Barker and Stonehouse crossing

It is easy to become cynical.

There was a time when Persimmon Homes courted us as residents. They arranged a special information event at the Cricket Club to which we were invited. They explained their proposals for development of the old Feethams football field, promised us a river-side walkway and a pelican crossing.

Then the site was transferred to their subsidiary, Charles Church. Once planning requirements no longer required low-profit affordable housing, a new application quickly appeared. Once road building was underway, the riverside walk disappeared.

And now, the promise of a pelican crossing is to be reneged.

Planning application ref 15/00795/FUL is Persimmon's move to avoid funding a pelican crossing between Feethams South and Barker and Stonehouse.

Originally there was a controlled crossing at this point, but it was moved when the supermarket sought planning for its store. In its place was a centre carriageway refuge, access to which is fraught with danger. Vehicles leaving the roundabout hit speeds up to 40 mph by the time they reach Feethams South, resulting in pedestrians running for their lives.

Some would say that the presence of other crossings in Victoria Road would suffice. If that be true, why is it that on frequent occasions throughout the day and night, pedestrians collect like wildebeests waiting to cross a crocodile infested river?

The truth of the matter is that this is a significant crossing point for residents, visitors and passers-by. In 2006 this blogger wrote to John Ray, then Highways manager to report a near accident on Tuesday 12th September 2006 when a 30 year old male was nearly hit by a Vauxhall travelling west from the roundabout up Victoria Road. On 5 March 2009 I wrote of the demolition of railings at this location. In June 2011 I reported the fourth significant traffic event in just over 4 years.

1 October is given as the closing date for objections to the proposed amendment of planning consent.

It is important that we mobilise every resource available to us to prevent the loss of a proper crossing point.

In my next blog, I will suggest ways of evidencing the need. In the meantime, I urge readers to register their objections with Andrew Harker, either on line here or by phoning him on 01325 406488, quoting reference 15/00795/FUL.

Functioning as a community

The apprehension of three burglars here at South Terrace reminds us of the benefits of working together as a community.

In the early hours of Saturday morning, our 'early-warning-system' alerted police to the fact that a home had been entered, and as a result, those involved were apprehended red-handed either inside the premises or just outside with stolen property. The criminals were detained and have been remanded in custody by the magistrates, as they make their way to Crown Court.

Leaving aside the superb support that we got from the rapid response of uniformed officers from Darlington Police, the episode shows how - when organised effectively - a community can bring a dynamic layer of protection to its residents. In a text book operation, a serious crime was intersected, perpetrators caught, premises protected and stolen items recovered.

This is a huge benefit of living here in South Terrace. We are one of very few local communities that can consistently be described as functional. That is not to say that neighbours will not have the usual problems or issues from time to time; but it speaks volumes about the way in which we organise ourselves, communicate, and keep an eye out for other residents and their interests.

It is right to say that community does not simply happen. It requires work, and a degree of commitment.

So, what better reason for speaking to our neighbours, baking a cake, moving a bin, picking up litter, keeping an eye on more vulnerable residents, or simply giving a wave?

Our community is precisely that - our's. Those outside will neither fight our corner nor deliver compassion. Thinking 'community' and valuing the benefits is the very best way to maintain the joy of living here and cherishing the most prominent community here in Darlington.


South Terrace Residents' Group Chair - in charge!

 A very rare photograph showing Karl, South Terrace Residents' Group's treasurer....working!

A Year on the Terrace - Annual Review 2014.

This year, the South Terrace Residents' blog has seen 15 posts and coincidentally, 15 comments on them.




In January, there were two posts relating to the Persimmon development, in particular their application for amended planning permission.



In April, we ran a feature on the back lane and fly tipping,

successfully sorted by Street Scene as a result of our intervention.


Our May posting concerned Local Motion who visited the terrace, featuring a great photo of John at no 13 and Basil at no 12.

Also in May in relation to the pocket park we posted a concept and our preparation at the site, with a visit from the Mayor.



June saw 4 posts relating to the park - the big dig, preparation for the big plant, the planting day, and nearly the finale.

In August we celebrated the opening of the park by the Mayor, Councillor Gerald Lee. If you missed this posting, do return to view it and taste the summer air.








October was devoted to the introduction of the new wheeled bins  with two postings - a sad saga of dissatisfaction and the council's response and subsequent apology to residents. It was noticeable how quickly the council will act when a cohesive group of residents such as ours, protests.

In November we reviewed the history of the Gerald Lee Pocket Park from start to finish

 capturing both old, new and missed photographs and videos. Do take a look and follow the links for the fresh material, some of which was not available in the earlier postings.




Finally, this month, our consultation on parking

in preparation for next month's interface with the council. Probably our most important posting which we have now lodged with the council officials with the hope of influencing decisions that relate to our parking on our terrace.





