The new parking bay has been completed on Finchale Road, off Newton Drive, after quite a long wait.

The money for the scheme came from last years Neighbourhood budget, but delays and legal issues dragged it on.

Finally we now have better parking for local residents who had nowhere to park as there isn’t a road at the front of the houses.

After possibly a decade of not being cut back, the footpath on Dryburn Road is now over a foot wider in places; the work I arranged with the Council neighbourhood team to clear all the detritus and remove grass overgrowing the path has made a massive difference.

I am working with the council to try to get other paths cleared back across the area. If there is one near you which you think needs this please let me know.

Following on from my request for residents to let us know if they are waiting for or don’t have recycling or waste bins, I was surprised to learn that one household has been waiting since Christmas for a Wheelie bin for general household waste. I did find out that the council has a slight delay in getting deliveries of replacement and new bins to people, but the communication breakdown here is clearly shocking. Fortunatley I expect this resident to get a new bin asap after intervening.

Equally I have had a number of requests for recycling bags and boxes. Please let me know if you need one or need an extra one. All households are entitled to two green bags and two green boxes for recycling if required.

The response to our leaflet on the County Durham Plan was exceptional, hundreds of people attended the consultation event at Abbey Leisure Centre on Wednesday with the council having to draft in extra staff, as well as extra copies of the plan after they ran out. i think this shows that when people are notified of an event, they will turn out. In future the council must consider providing better maps and being better orgainsed from the start.

The initial feeling I got from this event was that the vast majority of residents were either angry or upset that they had not been given sufficient notification of the plans until i arranged this event, and even now do not feel enough information has been provided.

A large number of attendees were not happy with the prospect of building homes of the green belt around Pity me, Brasside and Framwellgate Moor, with many not being happy with the idea of a Northern Bypass – although some residents I spoke to did feel it was a necessary and would like more information about how it was all going to be paid for before making a final decision.

If anyone was not able to attend, the display will carry on in the entrance to the sports centre for the next week. a number of documents can be seen at this web address: http://durhamcc-consult.limehouse.co.uk/portal/planning/ with the dates for other consultations in the county to be found here. There are no more consultation events in the Durham City area at present, although I am pushing for this as I strongly feel that there has been a real failure to communicate the proposals to the residents of County Durham thus far. Speaking to those who attended the event at Abbey, almost every single person said they had not seen any notification of the other two consutlation days in Durham City and Meadowfield.

It is very clear to me that  far more information must be forthcoming. if the council are not going to do this then once again it may be down to your local councillors to get leaflets delivered.

Residents can email specific comments to ldfconsultation@durham.gov.uk , it would be useful if you could copy them in to me, so that I can build up a picture of local views.

This page contains maps, though they are difficult to understand http://durhamcc-consult.limehouse.co.uk/portal/planning/gbsp/gbelt_ass_sc_paper?pointId=1354835 the areas marked in red show possible development sites – note that not all of these woud be developed as part of the plan.

I am keen to hear views from residents – please feel free to post them on this site or email me.

After a number of attempts to get the council to sort out the flooding due to blocked drains on Dryburn View, the latest inindation of rain has finally helped and the drains have been cleared. Hopefully the torrents of water running down Durham Moor Crescent every time it rains will not now continue.

After lengthy discussions, we can confirm that work to repair the road surface at Findon Av in Witton Gilbert will go ahead this summer, with a large amount of patching and reconstruction to be done.

Don’t forget the consultation from 2pm-7pm at Abbey Sports Centre regarding the Durham plan.

An extreme rainfall warning has been issued for this afternoon/evening for County Durham. Keep an eye out for blocked drains and send an email to hal@durham.gov.uk, copying me in so I can check the work is carried out.

If anyone has any problems caused by this which they feel need the council to get involved please do get in touch.

We have come to an agreement with the Workingmen’s Club for them to open their carpark during the day for local residents to use, helping to alleviate the problems with  parking in Framwellgate Moor.

Residents will be able to park at their own risk in the coming weeks. Another improvement in parking for Framwellgate Moor.

After talking with the Chairman at Framwellgate Moor and Pity Me Working Mens Club, Mark visited Northumbrian water to pick up some HIPPOs.

Although not very heavy at the time, they will now be filled with a litre of water and sould save the Club on its water bill. Each Hippo absorbs a litre of water using silicon which means every time you flush the loo, a litre less water is wasted.

If you would like a Hippo give Mark a call. They are a must if you are on a water meter.