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Digging Near Drinkfield Marsh Update |
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Written by Mark Burton
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Thursday, 21 January 2010 |
 Digging by a private operator, on the Whessoe Road site boarding Drinkfield Marsh was causing a lot of concern for local residents. There were concerns over the scale of activity, the high levels of noise, which generally took place late at night and the size of the mounds of rubble being created. They were also worried over the number of fires, which were breaking at dusk.
Residents were also concerned over the lack of security at the site, as it remains; there is no clear boundary or fencing and children can easily access the site and be endangered.
Until Darlington Borough Council took action by way of two temporary Stop Notices and then a permanent Stop Notice, requiring cessation of operations and the reinstatement of the land to its condition prior to the operations taking place, these site operations were having a detrimental effect on the amenities of nearby residents through the production of noise, dust and fumes.
Darlington Borough Council issued an Enforcement Notice listing breaches of planning control which alleged that, without the benefit of planning permission, Mr R Shepherd/Albert Hill Skip Hire was using the land as a waste transfer station, a recycling centre, importation to the land controlled waste or other waste materials and carrying out on the land engineering works consisting of deep excavations and creation of earth mounds and tips.
Mr R Shepherd/Albert Hill Skip Hire and Mr A Blair (Dec’d) have now appealed to the Planning Inspectorate against the enforcement notice served upon them by Darlington Borough Council relating to the alleged breaches of planning control and I can confirm that the Inquiry is to be held on Tuesday 16 February starting at 10.00am. However, the solicitors recently appointed to represent Mr A Blair have said that they may need more time to make their case and could ask the Planning Inspectorate for an adjournment to a later date.
The appeal is to be dealt with by the public inquiry procedure and you (residents who were affected by the activities here and objectors) may put your views and or representations on the appeal to the Planning Inspector on the day of the Inquiry. Your views will be taken into consideration before the appeal is decided.
It is important to note that the Inspector will only be giving consideration to the grounds of appeal above including whether there are rights in place already for the site to be operated in the way that it is. The Inspector will not be considering the merits of whether or not to grant planning permission should he decide that there are no such rights already in place.
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Longfield School 20mph scheme |
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Written by Mark Burton
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Thursday, 14 January 2010 |
 Longfield School 20mph scheme draws a step closer
Darlington Borough Council Cabinet approved the Local Transport Plan budget in March 2009 and as mentioned in previous editions of the Little Red Rosette, the Longfield School 20mph scheme was outlined as being a priority within the travel safety theme.
The need for the scheme was first raised by pupils and staff through the school travel plan and Council Officers have now produced an outline plan for consultation as well as a consultation pack and questionnaire and Council Officers propose to consult all resident’s living near to Longfield School.
I’ll post more information as and when I receive it.
Best regards
Mark |
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Last Updated ( Thursday, 14 January 2010 )
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Additional Lighting Requests |
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Written by Mark Burton
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Wednesday, 13 January 2010 |
 At the beginning of December I received an email informing me of the process for requested additional street lighting and their prioritisation with regards to crime and anti-social behaviour.
Shown on the pages are details of the Council’s perception of where the locations are and that these requests were made by myself on the 18th June 2009.
The council’s analysis and response indicated that an anti-social behaviour case in Ridgeway was opened in relation to damage to a fence which bordered the school and that this case/request had now been closed and that of the other requests, analysis of data suggested that the initial reported problems were not significant enough to justify improvements in street lighting and that these cases/requests were also closed.
As I read through this analysis it was obvious to me that council officers had not recorded the correct information. The additional lighting for Ridgeway was not in relation to damage to a fence and was actually requested on 24th April 2009, the request for additional lighting at the rear of Longfield Road was made on 11 March 2009 and the request for additional lighting in the rear lane between Vernon and Myrtle Gardens was made on the 27th November 2007.
At this point I thought it best to arrange a meeting on 22nd of December 2009 with the Anti Social Behaviour Manager and the Street Lighting Engineer in all three locations. The Ridgeway location was not where officers thought it was and they were also uncertain if the garage area was adopted highway, but have since then said that it is. The garage area has no lighting, at night it is very dark and it was suggested that some form of dusk to dawn lighting could be fitted to the garages themselves.
The budget for the provision of any additional street lighting is governed by the number, type of crime and anti-social behaviour issues reported to the police. Thirteen incidents were reported to the police in Longfield Road between June and October 2009 and seven were reported in the Vernon and Myrtle Gardens area in the same period.
I have requested that all three of these requests for additional lighting remain open. If you would like to see additional lighting installed within these areas it is very important that all residents report all incidences of crime and anti-social behaviour issues to the police and that they receive an incident report number too. |
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Last Updated ( Wednesday, 13 January 2010 )
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Written by Mark Burton
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Wednesday, 13 January 2010 |
 Speeding in excess of 40mph has been proven here and the police have been requested to take action.
A survey was taken between the 15th and the 22nd of October 2009. The average weekday traffic of 4,651 is a slight reduction from the survey taken between the 20th and 26th of July 2009 where volumes were 4,826 average weekday traffic. There is also a reduction of HGV's using this road from 3% of the average weekday traffic down to 2.5% of the average weekday traffic.
The results of the survey indicate that the 85th percentile speed (the speed at which 85% of all the vehicles travel at or below and 15% exceed it) is 39.9mph. The 85th percentile speed is a nationally used indicator to determine the safest and most competent drivers and this figure is used to determine whether the Police will take enforcement action.
The average speed over the 7 days was 32.3mph. 32% were travelling above 35mph and 10.2% were above 40mph.
Durham Constabulary normally carry out enforcement action where 15% or more of motorists are travelling in excess of 35mph. Consequently, Council Officers have asked Durham Constabulary to provide a level of enforcement on Burtree Lane.
A 'Problem Profile' was issued on 8 December 2009 and this remains in place for a couple of months before the police provide prosecution details and it is thought that the recent bad weather may have prevented some enforcement. Times and duration of enforcement are up to the Police but they could appear at any time for any period over the next month or so. |
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Last Updated ( Wednesday, 13 January 2010 )
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Written by Mark Burton
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Sunday, 10 January 2010 |
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Jenny Chapman, Labour’s candidate for the upcoming 2010 general elections, has launched a new website and would like to invite you to ‘have your say’ and help shape Jenny’s manifesto, as she stands to become MP for Darlington.
Jenny went to Darlington primary and secondary schools, then Queen Elizabeth Sixth Form College before going to Brunel University. And has worked closely with Alan Milburn for over 6 years as a Senior Parliamentary Researcher, which helps her to understand, more than most people, the true workings of Government.
Jenny has spent many years working to support people and communities in Darlington. She has been a governor at four Darlington schools and colleges, and has been a volunteer, trustee or committee member at several charities and community groups and was a founder member and Chair of Newblood Live, a young people's music charity and she is now Chair of the Darlington Children's Trust.
Passionate, truely commitment, knowledgeable, genuine and caring – just some of the characteristics I would expect any good MP to own. Someone who genuinely cares for the people of Darlington and is committed to ensure Darlington’s voice is heard at Westminster.
If you are registered on ‘Facebook’ you can also become a fan of Jenny and be kept up to date with Jenny’s day to day activities too! |
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Last Updated ( Tuesday, 12 January 2010 )
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