During the year, we have said goodbye to Harry and Heather at number 17 following their move to sheltered accommodation at Dalkeith House, Helen's arrival at no 5, we have seen the new development rise on the old football field, and witness the opening of the restored social facility and bar at the Cricket Club.

Throughout 2014, our South Terrace Residents Facebook Group has continued to support, inform and entertain its 28 members.

If you are not yet a member of that group, it is simple to join and provides much needed continuity for the terrace.

On behalf of all of the residents here, we wish you a happy New Year and a successful 2015. The first three months will be quiet here, but we hope that April will see new ventures, including a further Big Spring Clean.

In the meantime, here is an extract from Councillor Gerald Lee's open letter -

"Good afternoon everyone,

I hope that you all have had an enjoyable Christmas and I wish you well for 2015.

Time is quickly drawing nigh when the 2015 LitterFreeDurham's 2015 big Spring Clean starts which is February 28th and ends 18th April. I hope that you can join us once again and support this worthy Project to help keep our northern communities clean".

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.

Persimmon seek a revision of planning for Feethams

Persimmon propose 82 new homes, to include a 4 storey apartment building providing 12 flats overlooking the cricket field. They describe the proposals as carrying 'an executive feel'. You will recall that the previous planning permission was for 146 homes. Take a look at the attached information sheets, and note the deadline for comments is Thursday 13 December!

Anyone wanting to make representations may do so direct to tees.consultation@persimmonhomes.com, by post to the address in the leaflet, or via comment here or on our South Terrace Residents Facebook Group page.

September update on the terrace

New residents
We welcome our new residents to numbers 3 and 21. Congratulations on your choice of homes at no 3 and no 21. We hope you will be very happy here at South Terrace. Can we encourage you to sign up for the South Terrace Facebook group - it is a great way to get to know others here, and to keep abreast of the news that affects our community. Note, South Terrace has its own Neighbourhood Watch group. At present, all households on the terrace are represented and you will automatically be included.


Parking
There has been a yawning silence from Traffic Management at Darlington Borough Council following our enquiry concerning residents' parking. Here is a copy of our letter dated 15 July 2013:

"Over the past six months, the residents have been engaged in discussions concerning parking in South Terrace. 

Currently there are 30 parking spaces on South Terrace, of which 19 are designated for residents permit parking - 5 at the east end of the terrace, 6 in the middle section, and 8 at the west side. This leaves 4 non-resident spaces on the east side of the terrace, and 7 in the middle section. 

Two issues have been detected. 
First, with 24 households and 8 cottages, and a number of households having more than one permit, there are insufficient residents parking spaces for the number of permits issued. Residents who now pay £40.00 per year to park in the vicinity of their home should be entitled to be able to access a parking space.
Second, substantial numbers of non-residents attend each morning to take non-resident spaces that have been vacated by residents. These spaces are then occupied for the rest of the working day, to the exclusion of both residents and their visitors.
The South Terrace Residents Group has formulated a solution.

Resident parking designation
Whilst residents want to keep some non-resident spaces on the terrace for non-resident parking, we request that the seven non-resident spaces in the centre of the terrace is reduced to four; and all four of the non-resident spaces opposite nos 1-7 are to be made residents permit only. 

Yellow line restrictions
Residents would wish that the yellow lines on the west side of the terrace opposite nos 9-10 should be reduced, to give another one or two extra parking spaces there, and on the east side of the terrace opposite nos 1-7 to give one extra space there. We are aware of the council's concerns about parking within certain distances of junctions, but the local wisdom is that this should not be a problem here. 

The net effect of changes:
Without yellow line alteration - to increase the permit spaces to 26, leaving 4 non-resident spaces in the centre of the terrace. 
With yellow line alteration - to increase the permit spaces to 28 or 29, leaving 4 non-resident spaces in the centre of the terrace".

It is unfortunate that Traffic Management has not even acknowledged our concerns. If no response is received before the end of the month, I will take the issue up with Councillor Harman. In the meantime, if you are free, do go along on Monday 23 September, 5 pm at the Dolphin Centre - Public consultation on Parking Strategy focusing on Residents Parking Zones. They definitely need feedback from us about the shortfalls of our South Terrace Zone D.

Esh Development and the Cricket Club
Residents will have noticed that Feethams South to the Twin Towers has been measured and marked. The plan is to alter the approach to the new road that will skirt the cricket pitch. I propose to invite Paul Nicholson, Senior Site Engineer employed by Lumsden & Carroll, Civil Engineering to Esh Developments, to post news updates on the blog, or the South Terrace Facebook page. 

Additionally, although no planning application has yet been posted, we understand that the Cricket Club is proposing to implement some development at the club building. If you have any news on this, let us know by posting here on the blog, on Facebook, or by email.