GENERAL MEETING - Bowburn & Parkhill Community Partnership - Charity Number 1112151
Tuesday 15 October 2013 from 6.30pm
Present: M Bell, J Blackburn, J Blakey, G Kitson, A Richardson, M Syer
In Attendance: Cllr M Plews, Cllr M Williams
1.Apologies for absence: W Bates, R Cowen, D Chambers, J Chambers, PC Cockburn, J Geyer, K Haigh, B Little, M Little, D Paget, S Raine
2i. Police: Antisocial behaviour – there have been 14 incidents mainly occurring in the Parkhill area concerning neighbour disputes.
Bowburn: 1 Burglary of tools taken from allotments, which could be linked to 2 Criminal damage to a garden in Beaumont Close and in an allotment behind the Community Centre; 4 Vehicle crime of stolen wheels, batteries, front & back number plates which were used in case of Bilking (making off without payment); 1 Theft of a doorbell.
Parkhill: 1 Criminal damage to a back door. Cassop: Nothing to report.
2ii. PACT meetings: Bowburn Community Centre at 6pm on 16 October, 13 November when the Police Commissioner will be attending, and 11 December.
2iii. Neighbourhood Wardens: Contact Wardens on 03000 261 018. Report incidents of enviro-crime and anti-social behaviour by contacting the Council on 03000 261 000, or via the websites for litter and dog fouling.
September report for the Durham area: Dog fouling - 9 reports investigated; 18 stray dogs removed
Littering - 57 penalty notices were issued to people caught dropping litter, 31 were issued for failing to comply with litter clearing notices.
Dog fouling - 7 penalty notices were handed to dog owners not stopping to “scoop the poop.”
3. Minutes:The minutes of 17 September were approved as a true record and agreed by members.
Matter arising
6B(v) Benches in park:
The benches have been removed from the park. It was agreed to enquire where they are stored. (Cllr Blakey)
It was agreed that the benches are kept in storage first - perhaps till next Spring when an extensive consultation with young people at the Youth Club and the local schools about whether they want the benches that used to be in the park. (Janet Blackburn)
Item 10 Coxhoe Household Waste Recycling Centre (HWRC) and permit scheme
Debbie Hibbitts, Senior Monitoring Officer for Strategic Waste was sorry to learn that two members of Partnership were upset at the poor attitude and customer service of the staff at the Coxhoe site and would like to apologise for the upset and frustration the incidents had caused.
Staff on site have also been reminded that they should treat all customers with respect and be courteous at all times. Likewise we would expect our customers to be respectful and courteous to our staff and any form of verbal abuse from either the contractor or the customer is unacceptable.
The site manager will ensure the gates remain open until 4 pm (3.30pm weekends and bank holidays) and will refer to site CCTV for an accurate time to close the site gate to prevent it closing too early.
The site-staff check all permits to ensure the waste items and vehicle details are correct as stated on the permit. We appreciate your member’s concerns regarding the item not being accepted, however it is clearly stated that all items should be declared on the permit and the site staff have the authority to refuse items.
We hope our comments are helpful. Please contact Debbie Hibbitts on 03000 266 107 in future if necessary.
At this meeting it was said that there was disappointment that the opening hours had been cut at the tip, but there had been a noticeable improvement in the manner of the staff. (J Blackburn)
6B(v) Environment – Art work: Paul Armstrong is still progressing a way forward with his senior people at Esh so is not in a position to present anything to us.
4. Finances:
Income: As per September minutes plus £26.20 from Fun Day stall.
Expenditure: Room hire of £34 for September and October plus £5 for trustees' meeting.
Fun Day: The climbing wall, costing £350, was paid for on the day from Partnership funds of £210 and funds restricted to Fun Day 2013. About £300 was raised by charging Fun Day stallholders in 2012 and 2013. This will be paid into the restricted funds for Fun Day 2014 along with the donation from Cllr Plews.
Raffle prize: The prize was won by M Bell and kindly donated by Cllr M. Plews from the last meeting.
Quiz: The quiz at £1 for prizes of £20, £10, and £5 is ‘It’s hot out there’. Please support your Partnership
5. Item for Any Other Business: Green waste.
6. Current Masterplan:
6A. Regeneration Fund: Project updates submitted by Julie Anson and Gillian Parvin:
>Parkhill Play Area Equipment: An initial assessment will be undertaken in the week commencing 21 October and feedback given to the Parkhill Residents’ group and the Partnership.
>DJ Evans Youth Club: All internal and external works have been undertaken. A site visit was carried out by Gillian Parvin on 30 September to photograph the completed works and the final payment has been released.
>Improve Access To The Bus Stop Area At Romaine Square: A drawing was sent to the Partnership meeting on 15 September for discussion. Jeff Stephenson is currently in discussions with Strategic Highways and Public Transport regarding possible financial contributions to support the potential Bowburn and Parkhill Regeneration contribution of £3,000.00. Gillian Parvin is currently awaiting costs and a decision regarding the installation and maintenance of a litter bin with the Street Scene Team.
