No, for a change, this is not a pretentious posting about the beauty of South Terrace, and certainly not a critical one - at least in relation to our residents. In fact, to the contrary, it demonstrates just how functional we residents are in caring for both the terrace and our environment.
Those who frequently use the back lane will have noticed a surprising development. It arises from the combined endeavours of residents at numbers 24, 22 and 8. Up to the beginning of the month we had substantial puddles in the lane as rain water failed to drain away. Following Dot's lead, Amanda and Stephen set about clearing the drains down the centre of the lane, and hey presto, we have averted the floods. Well done to all who participated. Perhaps we should be put on Darlington Street Scene's payroll?
Councillor Paul Harman and I have continued to tackle the litter on Victoria Road. Fortunately, our residents of South Terrace are constantly vigilant concerning litter on the terrace, which is now a rarity. Those stroll to town or make their way to Sainsburys have been seen to litter-pick as they go. But Victoria Road is quite another matter, comprising the town's ring road, and attracting a major problem of littering.
Paul Harman returned with his gloves to the waste ground next to the monumental mason near the Skerne bridge. It is owned by the council and Paul is seeking a regular clearing of this area. I also took my Darlington Council 'litter picker' and black sack to clear the Victoria Road side of the bank. Forty minutes later, I had recovered two bags of cans, bottles and packaging. Today, I noticed that it was impossible to tell that the task had been undertaken.
Perhaps now is the time that the fast-food retailers should be surcharged to deal with the problem. There seem to be few incentives for Sainsburys and the food outlets in Victoria Road to restrict, or otherwise take responsibility for litter that comes from eating and drinking in the street. I believe that Paul is to raise this in the Council Chamber. Your views on the subject would be helpful.
The topic of parking is never far from our agenda here on the terrace. As you will have read from earlier postings, our minor difficulties are greatly exacerbated by the mid-week incomers who seek to avoid paying for parking in the town's car parks. On 17 July I received an acknowledgement from Paul Boyle, Customer Services Advisor, who passed our concerns to Traffic Management for investigation. Maybe that department is suffering from a 'rush hour' crush of work, but we are yet to receive a contact. I shall be pursuing this next month.
Finally, we note that Adelle has a buyer for no 3. With all of her work on the property, it was just a matter of time for the sale. Congratulations to her, and we hope her move is successful. We also understand that no 21 has at last been let. This follows Terry's sad death in February, whilst travelling. When the new residents arrive, make sure to tell them about the residents' group,
the blog and our
Facebook page.
