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Digging near Drinkfield Marsh |
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Written by Mark Burton
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Monday, 07 June 2010 |
 What are your views about the planning application for 630 Whessoe Road?
An application has been submitted by one of the daughters of the deceased owner of the land adjacent to Drinkfield Marsh and the Household Waste Transfer Station (The Tip) known as 630 Whessoe Road.
It is a long a complicated affair and at times difficult situation to understand - but at present although the ‘Blair Estate’ owns the land it is occupied and operated apparently unlawfully by Mr. Sheppard of Albert Skip Hire.
Mr. Sheppard of Albert Skip Hire is currently operating the land without permission of the owners and without any planning or operating consent by our Council.
The land is of value to the owners and they now wish to operate the land themselves and have submitted a planning application, which I understand is non-transferable.
Residents living near to the land have suffered miserably with their home lives ruined by what seams like 24-hour, 7 day operating, thorough the production of noise, dust and vibration. The marsh its self is evident of disruption with debris falling into the pond area and young children have been seen playing there through the lack of enclosure.
Objecting completely to this application I fear may lead to either the owners appealing and gaining consent to this application, out of our Council’s control or to Mr. Sheppard winning his Public Inquiry appeal on 14th September 2010 by proving that this land had previously been used similarly to the way in which he is operating it presently. Either way resident’s home lives, living closest to this site, may undoubtedly suffer for many years.
Consenting to this application will allow our Council to impose a number of operating conditions and actions such as the levels of noise, dust and vibration, hours of operation, lighting, protection of the nature reserve, finished levels throughout the site, landscaping, means of enclosure and most importantly an ending date.
The organisation for the hearing of this planning application is still taking place but it is hoped that the planning application, which the council currently have from the site owners, will be heard at a special meeting of the Planning Committee on the 23rd June at 1.30pm and the council will write to all those who have already expressed a view on the matter to invite them along.
Your views are very important, as they will help me form an opinion as to how best represent the majority, by either objecting or consenting to this planning application.
If you have an opinion over this matter and even if you have already submitted your views to our Council or other local Councillors directly, it is very important that you contact me directly before the hearing of this special meeting of the Planning Committee. It is also important that you provide your full name and contact details.
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Last Updated ( Monday, 07 June 2010 )
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Ashleigh House Care Home nears completion |
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Written by Mark Burton
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Monday, 07 June 2010 |
 Minster Care Group purchased Ashleigh House Care Home situated on North Road in Darlington in January 2009, the home once catered for 41 elderly people suffering from Dementia.
The company has now refurbished Ashleigh House to a very high level reducing the number of bedrooms to just 20. Providing 10 bedrooms on the lower level and 10 bedrooms on the upper level.
Many of the bedrooms have been knocked through and are more akin to mini apartments! There are also numerous localised facilities on each level such as shower rooms, rest rooms, activity rooms, computer rooms, laundry rooms and kitchens. Both the upper and lower levels within the home are completely segregated.
The home is set to provide care initially for 20 people suffering from Dementia but if there isn’t this level of need within the community the home can, with its segregated levels, provide care for 10 people suffering from Dementia and 10 people with low mental health problems.
The home will be managed by a highly qualified manager weekdays with a staffing ratio suitable to the number of its residents which will be staffed 24 hours a day.
The company’s Area Manager Ms Carol Coxon is very keen to show the home off to any interested local resident and also plans to hold several open days in the near future.
As always, Minster Care Group operates an open door policy and will be happy to answer any questions, You can contact Carol directly on 07909942553.
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Last Updated ( Monday, 07 June 2010 )
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Beaumont land housing development |
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Written by Mark Burton
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Monday, 07 June 2010 |
 Through a Government scheme titled ‘Kick Start’ Fabrick Housing Group Ltd applied for and was granted building consent by our Council’s Planning Applications Committee on Wednesday the 10th February 2010 to build 34 homes on the former First School site, 40 on the Middle School and 32 on the Senior School, providing a total of 106 new homes - 30% affordable.
Along with this development our Council had planned, negotiated and agreed to resurface Glebe Road, construct of a left-hand turn lane from Glebe Road onto Salters Lane North, upgrade Green Lane, provide bus stops and shelters in Glebe Road and Laburnum Road, upgrade and improve the entrance, barriers and surfacing to Skerringham Community Woodland. And in addition, through a developer contribution, improve (in terms of drainage) the football field on Glebe Road, which would have improved play on the field and aided local residents who are affected by rainwater running of the field and flooding their rear gardens.
Following the elections the Government scheme titled ‘Kick Start’ was frozen, along with many other programs of investment, such as funding towards Longfield School through the Building Schools’ for the Future program.
At this stage it is not clear whether or not this funding will be released, Fabric are waiting to hear from the Government. Should the development not go ahead our Council would have to look at remarketing this land once more.
