Options under consideration to modify access points to Crimdon Dene

I had a productive morning in Crimdon yesterday with the council’s Clean & Green team looking at options available to keep the access points to the Dene open to horse riders and wheelchair/mobility scooters whilst preventing access to off-road bikes and other prohibited vehicles. 

By way of background, gates and other physical measures were installed at both sides of Crimdon Dene recently to prevent access by quads and off-road bikers who damage the open spaces and put other users at risk of serious injury by riding along the public footpath through the Dene. 

It goes without saying that vehicles should not be allowed access to any public footpath, especially when the danger in doing so is obvious and the risk has been raised with the authorities.

As sometimes happens however measures like these can have unintended consequences meaning that legitimate users, such as horse riders and mobility vehicles, have been unable to access the Dene. I’ve been contacted by representatives of those particular groups asking if these access issues could be sorted out.

At the site meeting in Crimdon yesterday morning all options were considered that would meet the requirements of those people who have had difficulty accessing the public footpath, and officers are confident that a solution can be found by either modifying or replacing the barriers installed at either side of the Dene. The fabricating company who installed the gates and other physical measures have been asked to come to Crimdon to see which options would be viable and then carry out any works necessary to safely open access at these entry points.

I’ll update on progress as soon as I have more information, but in the meantime if you have any similar issues to report in your area please contact me at: rob.crute@durham.gov.uk and I’ll do whatever I can to help.

Measures to prevent off-road bike access on the Haswell to Hart Walkway

I was contacted earlier this week by a resident concerned about the impact off-road bikes were having in and around our villages, and in this particular case along the Haswell to Hart Walkway in Hesleden. As regular readers of these pages will know this is an issue I’ve raised on several occasions at monthly PACT meetings and consequently it’s something the police are well aware of.

However, because this latest correspondence related to a specific location I contacted the parks and countryside team at county hall to ask for an update on their plans to install ‘target-hardening’ measures on the Haswell to Hart Walkway to physically prevent off-road bikes gaining access to a well-used public footpath.

Whilst recognising that such measures may have unintended consequences they have responded to my request by confirmation that preparations are underway to tackle the problem at this location. I’ve reproduced their response below in full.

**If you are aware of any similar issues in your neighbourhood please report every incident to the police on 101. I know from past experience that some may feel this is pointless when problems persist, but regular reporting gives the police an accurate up to date picture of the worst affected areas.

Alternatively, if you prefer to contact me please do so at: rob.crute@durham.gov.uk and I’ll raise your concerns with the police and appropriate authorities on your behalf.

Hello Cllr Crute,

Thank you for your email regarding the issue of off-road vehicles on the Haswell to Hart railway line. This is a problem we are encountering across the entire countryside estate, as you are likely aware.

The Haswell to Hart railway line is hopefully set to undergo improvement works in the future, and managing off-road vehicle access is a something we will be looking in to within these plans. However, due to the nature of the multi-user route, we are unable to implement physical restrictions such as A-frames and K-frames, as they would impede access for route users, including pedestrians, cyclists, equestrians and disabled access.

We understand the frustration this causes and are actively looking into alternative solutions that balance accessibility with preventing unauthorised vehicle access.  we recommend that any sightings of off-road vehicles on the railway line be reported to the non-emergency police number, 101. This reporting is crucial, as it helps the police identify hotspots and patterns of illegal activity, which in turn enables them to allocate resources more effectively. Increased patrols in known trouble areas can lead to quicker response times and a stronger deterrent against such activities.

We appreciate your vigilance and cooperation in this matter. Your reports are invaluable in assisting law enforcement and ensuring that the railway line remains safe and accessible for all legitimate users.

Thank you for your understanding and continued support.

Countryside Ranger [Parks & Countryside Team]

Highways issues at Station Road in Blackhall Rocks

I held my latest monthly ward surgery yesterday morning in the Parish Council offices (formerly the Resource Centre) in Middle Street, Blackhall Colliery. 

At the surgery I received reports of ongoing traffic-related issues at Station Road in Blackhall Rocks - with the main concern being about the now ineffective traffic-calming measures installed years ago to address residents’ concerns about speeding vehicles, a problem exacerbated since then by a steady increase in the volume of traffic heading to and from the increasingly popular Blackhall Rocks picnic area on the beach banks.

I’ve raised residents’ concerns with the relevant sections at county council this morning, with a specific request that existing traffic control measures are either returned to their original condition or that another form of traffic-calming is installed in their place.

I’ll update on progress as soon as I receive a response from the service, but in the meantime I’ve published below the correspondence I’ve sent this morning to the service at county hall:

At a ward surgery held this morning I received further reports from residents about vehicle speed issues at Station Road in Blackhall Rocks (please see location details in the attached image).

There have been several historic reports of traffic issues at Station Road, which is the sole access route to the Blackhall Rocks picnic area on the beach banks, and as such is subject to an unusually high volume of traffic. Residents' primary concerns are about vehicles travelling at speed up and down the hill on a frequent basis, with an additional concern expressed about a couple of 'near-miss' incidents recently in which residents were almost hit by passing traffic when either pulling out of their drives into the road or when opening car doors to leave their vehicles. This is a long-running issue which has been reported to the council on a number of occasions  in the past.

By way of background speed humps were installed along Station Road some time ago in response to similar concerns expressed at the time by residents reporting speeding vehicles. However, the speed humps were reduced in height a number of years ago when a royal visit posed vehicle access issues. The humps are now rendered ineffective in addressing the issues they were installed for. In addition traffic volumes have increased considerably since the humps were installed, largely down to the popularity of the picnic area with visitors to the coast.

Please record this query on the CRM system for the attention of the relevant section(s) at DCC, with a request that the speed humps on Station Road are returned to their original height and condition, or alternatively highways officers consider installing a more effective form of traffic-control. 

