response from a senior officer at NEAS confirming that following a search of their data systems they could find no record of any reported incidents as implied in the social media post mentioned above (ie, that an ambulance was ‘unable’ to respond to a call and that a patient had been left unattended). 

Furthermore NEAS say that according to their data systems there were no ‘ambulance responses' recorded for Park Avenue, nor were there any notes or reports of delays caused by access issues. I've published the response from NEAS in full below with personal details redacted:

Hi *******

I’ve had a look through our system and also had two of our dispatch managers search through our CAD, and none of us can find any case relating to this.

There are several ambulance responses in the nearby area – both emergency care and patient transport – but none for Park Avenue and neither is there any notes linked to other incidents nearby that report any delay due to bollards or access.

One of the team also ran a generic search for ‘bollards’ since 1^st Jan 2023 and none came up in this area.

Kind regards

UPDATE: Following an additional query from a resident I asked the highways team to confirm which of the emergency services had said they either needed or wanted access to the public footpath running down the middle of Park Avenue. 

I received a response confirming that when they were consulted none of the emergency services raised concerns about the bollards, and none of them required access.

The individual reasons given by the police, fire and ambulance services are set out in the response I received from the highways team:

Apologies for the delay in responding.

When we restricted unlawful vehicle access to the footpath at Park Avenue we consulted with all emergency services.

The police responded by saying that they did not need access to the footpath for their vehicles, the fire brigade did not request access. Given the width of a fire appliance this would not be practical. In most cases if they wanted access they would simply cut the lock off to get access.

NE Ambulance Service did not request keys for the locks nor did they have any adverse comments to make about the proposals to protect the footpath from vehicle use. I can only assume that vehicular access to the rears of the properties removes any requirement for an ambulance to drive down the footpath. An average ambulance has a body width of over 2.2m and the max width of the path is 4m and this means that the widths either side, not including street furniture or vegetation growth, is below minimum widths to safely allow pedestrians to pass.

BACKSTORY: Please follow the link here for full background details on this issue: https://robcrute-blackhall.blogspot.com/2022/11/drop-down-bollards-at-park-avenue.html 

Social Media report of an emergency services access incident at Park Avenue

On Saturday 7 January a resident alerted me to a report on social media suggesting that an ambulance was ‘unable’ to respond to a call from a property in Park Avenue the night before, and that as a result a patient had been left unattended. 

In addition the author of the post goes on to suggest that the recently installed drop-down bollards at either end of the footpath down the middle of Park Avenue had something to do with this incident. The social media post is shown below:

I’ve written to the relevant authorities this weekend to raise my concerns on behalf of residents, and also to ask NEAS (North East Ambulance Service) to check their records and determine what the precise nature of the reported incident had been and what the potential impact might have been in terms of risk to the patient. 

I’ve reproduced my email correspondence here in full (with personal details redacted) and I’ll update on developments as soon as I have a response from the services involved:

Good morning *******,

On Saturday morning I was alerted to a post on social media appearing to suggest that an ambulance was prevented from responding to a call from a property in Park Avenue in Blackhall Colliery. I’ve included a screenshot image of the post in the attached document.

As you’ll gather from the post drop-down bollards were installed recently at either end of the footpath running down the middle of Park Avenue. This was intended to prevent dangerous and illegal access by vehicles while still enabling access to emergency and service vehicles. The location of the footpath is shown in the centre of the attached image.

Although the author of the social media post appears to suggest that the bollards were in some way responsible for the ambulance failing to access the property I cannot verify the claim.

For that reason I need to raise this matter with NEAS to confirm whether there was a reported incident on Friday evening in which a patient was potentially put at risk. I’m not sure at which level a query of this nature ought to be raised so could you either provide me with details of a suitable NEAS contact please or alternatively pass this query to the relevant department at NEAS for their attention and response.

****,

As you’ll see there may have been an incident at Park Avenue on Friday evening, so depending on the outcome of this query would you be prepared to follow up please on any potential issues that may have been caused by the bollards at Park Avenue.

Please cc all recipients in any further correspondence.

