PLEASE VISIT THE LINK AND MAKE COMMENTS ON THE COUNCILS PROPOSALS

A RELAUNCHED economic masterplan which could see more than 7,000 new homes built in and around Durham has failed to win over its opponents.

Durham County Council chiefs unveiled the latest draft of their multi-million pound County Durham Plan, which they hope will transform the county into an economic powerhouse with 29,000 new homes and 16,000 new jobs by 2030, late last week.

They claimed the updated plan had a greater focus on the county, rather than just Durham City.

But objectors say any changes have not gone nearly far enough.

Durham is still earmarked for 7,300 new homes, including 4,750 in the city, and two new bypasses; and Aykley Heads is still seen as a potential cutting-edge business hub.

Douglas Pocock, honorary secretary of the City of Durham Trust conservation group, said the plan still focused ‘overwhelmingly’ on the city and still had three-quarters of its new housing on green belt land.

A Green Belt campaign has been launched to save the city’s protected open spaces.

Meanwhile, Framwellgate Moor county councillor Mark Wilkes called on residents to read and respond to the latest draft.

He said: “It is very clear to me that once the strategy is in place, it becomes almost impossible to change it and that the new bypasses and houses would have to be built on greenbelt, primarily around Pity Me, Brasside and Framwellgate Moor.

“Those residents who do not want to see this happen or have specific comments must comment on the need for so many houses in Durham City and the council’s strategy before July 8.”

No decisions have yet been made on where new homes would be built, but council officials prefer three sites in Durham City: at Sniperley, near the Arnison Centre and south of Sherburn Road.

Stuart Timmiss, the council’s head of planning, has said the Plan can both protect Durham and its environment and encourage economic growth; and there had been a ‘mixed response’ to the council’s vision for the city.

The latest consultation ends on Friday, July 8. For more information and to take part, visit durham.gov.uk/consultation

Neighbourhood warden update for 1st May to 1st June

FRAMWELLGATE MOOR /PITY ME

• Litter pick carried out by the warden with members of the council Pride team, Cllr Mark Wilkes, teaching staff and pupils from framwellgate primary school.
• Fly tipping removed from the Bishops way area.
• Patrols carried out for Problems with dog fouling along Framwellgate Peth and the road leading to the DLI museum
• Community litter pick carried out with the Pride team, Cllr Wilkes and members of the community along the footpath behind Hudspeth Crescent that leads to the College.
• Dog fouling event held by the council’s countryside ranger’s team attended by Neighbourhood wardens. This took place at the nature reserve to the rear of Bishops Way and was aimed at educating dog walkers about picking up after there dogs.

NEWTON HALL

• Richmond Road, Bek Road playing fields monitored for dog fouling and litter.
• Litchfeild road field patrolled for dog fouling. Dog walkers in area spoken to regarding recent dog fouling issues and giving council number to contact if they witness people letting their dogs foul.
• Speed boat has been moved of the grassed area in Farnham close due to complaints from residents.

BRASSIDE

• Several litter picks have been made on the road that leads from Frankland prison to Finchale Abbey. Litter patrols in this area are ongoing including the occasional evening patrol to try and target cars parked up in the lay by’s.
• Rowan Drive monitored for dog fouling and litter from vehicles due to reports of problems in the area.

WITTON GILBERT

• Dog fouling/litter patrols carried out throughout the village around Oak Lea area, Norburn Park and Coach Lane.
• Residents throughout village spoken to and warned regarding leaving rubbish and other items that have a detrimental effect on the area in their front gardens.
• Due to reports of stray dogs in the Rose Lea area it has been requested that the council environmental wardens pay some attention around this particular part of the village to try and catch the dogs.

Bearpark

• Complaint of waste in rear of a property at North View. The landlord confirms this is a constant problem and he will make arrangements to have a fence erected to stop access to his property.
• Colliery Road regularly patrolled to deter or remove fly tipping.
• ASB issues rose regarding Mullen Close and Boddiners shop. Graffiti team have cleared abusive graffiti and now it is up to Mr Boddiner to clear the rest.

Unfortunately I have had to ask again that litter bins on these streets are emptied everyday. Whilst we still have a littering problem at lunchtimes here, school pupils frequently find bins overflowing. I have been told that the council is working hard to make sure that the bins are emptied every day during the week, but there have been lapses. If anyone notices overflowing bins here or anywhere else, please let me know by text to 07500125325 or email mark.wilkes@durham.gov.uk

I visited Framwellgate Moor Primary School today with officers from the County Council pride team and neighbourhood services for an education session on litter and other associated issues.

