Crossgate Village
Notes of meeting held on 3 rd October 2005
7.30 p.m. at Waddington Street Church Hall
Park and Ride
Dave Wafer from the County Council gave an update on the Park and Ride scheme and the associated parking controls. The system is due to start in December, and parking controls will become active on the 3 rd December.
Discussion centred around various issues that may need addressing as the scheme operates:
• Will car sharers be treated unfairly and deterred because the charge is based on each adult passenger rather than each vehicle?
• Paying for the bus journey rather than to park might cause queues and delays to bus departures.
• The lack of parking restrictions in back lanes might cause dangerous, obstructive and antisocial parking.
• Parking pressures on Sundays (not covered by the scheme) may increase.
These issues will be evaluated and kept under review. Decriminalisation of parking is being investigated. This would allow the scheme operators to take on the powers for issuing parking tickets. At present, tickets can only be issued by police, traffic wardens and community support officers.
Gordon Wingrove (Durham County Council) spoke about pavement and road repairs. A team of Highways Safety Inspectors carry out inspections to a set routine and report any repairs that are needed for safety reasons.
In addition, there is a ‘future schemes file' consisting of items that have been reported by inspectors, councillors, or the public. Each November and December the Highways Information Unit inspect the outstanding jobs and prioritise them according to need.
Unfortunately the funding available (£2m per annum) is far less than the cost of the requested schemes (£12m).
Discussion covered the damage caused to pavements by vehicles and the need to provide bollards which can be unsightly and an impediment to pedestrians.
The issue of tarmac being used to replace flagstones was also raised. This can often be inappropriate in sensitive areas and in a conservation area. Bow Lane and Dun Cow Lane are examples where the historic cobbled surface is being patched and spoiled by tarmac.
Gordon stated that an enhancement scheme is proposed for these streets and the possibility of obtaining additional funding is being investigated.
Two areas of improvement could occur as a result of the meeting:
• Home Zones – we could propose the creation of these in conjunction with our County Councillor.
• Repairs to pavements and streets – we could make a list of the repairs needed, or it may be possible to arrange for an inspector to accompany residents in a tour of the local neighbourhoods to view the work needed.
The address to send a list to is:
Area Engineer, Suite 14, Abbey Woods Business Park, Pity Me, Durham.
Attention was drawn to a newspaper article where it was stated that in Hastings property owners were being made to improve their properties through the use of Section 215 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990. If any building is harming local amenities, including the look of the neighbourhood, the owners can be forced to carry out repairs.
When we have brought up similar issues in the past we have been told that there is very little that can be done. Councillor Holland agreed to take this on and to see if the Act will be enforced in Durham. It could be useful to identify any properties that may be harming local amenities.
The recent erection of a single storey annexe in the back yard of 27 Lawson Terrace has caused a great deal of alarm because it seems to be a radical departure from the traditional pattern of development in the Conservation Area. In the planning application it was described as an ‘extension' and therefore it was not fully appreciated that it would be separated from the main house, except for a ‘covered walkway' in between.
Planning permission was granted by delegated powers, and was not signed by the chair or vice chair of the committee, despite an objection being made.
The same developer has applied to do the same thing at 23 Lawson Terrace. Councillors will ask for this to go to committee, and individuals are asked to write letters of objection. Councillor Holland will organise a meeting between residents, officers, and councillors to discuss these two applications and their implications.
Stephen Light from the King's Church Durham said that his group could help to tidy up gardens in the area.
There will be another day of action at Peskies Park on Saturday 22 nd October. A local artist, Jo-Anne Bolton, will be teaching us how to plant a willow sculpture. This will help to drain the boggy area, and can be harvested next year for a new sculpture.
A picnic table is to be installed by the City Council, and spring bulbs will be planted as well. The day will end with a barbecue. The day provides a great opportunity for the community to work together and to build relations between the student and permanent residents.
The event will attract press coverage and a grant will be applied for as part of National Tree week. The meeting approved spending some of the Crossgate Village funds on the action day.
Councillor Holland drew attention to the success that the Parks and Gardens department had achieved in winning the Britain in Bloom competition.
The City Council also wishes to involve local people by setting up a Friends of Wharton Park group in order to renovate and develop the park in line with its Victorian heritage. Anyone interested should contact Jeff Barton on 301 8204.
It is likely that the City Council will vacate this important site. It is hoped that the local community will benefit from this and that we can have an input into any proposed changes. A meeting is to be organised with Tracey Ingle to involve residents and planners. Our concerns and ideas can be expressed and input into the project.
As in previous years we will be distributing our welcome note in streets where we have volunteers willing to be the contact person. The streets to be covered are Laburnum Avenue, Lawson Terrace, Mistletoe Street, Hawthorn Terrace, The Avenue, Mowbray Street, Flass Street, and Waddington Street. Students from the King's Church group will be helping us to refine the note to make it more ‘user friendly'.
The University's liaison note and code of conduct will be discussed at the next liaison meeting (October 25th) and will be distributed after this meeting. Mike Costello is our representative on this group.
An important consultation paper has been open for comments since 30 th September. This is the Housing Preferred Options document that considers the options that are available on various issues concerning the future of housing in the District.
One of the issues (number 8) asks ‘how do we ensure that we have balanced communities?' Crossgate Village is one of the areas with a big student population, so this issue is highly relevant. The current option that is preferred by the City Council is to continue the present approach.
The meeting was concerned that there was very little awareness of this consultation and that none of the three Councillors present had been previously told about it. This contrasts with the earlier Local Plan process when open public meetings were arranged to discuss the future of the District.
It was agreed that we should try and get an officer to attend our next meeting so that the public might discuss the options prior to the end of the consultation period (11 th November).
Councillor Wynn provided a brief update on the possibility of forming a Parish Council, which had been earlier discussed at a Local Area Forum meeting in February .
The consultation is still ongoing, and the issue of adding to the cost of local government seems to be weighing heavily. It was pointed out that the Government is likely to attempt to achieve a Unitary Council in the future, and that Durham will need its own council before then.
A pilot scheme is being developed in the City. This could be relevant for the Crossgate Village area, where many residents own cars but do not use them for much of the time. Having a car club may reduce the clutter caused by parked cars and free up space for environmental improvements. We could include this as a future agenda item as the scheme develops.
Our local Councillors urged us to consider applying to this fund for future improvements in the Crossgate Village area. The fund has been created from land sales in the District.
Applications can be made for capital expenditure, and can supplement any Section 106 money (e.g. from Byland Lodge development). The Community Development team will be able to assist, and it is not necessary to be formally constituted. The support of the wider community is a very important factor when applications are assessed by the committee.
Residents were invited to think about possible schemes and these can be discussed at a Crossgate Village meeting in the near future.