Station Town Neighbourhood Group AGM

The annual general meeting of the Station Town Neighbourhood Group (STNG) has been moved from 24 November to 1 December 2012. The time and venue however remain unchanged - the Milbank chapel at 10 am.

Leaflets will be distributed throughout the village this week inviting residents along to the meeting to raise any issues they may have about the current condition or future direction of Station Town, or even if they just want to call in to meet STNG members.

There will also be a coffee morning and advice surgery next Monday (19 November) at 9.30 am in the Milbank chapel. Anyone and everyone is welcome to come in for a cup of tea or coffee and discuss anything they like with me or representatives from STNG and other key organisations in the the village.

Fencing at the Scheme Houses

Works to erect a fence around the green at the children's play area at the Scheme Houses are now almost completed. The fencing scheme has been funded through my neighbourhood budget and the Area Action Partnership (AAP) and it follows numerous complaints earlier this year from parents and residents about traffic driving across the grassed area.

The fencing will prevent cars, trailers and caravans accessing and parking on the green. This ruined the grass and looked unsightly for residents and visitors alike. Clearly this practice also presented a danger to children using the play area.

The works will be finished within the next week or so when a secure gate has been put in place to allow access for grass cutting machinery and emergency vehicles.

Hesleden estate inspection

This morning East Durham Homes carried out an estate inspection in Hesleden to take a closer look at some of the "street scene" issues there which require attention.

I have asked that damaged footpaths along Front Street be reported for repair. These are directly outside the Golden Calf and also at the Methodist chapel.

I have also requested repairs to potholes in the roads throughout the village, particularly in Hazel Drive.

These issues have now been reported to East Durham Homes and Durham County Council for repair.

Sewage reported on Blackhall beach

I have received a report from a concerned resident of a recent raw sewage outflow onto the beach in the pit pond area of Blackhall Colliery.

As the source of this sewage is not immediately obvious I have asked the relevant authorities to investigate further and report back to me.

I will update on progress with this matter in due course but in the meantime I would be grateful for any further information from beach users which may assist the authorities in their investigation:

rob.crute@durham.gov.uk

DCC preparing for winter

Please click on the link below for an article in the Peterlee Star about the county council's roads maintenance preparations for winter:

Ready for winter - Community - Peterlee Star

Safety concerns addressed at Scheme Houses

Earlier this week I wrote on this site about safety concerns expressed by residents at the Scheme Houses in Blackhall (see post dated 5 November 2012). These related to the faulty lighting and overgrown bushes and trees at the steps which lead to the main road at the bottom of the Scheme Houses. 

Given the safety aspect of these complaints I urged the relevant departments at county hall to tackle these issues as a matter of urgency and I'm pleased to confirm that the lighting has now been fully restored. 

I visited the area earlier this morning to check on progress and I can also confirm that maintenance workers were on site cutting back the overgrowth and trees to make the lighting more effective and thereby improve safety for residents using this access path.

Black Path to be re-surfaced

Following a long running campaign, undertaken jointly with the parish council, I have received confirmation this morning from officers at Durham County Council that a tender process is to take place in the next few days to find a contractor to re-surface the Black Path connecting  Blackhall Colliery with High Hesleden.

I have argued for many months that the surface of the path is damaged and dangerous which acts a deterrent to users. I have also made the case that the path should be re-surfaced to encourage walkers to use it for health and recreation purposes and also to link the two settlements more effectively.

This process is expected to be completed by spring next year with tarmac re-surfacing to commence shortly afterwards.

Steps at Blackhall Scheme Houses

I received a report over the weekend of a faulty light on the steps at the Scheme Houses in Blackhall Colliery.

Anyone familiar with this area will be aware that lighting is essential to ensure safety so I have asked that repairs to the lights be undertaken as a matter of urgency. I have also asked that trees and bushes on either side of the steps be cut back to allow for more efficient lighting to improve safety.

Let me know if you are aware of any other areas in our villages which require attention to ensure public safety:

rob.crute@durham.gov.uk

Latest news on housing proposals for Station Town

A planning application for 22 new homes on the site of the former Dormand Villa care home in Station Town is to be heard by the planning committee at county hall next Tuesday, 13 November 2012. 

See posts dated 31 July & 9 August 2012 for further details.

Faulty street lights

Street lights are as likely as domestic bulbs to simply "pop" and that's why I report faulty street lights on a regular basis - often three or four times each week. 

Recently there appears to have been an increase in the number of faulty street lights in our area and over the past few weeks I have reported problems throughout our villages, most recently at High Hesleden, Attlee Avenue in Blackhall Rocks and on the road between Blackhall Colliery and Hesleden at Hardwicke Hall.

Clearly, constant vigilance is the key to addressing these problems so if you have any street lighting faults in your area please let me know and I'll make the necessary arrangements:

rob.crute@durham.gov.uk