Regards,

Rob.

Cllr Rob Crute (Blackhall Division)

Deputy Leader of the Labour Group

Durham County Council

BACKSTORY: Please follow the links in this article for full background details on this matter: https://robcrute-blackhall.blogspot.com/2022/11/drop-down-bollards-at-park-avenue.html 

Chimneys Hotel in East Street, Blackhall Colliery

A few years ago I published an article on this site intended to allay residents’ concerns about the future potential use of Chimneys Hotel, known formerly as The Trust, which at the time was about to reopen.

It was subsequently confirmed that the property was being refurbished with the intention of reopening as a day care centre for children and young people with sensory impairment. Full background details can be found in the article published back in March 2019: https://robcrute-blackhall.blogspot.com/2019/03/day-care-company-to-relocate-to.html

Last month I was contacted by residents concerned about rumours circulating again about the building potentially reopening. I contacted the council's planning enforcement team to ask their advice, and earlier this week I received an update from them which confirms that no planning application has been received seeking consent to reopen the building for any purpose other than that allowed in the planning permission granted in 2019 as described above.

This is the complete response I received this week from the authorities:

I refer to your enquiry and can advise that the subject premises was granted planning permission in June 2019 for the ‘Change of use from a hotel (Use Class C1) to mixed use comprising day centre (Use Class D1) and residential institution (Use Class C2)’. I can’t confirm whether the approved scheme was implemented, and/or initial work(s) were undertaken to commence the development, but if the premises has remained empty with no work(s) evident to implement the approved use, then it is likely that the extant permission has now expired. I would emphasise that this informal opinion is based on the resident’s comments that the subject premises remains empty and unoccupied.

As far as I’m aware, we have had no further approaches from the owner/applicant with regard to the use of the premises since the planning application was determined. As it stands and given the premises unoccupied and empty status, Officers would have no control over this matter. Furthermore and as you will appreciate, Officers are unable to comment on hearsay rumours regarding the use of the premises.

I hope that the info provided is useful to you Rob, although please give me a shout should you wish to discuss anything further. Moving forward, should you and/or residents witness anything untoward with regard to the use of the former hotel, then please do not hesitate to get back in touch with details, and Officers will make best endeavours to investigate further.

In response I asked the planners to advise whether planning permission would be required if the owner wanted to change the use of the building to something other than its intended purpose (as set out above in the planning consent granted in 2019). 

This is the response I received:

If we are to assume that the change of use permission granted in 2019 has not commenced and/or has not been implemented, then the historic hotel use (C1 Use Class) remains the premises primary and current use status, as the time period to commence the approved development has now expired. Therefore, should the owner/applicant chooses to re-open the establishment as a hotel, then no planning permission would be required.

However, should a different use class be considered, outside of C1 parameters, for example a residential care home or nursing home, or indeed the leasing company’s initial intentions, then PP would be required. For your reference please see below, clarification on the current ‘C’ use classes order:

C1 use class: - Hotels, boarding and guest houses where no significant element of care is provided (excludes hostels)

C2 use class: - Residential care homes, hospitals, nursing homes, boarding schools, residential colleges and training centres

C2A use class: - Secure Residential Institution - Use for a provision of secure residential accommodation, including use as a prison, young offenders institution, detention centre, secure training centre, custody centre, short term holding centre, secure hospital, secure local authority accommodation or use as a military barracks.

In the event of any future proposal(s) for the premises, I am hopeful that the owner/applicant would engage with Officers prior to submission of a formal application for consideration.

In summary you will see from the responses received from the planning department that any significant change of use for the premises would require planning permission. The planners have also confirmed that to date no planning application has been received from the owner(s) of the building. 

If the planning department receives a ‘change of use’ planning application at some point in the future residents will be notified as part of the statutory planning process. I’ll also update on progress as and when necessary. 

**UPDATE, THURSDAY 12 JANUARY 2023** I’ve been told by a resident living nearby that they’ve heard the building could be reopening as a hostel - although the precise type of hostel is not clear. Whatever the intended future purpose, the planning guidance outlined above will apply.