Crossgate Village

Notes of meeting held on 28 th November 2005

7.30 p.m. at Waddington Street Church Hall

The ‘outhouses' at 23 and 27 Lawson Terrace

The proposal at 23 Lawson Terrace was turned down on environmental health grounds. This decision may be appealed against, and it may be preferable to take a ‘wait and see' approach at present, rather than to pursue action which might turn out unfavourably.

The outlook may change in May, when new regulations come into force. These are likely to change the requirements on the amount of space provided. At this stage, it could be possible to argue that the ‘outhouse' at number 27 (already built) should not be occupied. The amount of light provided could also be below the minimum requirement.

Given current market conditions, it may be difficult for the owners to find tenants for this type of accommodation.

Meeting with Local MP

Colin Green gave a summary of the meeting that had been organised by Kirsty Thomas (Clay path & District Residents Association) with Roberta Blackman-Woods our local MP. The meeting stemmed from the concerns that Kirsty and other residents had expressed at our last meeting with David Thornborrow (31 st October).

David Wood, Joyce Stout, and Harry Stout from the Crossgate Village group also attended, as part of a cross-section of residents from across the city.

Roberta was concerned to hear our views on the problems and issues raised by the way in which there are large concentrations of student households in parts of the city. Her attention was also brought to the National HMO (houses in multiple occupation) Lobby, which is aiming to persuade the Government to amend the Use Classes Order, which would make a distinction between family homes, and properties that are being used as part of a property letting business. The MP may be able to have some influence at national level to bring this change about.

A meeting to bring all the interested parties together has been proposed, and this could be another avenue for finding an effective solution to the long-standing concerns that residents have raised over the worsening nature of local communities in Durham City.

Noisy Neighbours

A number of incidents have occurred recently involving student households, and this was particularly the case at Halloween when the number of parties meant that the University Police were overstretched. This meant that the regular police had to be involved in dealing with disturbances.

The University undertake to write to and to inform complainants of the progress and outcome of their complaint. This does not always appear to happen, however. Mike Costello brought this up with Alan Pearson and it appears that the issue of confidentiality could prevent feedback being provided to complainants.

Following discussion it was thought that in most cases this should not be a reason for not providing feedback. A simple system could be devised to ask complainants whether or not they wanted to make their names known to the people causing them a problem. Even if they preferred to remain anonymous to those who they are complaining about, they might still be asked if they wanted to receive information.

It was noted that when complaints are made to the Environmental Health Department (City Council), people were kept fully updated.

The Vice Chancellor has recently responded positively to complaints from residents by writing to all students to remind them of their responsibilities to the wider community, and to urge them not to overindulge in alcoholic beverages. The sanctions that could be applied were pointed out. College Principals have written similar letters to students.

These are welcome developments, as is the help that we get from PC Barksby, who recently helped to get a large pub banner removed from Hawthorn Terrace.

The noise from the Companions Club in Ainsley Street was discussed. Possible remedies are to contact the Environmental Health Department, and to contact Sergeant Tim Robson, to find out if the licence can be challenged under the new laws. We also have members of the Club in the Crossgate Village group, and they will make informal representations.

Street Repairs

Following the 3 rd October meeting, area engineers have agreed to meet with us to look at any repairs that are needed to our local streets. A difficulty with this is that the problems are so many, that we would want to narrow it down to our main priorities.

It was agreed that Colin Green, Anne Evans, Mike Costello, and Jackie Levitas will meet to do a survey and highlight the top priorities. A meeting will then be arranged with the area engineers to show them these problems.

We have already done a walkabout in the summer, and the problems that were seen will be looked at by the survey group.

It was pointed out that the walkway from Hawthorn Terrace to John Street is in a terrible state, and that the drainage system is very poor in many locations.

The impact that poor road condition has on cyclists and pedestrians (potential for accidents and legal action) can be a way of bringing pressure to bear to get repairs carried out.

Improvements to the area

Andrea Boyd, Julie Lawrie and Wendy Lavelle from the Community Development Team led a consultation session, with the aim of identifying projects that could form a bid for funding from the Flourishing Communities Fund.

Outcomes to be posted here when available

Date of Next Meeting

Monday January 30 th 2006