>Bridleway Numbers 36 And 37 Drainage: Works to bridleways are well underway and should be completed week commencing 14 October. There will be a site visit on completion after which the grant can be released.
6B. Reports
i)Highways: The next meeting of the sub-group is 18 November at 6.00 in the community Centre.
Cemetery/Old Quarrington Road Resurfacing and Lighting:
The Parish Council is making enquiries about the Cemetery road lighting which has not been done.
Tail-upon-End lane: There is to be a consultation to construct more speed humps. A recent survey found that drivers think, incorrectly, that the speed limit is 40mph. It was suggested that 30mph signage should be painted on the carriageway. (Cllr Blakey and J Blackburn)
Park Hill: Agreed to ask J Bellis to request that the light on the park side of the footpath be re-instated.
At this meeting the local member for Parkhill agreed to follow up this enquiry. (Cllr Plews and J Blackburn)
Yellow lines: It was agreed to research the introduction of double yellow lines on Durham Road and outside the Infant School, and to bring the problem of parking at the Infant School to the next PACT meeting.
(Cllr Blakey and J Blackburn)
Service 59: A review has been initiated and a date has yet to be set for the report. It was agreed to ask Go North East to advertise the consultation process and review date in the bus. (Cllr Blakey and J Blackburn)
For information:
Friday October 18 – Sunday October 20: Resurfacing on the A167 southbound carriageway at Chester Moor. The road will be closed from the Durham Road roundabout at Chester-le-Street to the Chester Moor public house at Chester Moor
Wednesday October 30 to Thursday October 31: Resurfacing on the roundabout on the A688 at the end of Weardale Street, Spennymoor. The roundabout will be closed and diversion routes available. There will be two-way traffic lights.
ii) Parkhill: See above.
The soft pore surface has been repaired in the play area, (and also in the play area in Bowburn).
iii) Community Centre:
The Partnership has accepted with thanks a proggy mat from the Matters Group. It depicts the Partnership logo and is beautifully made. Thanks will be sent to the group. (J Blackburn)
iv) Youth Centre:
At the 50th Celebration awards Bowburn Youth won an award. Bowburn Girls have won a prize for their project ‘Youth work that works’. This project now goes forward to compete at the County awards in November.
In response to “A strategy for youth support in Co Durham” members at this meeting commented that:
The Youth Centre is important to supporting young people and could be assisted by local colleges to design courses specific to the requirements of the individual.
The colleges and other training outlets could go to the Youth Centre and give details of courses available, and find out what the young people require to let them know if and how it may be available.
The Youth Centre is a safe place which has meaningful activities for young people.
Have coaching in the multi-games area of the park for young people to direct their energies in training.
Youth workers should continue to educate the young people in responsible behaviour towards their community and substance misuse in a location where the young people feel confident and safe to discuss the topics.
School attendance could be improved if parents were alerted to the absence of their child, and if there was a policy for a single catchment area for free travel to school. (J Blackburn - respond to the survey)
Bowburn Youth Club AGM is on 22 October at 6pm.
v) Environment:
>Art work: See Item 3. The secretary will continue to liaise with Mr Paul Armstrong. (J Blackburn)
>Drainage: A 177 and Bowburn Community Centre update October 2013 - Brian Weatherall, Senior Area Drainage Engineer, sent the following report:
Works are complete in this area. The temporary formwork that was discovered left in place in the ‘box’ section culvert adjacent to the library has been removed. Following completion of the major clearance works some debris that were left in the stream bed at the outlet of the culvert has also been removed, and some small bits of timber that were in the ditch at Charlesworth Close have been removed.
The culvert is now running at its design capacity with an estimated increased flow rate in the area of the Community Centre of 2-3 times that of before the works.
Judging by some of the debris removed, namely and old brass fire extinguisher, it is likely that much of the debris build up was several decades old.
Following the rainfall event of the 6 September we have received no reports of flooding in the area.
However this meeting was reminded of the flooding reported in the grounds of the Youth Club at the beginning of September.
It was agreed to check the dates of this report and the flooding at the Youth Club. (M Syer J Blackburn)
vii) Planning: None to comment on.
viii) Housing: The new lights in Horton Crescent have created black spots. (Cllr Blakey)
6C. County Durham Plan: County Durham Plan Consultation: Local Plan Pre Submission Draft
The Co Durham Plan sets the policy framework up to 2030. The consultation is on the ‘pre-submission’ draft version that the Council would like to submit to the Secretary of State for examination.
It is the last opportunity for comments on the plan which is available to view at Bowburn Community Centre, local libraries, Customer Access Points and on the website: www.durham.gov.uk/cdp, and a consultation event on 21 October in Active from 4pm - 8pm, and the AAP forum 23 November in Sedgefield Community College.
You can make your comments, preferably online at: http://durhamcc-consult.limehouse.co.uk/portal/planning/ or by e-mail to: CDPconsultation@durham.gov.uk or by freepost to - FREEPOST Spatial Policy (yes one line).
