End of Year Round-Up - and the Year Ahead

The South Terrace Residents blog has now been up and running for 11 months (starting on Sunday 10 February 2013). In this time we have tackled a number of issues close to your hearts: including crime, scams and SmartWater with the Darlington Neighbourhood Police team, Sainsburys development, the Esh housing scheme on the football ground, the new Terrace Hill cinema complex at Feethams North, parking in South Terrace, the Big Spring Clean 2013, South Terrace garden Spring and Summer competitions, departing residents and new arrivals, the demolition of the Feethams twin towers, and of course the important publication by South Terrace's own writer, Karl Bone.

I sense that 2014 is going to be a challenging year for us on the terrace. Esh have handled their part of the Feethams housing development with a degree of sensitivity - especially with the frequent updates on our South Terrace Facebook page, but will the same be true for Persimmon? How will Darlington Council respond to the development of 82 new dwellings on the Feethams estate? Will we get the Victoria Road pedestrian crossing point we have been seeking? Is the council going to address the parking issues we have raised?

With care and collaboration, South Terrace residents could be the beneficiaries of the recent and proposed changes. But to achieve this, our voice must be heard, and that voice should be a united one. We need to keep our group active, informed and involved.

I propose that we arrange a meeting early in 2014 to prepare an agenda for the year. Pending this, think about what you would like to see happen during the year, and what you most wish to avoid. This way, we can exercise a level of influence over the decisions that will or may most affect us.