Following the success of the circus event in the town with increased footfall and boost to local businesses, I am pleased to report that we have secured the Little Brass Bash to play for us in our market area on Thursday evening, 13 July, between 6pm and 8pm, writes Cllr Liz Maddison on behalf of the Independent Spennymoor County Councillors.
We will continue to advertise this event on Facebook pages, Spennymoor News and in local shops as we did last time. A few people did say they were disappointed with the lack of publicity and we will do our best to try and notify as many people as we can in a variety of ways.
I have received an update from Barratts in regard to Burton Woods development. They will be starting road surfacing work between phases 4 and 5 (bottom of Lotherton Drive to Gibside Way (phase 5) in about three weeks’ time. They will also pick up the outstanding iron works as part of those works whilst they have hot rolled asphalt on site. They are ready to sign off drainage with Northumbrian Water following a couple of issues, now rectified. The outstanding signage works will be completed at the same time and a new drain put in at the base of the path between Ripley and Farnley as agreed on walkabout with them.
We visited a new football academy based in Spennymoor recently and met with some of their team at their first training session for their new club, Auckland Moors United FC. The club is newly created with a parent committee overseeing the running of the club that is headed up by coach Simon Garrett. They currently have two teams: a Girls under 14’s and Boys under 10’s and are training on High Whitworth playing field. We have agreed to fund the team with new equipment to assist them with their setup costs. The teams will be registered in the Russell Foster League (girls) and in Durham County League (boys) and will begin playing matches at the start of the new season. We wish the new club and its teams a successful start up. Anyone interested in joining the new club can contact them directly on amunitedfc[@]gmail[.]com for more information.
We are continuing to highlight footpaths and roads across our Divisions that need attention, some of which have already been marked up for repair and completion dates are awaited. Part of the pathway just past Bluebell Drive has already been repaired following complaints. Clean and Green have been asked to cut back foliage and undergrowth on the back road to Byers Green and in a number of areas where road signage has been covered. Complaints are still being made about the state of verges, roads, paths and gutters on Greenways Estate following telecoms and gas works. Issues have been escalated to senior officers to address the concerns that have been highlighted on many occasions. Work is already planned to repair the underpass near to the Ash Tree on Greenways Estate.
Regeneration have received a number of requests for training packages for small businesses that covers such things as digital media, customer services and first aid. For more information on these or shop frontage grants, please get in touch with them on here.
Work is still on target for the walkway in front of the shops on Festival Walk to be started around July and the relocation of the library to the leisure centre in the Autumn. Our next update should provide information on Cheapside plans.
Spennymoor's local community newspaper.