In addition you can comment on the following documents:
Community Infrastructure Levy Draft Charging Schedule – CIL charge to developers;
Sustainability Appraisal; Supplementary Planning Documents; County Durham Plan evidence base.
More information on the purpose of these documents and why they are important is set out on the website.
Representations are invited from Monday 14 October to Friday 6 December.
7.Correspondence:
>Disability North: 29 October: Drop-in event for families/professionals 10am - 4pm at their Dene Centre.
See a selection of equipment designed for children/young people to help with mobility, and personal care.
3 December: The Sage Gateshead presents a regional celebration of the International Day of Disabled People with workshops and talks on the theme of inclusion - Book online for £5.00: Stands/Sponsorship Opportunities at £40 each: Evening performance by disabled people featuring song, dance, music, drama and film.
>Snooker Legends event at Spennymoor Leisure Centre on the 23 January 2014 at 7.00pm. With Michaela Tabb as referee and John Virgo commentating on the match Jimmy White V Steve Davis.
8. Reports and matters arising:
8(i) AAP – 11 September 2013; Key Messages
Employment and Job Prospects Task Group report from 21 August was circulated.
The proposed Area Budget funded projects for 2013/14 are:-
>Young Enterprise – this project was agreed, however the Chair and Co-ordinator agreed to visit schools who were not interested this year in the hope of encouraging them to take part.
>Welfare Champions – it was agreed that a pilot should be looked at with livin and that contact should be made with East Durham Homes and Durham City Homes.
>Apprenticeships – this project was agreed.
A Wilkinson, Young Enterprise reported that 10 schools have been involved and 39 programmes have run.
44 completed ‘It’s Up 2 U’ application forms have been received. The applications are being scrutinised for voting at the Forum on Saturday 23 November, and give your opinion on the ‘Priorities’ for 2013/14; and the County Plan.
ii) Parish Council: The next meeting is 16 October followed by 20 November in Bowburn Community Centre.
Litter picks Saturday 2 November and 7 December – meet in Bowburn Community Centre Car Park at 9.30am.
iii) Quarry Liaison: The next meeting is on 24 October at Quarrington Hill community centre.
9. Group Noticeboard:
Banner: The banner has been out to Heworth, and will attend the Remembrance Sunday service on 10 November.
>BVC: There is a Quiz Night on Friday 18 October in Bowburn Crowtrees WMC to raise funds to publish the Interchange.
The next issue of the Interchange goes out in December; please submit articles/photographs etc in November.
>Credit Union Bank: The collection point is open for banking and information on Fridays from 11am to 12 noon in Bowburn Community Centre, when new members can also join.
>Fun Day: The Fun Day was a great success and was fortunate to have good weather. The Youth Centre was very popular with the Zoo Lab creepy crawlies thrilling everyone.
>History: The next meeting is on Thursday 17 October.
10. Any Other Business: Consultation on an annual charge of £20 to collect Green Waste:
A member commented that there had been little advertising about the above consultation process.
Concerning the consultation the member suggested that the proposed charge could have been added to the ‘Council Tax’ rather than freezing that tax and there would be high administrative charges. (J Blackburn)
11. Date- and Time of Next Meeting: 19 November 2013 at 6.30pm in Bowburn Community Centre
Actions from the meeting to be followed up.
3 Matters Arising:
Benches in park:
The benches have been removed from the park. It was agreed to enquire where they are stored. (Cllr Blakey)
Suggestion to consult on the bench at the Youth Club committee and schools. (Janet Blackburn)
Coxhoe Tip:
There has been a noticeable improvement in the manner of the staff. (Janet Blackburn)
6A Regeneration Fund
Tail-upon-End lane: There is to be a consultation to construct more speed humps. It was suggested that 30mph signage should be painted on the carriageway. (Cllr Blakey and J Blackburn)
Park Hill: Agreed to ask J Bellis to request that the light on the park side of the footpath be re-instated.
At this meeting the local member for Parkhill agreed to follow up this enquiry. (Cllr Plews and J Blackburn)
Yellow lines: It was agreed to research the introduction of double yellow lines on Durham Road and outside the Infant School, and to bring the problem of parking at the Infant School to the next PACT meeting.
(Cllr Blakey and J Blackburn)
Service 59: It was agreed to ask Go North East to advertise the consultation process and review date inside the 59 bus. (Cllr Blakey and J Blackburn)
6B Reports
iii) Community Centre: Thanks will be sent to the Matters group for the mat. (J Blackburn)
iv) Youth Club: Response to “A strategy for youth support in Co Durham”. (J Blackburn)
v) Environment: >Art work: The secretary will continue to liaise with Mr Paul Armstrong. (J Blackburn)
> Drainage: Agreed to check the dates of this report and the flooding at the Youth Club. (M Syer J Blackburn)
viii) Housing: The new lights in Horton Crescent have created black spots. (Cllr Blakey)
10. Any Other Business: Consultation on an annual charge of £20 to collect Green Waste. (J Blackburn)
Those items in italics have been actioned.