This included a litter pick around the school grounds where pupils enthusiastically collected three large bags of litter using litter picking devises. it was certainly impressive how much pupils are aware of issues surrounding litter, flytipping, recycling and other environmental concerns.

For anyone who is interested in the County Durham economy, the council publishes a document each month containing information ranging from house prices to employment statistics for the county. These can be found at:

http://www.countydurhampartnership.co.uk/Pages/EcP-CountyDurhamEconomicUpdate.aspx

Areas which I  requested to be resurfaced last year using part of the local budget we are given have now been cmpleted however I after checking the quality of the work I have had to ask for some of the work to be revisited as in places weeds are already coming through, so clearly the quality is not good enough as such work should last for around 7 years.

Some of the areas recently completed include: Finchael View and Front St in Pity Me, Front St in Framwellgate Moor, Part of Newton Drive in Framwellgate Moor and part of Old Pit on Finchale Road.

I am now waiting to see what work the council will be carrying out across the area in the coming financial year after putting in around 30 requests for surveys of particular streets across all areas.

The neighbourhood warden team covering our area has been hard at work dealing with problems raised by residents and local councillors, including a number of reports I passed across in the last month. Their report is below for the villages in the Framwellgate Moor Division. This is just part of the work they undertake on a daily basis.

If there are any issues similar to the ones below which you feel need addressing please call me on 01913725866 or email me at mark.wilkes@durham.gov.uk.

FRAMWELLGATE MOOR /PITY ME

• Fly tipping has been removed from the Ghyll field road field area. A resident in the area has been issued with a warning letter as we found evidence in the fly tip relating to there address they have also been advised as to their duty of care for disposing of there waste in the correct manner.
• Patrols have been increased around the Arnison Centre and Abbey Sports Centre due to complaints of dog fouling. These patrols will continue.
• Litter patrols carried out around County Hall and the DLI museum for people not disposing of their cigarette butts correctly. Pocket ash trays have been handed out to members of the public and to Durham county council employees.
• Visit made to a commercial property in the Framwellgate Moor area to advise them on the appropriate way to dispose of commercial waste due to a skip in the area causing issues with litter and fly tipping.
• Foot patrols of Lund Avenue, Front Street and surrounding area around the school/college have been carried out over the lunch time period.

BRASSIDE

• Several litter picks have been made on the road that leads from Frankland prison to Finchale Abbey. Litter patrols in this area are ongoing including the occasional evening patrol to try and target cars parked up in the lay by’s.

WITTON GILBERT

• Due to regular complaints of overflowing bins In the Witton area wardens are checking the bins whenever possible. If bins are full requests are made for them to be emptied ASAP on top of the weekly rounds the cleansing team make.
• A request has been made for bushes in the Green Lea garage site to be cut back. Due to birds nesting this is not possible at the minute but will be done as soon as the nesting seasons over.
• Dog fouling/litter patrols carried out throughout the village particularly the Oak Lea area.

Litter clearing procedure has been started on a property in the Oak Lea area.

BEAR PARK

• Regular dog fouling and litter patrols in area.
• Graffiti arranged to be removed from Bo dinners shop.
• ASB issues being addressed by Wardens, Police and ASB officers on Auton Style and surrounding areas.
• One fly tip on Colliery Road of builders waste, cleared by Warden.
• Dog foul complaint received from Taylor Road.
• Verbal warning given to a resident  in regard to household waste stored in back garden of the property. Housing officer informed that the resident may be subject to a litter clearing notice.
• Rubbish removed from the wooded area next to the allotments on Colliery Road.
• Regular proactive patrols in the area.

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Mark Wilkes and Brenda Gilmore discussing possible traffic island

Pedestrian refuges come in a variety of forms, an example is shown above. Some may require electrics to provide lighting in the evening,  added footpath work, advertising or legal costs. Such schemes vary in cost from £5000 to £12,000. Mark says “I think it is important residents know how much it can cost for work to be done by the County Council.”

Councillors are to be updated on the progress of the County Durham Plan on the 4th May. A new consultation with residents and other interested parties will commence on the 23rd May, running for six weeks. According to the council:

This is a key stage in the development of the County Durham Plan.  Following previous consultations we are now setting out the strategic options for where new housing, new jobs and new shopping will be located across the County and asking for the community’s views on whether we have made the right choices.

It is essential that you are aware of this as once adopted the County Durham Plan will be the main driver in ensuring that the right development is guided to the right location in order to meet community needs and deliver the future prosperity of County Durham up to and beyond 2030.

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