I have had assurances that the resurfacing of Glebe Road and the provision of bus stops and shelters in Glebe Road and Laburnum Road will still go ahead. I’m unsure whether there will be any funding for the planned improvements to Skerringham Community Woodland and should the development not take place there will be no developer contribution to improve (in terms of drainage) the football field on Glebe Road.
As soon as I hear anything further I’ll post it on here.
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Disabled access to Drinkfield Marsh |
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Written by Mark Burton
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Tuesday, 25 May 2010 |
 Residents said they would like the entrance from Washbrook and Newlyn Drive to Drinkfield Marsh improved following the winter (issue 10) edition of the Little Red Rosette, where I asked if you would like me to prioritise this issue.
Drinkfield Marsh presently enjoys 3 access points, one from Whessoe Road, the first for disabled access and more recently improvements to full disabled access for the second entrance from the Darchem factory, across the boardwalk. The last of these entrances is via Washbrook and Newlyn Drive.
I would just like to let you know that the council have now instructed a contractor to address the disabled access from Washbrook and Newlyn Drive before the end of June, ready for the Summer Holidays (but please don't hold me to those dates...).
This will involve the removal of the present wooden entrance features, some vegetation removal, installation of a new RADAR kissing gate (metal), revetment works to establish new sloping footpath levels and a connection over the small ditch to join with the existing footpath within the reserve. |
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Last Updated ( Tuesday, 25 May 2010 )
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Lib Dems & Conservatives Halt Rebuilding Longfield School |
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Written by Mark Burton
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Monday, 17 May 2010 |
 As a parent, guardian, teacher or pupil you may have heard about the plans Darlington Borough Council had to either rebuild or substantially refurbish three of our towns secondary schools - Longfield, Branksome and Hurworth Schools who were each set to receive a proportion of a £57m bid, in a scheme called Building Schools for the Future (BSF) - which our Council successfully bid for last November.
But the new Conservative and Liberal Democrat (Con-Dem) government has effectively put the school-rebuilding programme under review, freezing plans for our new secondary schools here in Darlington and our Council is now urgently seeking guarantees the work will continue, as news of the review was made public. Central Government sources said there would be a drive to start the Swedish-style free schools the Conservatives promised. The Lib-Dem and Tories made these new "free" schools a priority and said that private organisations, parent and teacher groups would be encouraged to start a new school - something which may work in some of the more densely populated parts of the South of England and the Midlands, but certainly wouldn’t work here in Darlington.
This is a devastating blow to our schools as they are in urgent need of this investment in infrastructure and assets. We need all of our schools to be ‘fit for purpose’ as it's of the very highest importance that all of our town’s pupils have an equal opportunity to learn in a school classroom with up-to-date equipment and resources. Redirecting public money away from the building of schools is not a good idea, the Lib-Dem and the Tories should be ensuring the buildings and infrastructure we already have is maintained and enhanced, instead of starting this completely new initiative.
I’m shocked to learn that some Tory numpties seems in favour of this review and have stated that the BSF program is one that was initiated by the defunct Labour government and was to be “executed", saying that what the Con-Dem government want is for waste to be cut to an absolute minimum and an efficient spend of tax payers money”.
This is actually something that everybody wants, funny though, that it takes change in Government for Tory Councillor Mike Cartwright to jump on the band wagon saying that locally, the Tories and Lib Dems should be 'friends now' rather than admitting that their leaders were across a barrel to form any sort of Government, no matter how flimsy. Just because David Cameron and Nick Clegg were privileged enough to have attended the same fee paying private prep school together, doesn't mean locally Councillors share the exact same views or are prepared tp let their own values and ideals slip just to get in to power. Every single individual I have spoken to that voted for the Lib Dems now says they feel totally betrayed, as it has allowed a Conservative Government in to power once again through the back door. This is something that at a local level can not be paved over and the cracks are always going to be evident.
It seems some of the Tories here in Harrowgate Hill would much rather wrangle over election material that had been distributed by local Lib-Dems, which highlighted their concerns over the school-rebuilding programme review and would rather follow the Tory line, which actually places our own towns application at risk. What they should be doing is to act in a much more constructive and positive way on behalf of the many local residents whose families and children are set to lose out if this investment does not go ahead.
I know that Jenny Chapman, Darlington's newly elected Labour MP will be doing every thing she can to ensure Darlington Schools get the investment they need. I would urge other Councillors, particularly Lib Dem and Conservative ones to put their differences behind them and to write to their own Party Headquarters - and in the strongest possible terms, condemn this freeze and actually fall line with their fellow Conservative town Councillors and to fight for the future of not only Longfield School but Branksome & Hurworth too.
Whilst the fact that Nick Clegg and David Cameron went to the same prep school highlights how lucky and privileged they have both been, BSF aims to help the rest of our children get a decent education in a school that is fit for purpose. It's going to be just a matter of time before we will be able to see if we have a Government that we can say the same about. |
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Last Updated ( Monday, 17 May 2010 )
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