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)
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 19th 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
