Wednesday 23 October 2024

Council serves Breach of Condition Notice at Hesleden Pit Heap

Last week I published an update on a number of legal issues ongoing at the site of the former pit heap in Hesleden. Full details can be found in this link: legal-notices-to-be-served-next-week

Further to the information provided in that article we received confirmation from the planning office this morning (Wednesday) that a Breach of Condition Notice has now been served.

We have been advised by the planning department that the notice was served on:

B&S RECYCLING LIMITED

DRS LAND REGENERATION LTD

Haven Power Limited

Mr Robert Surtees

As ever, Stacey and I will continue to track progress on this issue and update on any significant developments. In the meantime, if you have any queries or comments about this matter please contact us direct at: rob.crute@durham.gov.uk or stacey.deinali@durham.gov.uk

Friday 18 October 2024

Legal notices to be served next week at the Hesleden Pit Heap site

Earlier this week, alongside Stacey and the parish clerk, I met with the county council's planning manager, planning lawyer and principal planning officer to express our frustration at the constant delays in issuing a supplementary enforcement notice on the owners/operators of the former pit heap site in Hesleden.

At the meeting we asked for an appraisal of progress to date and an update on what the council intended to do to bring this matter to a satisfactory conclusion for the benefit of all the residents of the village. We told officers that our expectation was for the much delayed enforcement notice to be issued without further delay, along with a workable restoration plan that would improve the site from the condition it was in before works began. This was a requirement in the conditions attached to the original planning consent issued some years ago and we’ve insisted there must be compliance. 

Anyone who’s followed this issue from day one will know that I’ve consistently objected to any extraction works on the pit heap site from the very start, mainly because I could see no material benefit for anyone but the company - and one of the concerns I raised at the earliest stage was the risk that at some point the operator or owner could simply walk away whenever they chose to, leaving the site in an unacceptable condition. I do not want to be proved correct on that point.

In response officers insisted that they understood the frustration felt by residents, and they acknowledged that this matter has dragged on for an extended period of time without any perceptible measure of progress. However, they emphasised the complexity of this particular case which has required frequent legal interventions and external legal advice to assess options. The planning officers told us that they are working towards bring this matter to a close as soon as possible, but pointed out that they must do so within the legal constraints faced by the authority.

With this in mind they told us they'd reviewed the case again recently and have now confirmed a series of measures to be implemented from next week. Whilst hoping that this will serve its intended purpose, planning officers again emphasised the complicated nature of this issue and were not prepared to give us the guarantee we'd asked for that works would end immediately and that the site would be restored for the benefit of the community. However, we'll continue to press at every opportunity for this matter to be brought to a satisfactory close without any unnecessary delay. 

I've reproduced the planning manager's summary of those measures here in full:

Breach of Condition Notice: Early next week the Council will issue a Breach of Condition Notice requiring the person responsible for the breach to permanently cease the extraction of mineral from the Land and in accordance with Condition 4 of Planning Permission DM/19/02315/VOCMW.  The Notice will come into effect immediately and will relate to the extraction of combustible material only (because that is what the planning permission permitted).  The Notice will be served on those with an interest in the land. 

Enforcement Notice: An Enforcement Notice will be issued requiring the cessation of all mineral extraction, including sand and limestone, and require the site to be restored in accordance with a restoration scheme to be attached to the Notice.  We are in discussion with the site operator regarding a realistic timescale for implementation and completion of a restoration scheme which they have produced.  It is intended that the Notice will be issued by the end of October 2024.  The Notice will be served on the same parties as the Breach of Condition Notice.

Restoration Bond: Officers are pursuing the provision of the performance guarantee or restoration bond for the site.  If this cannot be provided then a new guarantee will be required and due to indexation a greater amount will be required.

Tuesday 15 October 2024

Blackhall DMA Banner at the Thomas Hepburn Memorial Service

Members of the Blackhall Banner Committee were proud to represent our village and its mining heritage at the annual Thomas Hepburn Memorial Service held in Heworth last Saturday morning, 12 October.

Thomas Hepburn (c1795-1864) was active in forming the first miners’ union in County Durham & Northumberland in 1825 and dedicated his entire life to serving his community, being a particularly vocal advocate for children’s education and a reduction in the working hours of child miners. He was also influential in breaking down the ‘Tommy Shop’ system in pit villages, used by unscrupulous mine-owners to manipulate prices and hold mining families to ransom in their own communities.
His example in taking on the establishment and putting the interests of the people and their pit communities first serves as a timely reminder to us all that our struggles in adversity are rooted in the wealth and privilege at the top of society and not from within our own class and communities.


It has been confirmed by the Durham Miners' Association that the annual Thomas Hepburn Memorial Service will now be held on the second Saturday in October. This is to avoid any confusion about the date of the event and brings the timing in line with the Big Meeting which is held on the second Saturday in July.

Friday 11 October 2024

Crimdon Parking Charges - Minutes of the Highways Committee meeting published

Last month I published an article on these pages reporting on the outcome of a Highways Committee meeting at which Coalition members in county hall gave the go-ahead for the council to introduce parking charges at Crimdon. The full article can be found in this link: Coalition members give the green light to parking charges at Crimdon

The decision to impose parking charges on visitors coming to Crimdon was made at a meeting of the council's Highways Committee held on Tuesday 17 September 2024 in county hall where I represented the views of the many local residents and businesses who had contacted me to express their concerns about the charges and how they would deter people from visiting the East Durham coast.

The main concern I raised was about how the charges would affect businesses at Crimdon and how they would have a negative impact on the wider local economy in nearby villages like Blackhall Rocks and Blackhall Colliery. However my words fell on deaf ears and the charges were given the green light to proceed despite my objections - and despite the support I received from Labour members of the committee.

The comments I made when addressing committee members, along with details of how the decision was reached, have now been published for public information. The relevant minutes can be found at Agenda Item 3, from pages 3-6 in the report pack in the link attached: https://democracy.durham.gov.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=311&MId=15736

Thursday 10 October 2024

Local Issues & Casework Update for September 2024

Since my most recent monthly local issues and casework update report I’ve raised additional queries with the authorities on behalf of 73 residents and businesses across the Blackhall ward. I've also made direct contact with over 85 individual residents covering a wide range of issues. Many of these queries are personal and/or confidential so for obvious reasons details will not be disclosed to the public.

In addition, I’ve dealt with a number of general queries raised by members of the public. These include issues raised at ward surgeries, during street walkabouts, at the monthly Blackhall PACT meeting and through other methods, including direct contact with me via email and social media platforms (Facebook, Instagram and Twitter).

These issues range from highways and footpath queries to housing matters and general environmental issues. There’s also an article about how vulnerable families are being abandoned in our communities by unscrupulous private sector landlords in collusion with local authorities in London. I’ve selected a few articles from the past month for re-posting, just in case you missed them first time around.

Please follow the links below for full details - and get in touch with me direct if you have any queries or comments that require a response: rob.crute@durham.gov.uk


London Boroughs in Housing Relocation ScandalAbsent private sector landlords and London Borough councils caught up in relocation scandal


Updates on General Highways & Footpath QueriesUpdate on reported highways issues


Local Pass Wide & Slow CampaignPW&S 2024 - Supporting our local horse riders in their road safety campaign


Tory-Lib Dem Coalition Imposes Parking Charges at CrimdonCoalition members give the green light to parking charges at Crimdon


Coalition Rejects Opportunity to join Winter Fuel Payments CampaignCoalition rejects opportunity to join Labour’s Winter Fuel Payments campaign


Blackhall PACT Meeting for SeptemberNotes from the Blackhall PACT meeting for September 2024