If necessary, I would be happy to host an on-site visit where officers could meet with me and residents to see for themselves the impact of the issues raised at yesterday’s ward surgery.

Notes from the Blackhall PACT meeting for June 2024

The Blackhall PACT (Police and Communities Together) meeting for June was held on Wednesday night at the Parish Council offices in Middle Street, Blackhall Colliery.

Once again there was a good turnout from members of the public who came along to report some of the issues in their neighbourhoods, and also to hear about updates on issues raised at previous PACT meetings.

The main issue reported at last night’s meeting related to an incident in Eleventh Street which is being dealt with by the police and the selective licensing team at the county council. Understandably residents in Eleventh Street are anxious to see a swift resolution to this incident and were assured by the police that everything would be done to address their concerns as quickly and effectively as possible. Notably the police have confirmed that they’re seeking to install CCTV cameras at and around this location.

Separately I was told of an incident in Park Avenue earlier this week in which it was reported that an ambulance was unable to access a property in the street because of the way residents had parked their vehicles in the back lane between School Avenue and Park Avenue. 

I was already aware of this report after someone had alerted me to a social media post setting out details of the incident. As soon as I was made aware of the social media post I wrote to the director of NEAS (North East Ambulance Service) to ask for details of the incident from their perspective. I’ve since received a holding response from the service director confirming that they’re looking into the incident (a full response from NEAS was received on 5 July. Please see details at the bottom of this page).

As soon as the facts are established I’ll ask that any outstanding issues are addressed, although given that the social media post complained primarily of irresponsible or obstructive parking in the back lane it would appear that this would be a matter for the police to deal with. Full details of police responsibility for parked vehicles can be found in a related post published on this site in November 2022: https://robcrute-blackhall.blogspot.com/2022/11/tackling-parking-issues-at-park-avenue.html?m=0

After the meeting had closed I picked up a few additional reports from residents about low-level ASB at one specific location, street signage, damaged road surfaces and dangerous parking practices in and around the village. I’ve reported those issues through the appropriate channels at the county council and through other authorities where necessary.

Despite the understandable frustrations of residents at last night’s meeting the dialogue remained positive and good natured - and for me this bears testament to the way PACT meetings are organised and run, and specifically to the established format of listening to what residents have to say and addressing their concerns as quickly as possible through all the relevant authorities.

The next Blackhall PACT meeting will be held at the usual venue on Wednesday 17 July 2024. If you have any issues to report in the meantime please contact the police on 101 (999 in an emergency), or if you prefer you can get in touch with me at rob.crute@durham.gov.uk and I’ll do what I can to help.

**Response from NEAS on reported incident at Park Avenue:

Thank you for your patience in waiting for a reply. We do aim to respond to most requests within 20 working days.

I have had a chance to look at our operational response notes to this incident on 17 June. Our ambulance response was 23 minutes for this category of call, where the standard is to respond within 40 minutes in 90% of cases; and to have an average arrival time of 18 minutes. I also asked the clinical team manager to review this case for me and he informs me that there were no concerns logged either by the crew or our control room staff regarding access to the patient or their walk back to our vehicle.

In answer to the query about issuing keys to the ambulance service to unlock a road barrier, it would be impractical as these would need to be distributed on all our ambulances. This is because our vehicles operate across the region. A key would need to be distributed on all our ambulances as it’s possible that a crew from outside the local area could respond and convey a patient to hospital. This is because to achieve the fastest response times possible, our service is peripatetic to ensure that the closest ambulance crew to an emergency call is always available.

Regards

Hesleden Pit Heap planning appeal update

Following my latest update on developments at the former pit heap site in Hesleden, and the ongoing planning appeal, Stacey and I met last week with a planning consultant, the parish clerk and residents from Hesleden to get an update on progress and then discuss how best to deal with the planning appeal process. Please see post dated Friday 31 May 2024 for background details: Hesleden Pit Heap: Additional issues raised with planning officers (robcrute-blackhall.blogspot.com)

At the meeting held in county hall last week we started by clearing up any confusion about where Durham County Council stand on this matter; to put it simply, the council's planning committee refused consent last September for the works to continue on site. Consequently it is the council's position that works on site should cease on the terms set out in the committee's refusal notice issued to the applicant. It was noted however that the developer has appealed against the planning committee's decision which allows work to continue until the appeal is heard - that's not what anyone wants of course, but it is beyond the council's powers to prevent work continuing during the period of appeal. 

Once that was clarified we then focused on the format of the appeals process, which will be led by the government-appointed Planning Inspectorate. It was noted that any issues relating to the appeals process should be directed to the Inspector and not to Durham County Council.

The appeal is scheduled to be heard on 30th & 31st of July 2024, possibly at Hesleden Workingmens' Club, although the venue will be confirmed by the planning inspector once arrangements are finalised.

Before the hearing takes place the planning inspector's office will receive all past written representations made as part of the statutory consultation period leading up to the planning committee held last September. However, if residents or businesses wish to make any **new or additional written representations they must be sent to the planning inspector's office. At the hearing itself members of the public will be permitted to make representations at the discretion of the planning inspector. 

From the discussions held last the planning consultant's advice is that all representations, written or spoken, should focus on the reason for the committee's refusal of consent. In other words, we need to demonstrate to the inspector that the development has had (and continues to have) an adverse impact on residential amenity, and that the benefits of the development do not outweigh the cumulative adverse impact on the community in terms of noise and dust etc.

**Any new or additional representations should be sent to the Planning Inspectorate at: https://acp.planninginspectorate.gov.uk 

Full details can be found in an article published on this site on Thursday 30 May 2024: Hesleden Pit Heap: Planning Inspectorate receives appeal notification (robcrute-blackhall.blogspot.com)