With local town election and purdah concluded, County Councillor Liz Maddison is able to report on activities during this period:
We have been working with officers to secure the circus again for next year and have already committed some of this year’s Neighbourhood funding to ensure the event goes ahead next May.
Also a Christmas Market has been arranged in the Town Centre for Saturday, 14 December.
The old library site is now being cleared. The area will be grassed over in the short term.
A new path is to be put in to assist pedestrian movement between Cheapside bus stops, shops and Dr Wood’s Surgery. It is expected that work on the opposite side of the road will also re-start soon.
We have all been very busy reporting potholes, overgrown bushes, litter and graffiti.
Recent graffiti across both Divisions has the same signature style. Not only does it cause distress to residents and impact on our environment, it costs us all in our taxes and in officer time and materials to remove this offensive graffiti.
A bus shelter and one business premises has been targeted with a pellet gun.
Large amounts of flytip have been removed from the Livin garage sites of Pearson Street and Salvin Street; also in open space areas of Middlestone Moor and Byers Green, and behind properties in Baff Street and South Street.
Police drones have been delivered and police officers trained in their use. These drones will be used instead of CCTV cameras to monitor areas known to attract ASB activity, whether it be flytip areas or off road bikes churning up our woodlands and countryside walks.
There have been drainage issues reported on Whitworth and Clyde Terrace – now resolved. A drainage scheme has been put in between Rosedale, Parkside and Glaisdale following issues reported last year, and recently a broken pipe has been identified under the pathway at Grassmere – Northumbrian Water are working on this now.
A bus lane scheme has been tentatively suggested in front of Horswell Gardens to the four lane ends. I have raised objection to this. The council have advised that residents will be consulted should this scheme develop further.
The planning application for 300 houses on Burton Woods phase 6 has been updated with extra comments added in August. This can be viewed on the DCC planning portal quoting reference DM/23/03347/FPA. As soon as a date is announced for County Planning we will inform residents.
Livin are now building bungalows on the old Greyhound track site on Merrington Lane and plan to extend one of the pathways that will light up this walking area.
I have been walking round with officers and disabled residents to identify what is needed in our area for dropped kerbs and where future funding can be allocated.
I have already used Neighbourhood funding to put in dropped kerbs at Troutbeck and Wansbeck and an extended path and dropped kerb at Caldermere.
Cllr Molloy has provided some of his funding for dropped kerbs at Princess Court. Areas in Middlestone Moor and Tudhoe have also been identified.
We hope this initial work can lead to a larger project for the town. From a blind person’s perspective, where we place our dropped kerbs and advertising (‘A’) signs in the street is important to them as is the ability to be able to walk on a public footpath and not have a vehicle parked in front of them.
Clean and Green have also agreed to plant some sensory flowers in our Market area as part of our commitment of inclusivity for all. We are also hoping to improve the town’s planters next year.
At a recent Police & Communities Together (PACT) meeting, we learned that a youth had received an 8 month custodial sentence for 17 burglaries and vehicle thefts across the town. Another individual responsible for community crimes is expected to be sentenced soon.
The police expect they will have more officers on their beat team later this year. Cllr McAloon and I have met with the police and Changing Lives following a few incidents reported to us by local residents; the issues raised have now been addressed and we agreed for more meetings going forward.
Cllr McAloon and I have been out to the Daisy Field with officers from Sport & Leisure who advised us that they are making provision next year for 3-4 extra football pitches on this site. The ground is being prepared now and pitches will be away from the area prone to flooding.
Parking facilities are available on Merrington View car park. All bookings for pitches will be through DCC. The site will remain as public open space.
Ox Close Primary & Nursery held a final viewing at the school last Saturday. I came across a fence to which children had attached their colourful locks as their final farewell. The one in the picture says “OxClose, Forever in our Hearts”, a fitting end to a popular school with a new beginning at Springwell Grange from next week.
DCC have advised they will be on site reviewing pedestrian and vehicle movements for a few weeks from school opening to identify and address any road safety issues. We will be in the area too.
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