Over recent months we have been told there is some demand for ward surgeries for Neville’s Cross. Avid readers of the local papers will hva seen the first of these announced for this coming Saturday, 16 January, 10.30 am-12 noon at Neville’s Cross Primary School.

We are also using the opportuity to link with the local Police Neighbourhood Team, and PCSO Debbie Sadler-Watson will be present to listen to any local concerns you may have on policing maters.

Our idea is to hold these meetings every month on the second or third Saturday alternating between the north and south ends of the division. The actual date will depend on Debbie’s shift pattern.

I have set up a separate web page with the details - click on the link on the left column of this page.

I do wish to emphasise, however, that if you have any issue you can ring or e-mail me. You do not have to wait until the next surgery.

I have just received notice that there is to be a significant period of riverbank footpath closures from 14 December through to the end of March so that a number of dangerous trees can be dealt with.

Here is a map of the riverbank footpaths affected.

The notification seems to imply that paths will be closed as and when needed, but I still need to check that out.

[Added the day after the initial posting] I can confirm that closures of particular footpaths will only take place as and when necessary for the work being carried out.

The Loft in North Road has decided to distinguish itself again this time by running a promotion where customers can pay £10 and drink as much as they like.

With everyone concerned about excessive drunkenness and binge drinking, this sort of activiy is only going to make things worse.

No doubt the proprietor of The Loft will claim that they never serve anyone who is drunk, but why then do we get the problems on our streets later?

In my opinion this sort of promotion is totally irresponsible and will lead to all sorts of public nuisance. In fact prevention of public nuisance is one of the governments licensing objectives, so it would be very interesting to see what the County Licensing Committee made of a complaint by a resident who lives nearby The Loft on this basis. [The Labour government’s laws prevent me as the local councillor making a complaint myself - it has to be someone who lives ‘in the vicinity’ of the premises concerned.]

Interestingly, just after the photograph above was taken, someone came out of The Loft and took the banner inside. For some reason they didn’t want to talk about the issue.

Some good news - I have just had a telephone call from a Journal reporter to say that Banks Developments Ltd have issued a press release saying that they are withdrawing their planning application to develop Mount Oswald.

Banks say that they are going away to consider their options for the site, but given that they have again been sent away with a flea in their ear, maybe we can hope that this is the last we hear of them on this issue for the foreseeable future.

But we should not be complacent!

So many thanks to everyone who has contributed over the past two or more years to the campaign against developing Mount Oswald - a small celebration might be in order.

Banks Developments are putting in a new planning application to develop the Mount Oswald (they call it ‘Durham Park’).

As with the last time, they are putting on an exhibition of the proposals at Mount Oswald. This will be held in the Campbell suite at Mount Oswald Golf Club on Weds 19 November from 3-7pm.

Here is the Durham Park exhibition flier that Banks have sent me.

While these proposals appear to involve considerably less development of the site then the original one that was roundly rejected by the planning committee (and just about everyone who was consulted on it) there are still aspects that fall quite outside the current local planning framework.

As a major development, the timing of the application means that it will almost certainly be determined by the new unitary County Council after 1 April next year and so will represent perhaps thae first significant test of the planning procedures of the new council.

As the local councillors for the area, I and my colleague Councillor Grenville Holland, will be very keen to know residents views of these new proposals as we shall want to represent local opinion as fully as possible.

It is time for an update on the possibility of a Neville’s Cross Community Centre and I am afraid it is not good news for those who believe that this is something the area really does need.

A fledgling Community Association was set up a couple of years ago and has been working on plans to build an extension on to Neville’s Cross Primary School which would serve as a Community Centre and also be available for ther school at agreed times.

A feasibility study has just been completed, but with an estimated cost of over £400K and at a time when the financial outlook is generally so bleak, the members of the Committee decided that the project was simply too daunting for them and that they would wind up their activities.

Personally I am disappointed, but I do understand the difficulties facing the Committee and agree that they had little choice. Nonetheless, those involved do deserve thanks for everything they have done and the time that they have spent.

One small positive to come out of all the hard work is the hope that we can have a community notice board for the area.

Negotiations are under way with St John’s Church to replace their church notice board with something that will serve for both the church and for general community events and information. My fellow City Councillor Ron Dickie and I would be funding the community part from our local ward allowances. We hope that approval will come from St John’s PCC in the next few weeks.

I am a member of the City Council working group on the creation of a Town Council for the City.

The group met earlier this week (it meets quite regularly) and agreed to a publicity and awareness raising exercise in to begin the unparished city area later this month aimed at gauging local support for the idea.

I and the City Lib Dems are fully behind forming a Town Council as we believe it will be essential to maintain local links with elected members whose main concern is our historic city.

The Schools Adjudicator, Sir Philip Hunter, issues his decision yesterday on the admissions criteria for Durham Johnston.

In brief, Sir Philip decided that the criteria giving priority to associated transport from specific areas ahead of families close to the school was unfair.

 He specified that the criteria for 2009 entry should be the same as those for 2008 with distance being measured from the closer of the Crossgate and Whinney Hill sites.

He also directed the Council to review it criteria for future years in the light of this decision, pointing out that in mixed urban/rural areas arrangements involving catchment areas or feeder schools were much more common and were more acceptable.

Sir Philip also criticised the public consultation process and the confusion caused in the mind of local people by the way in which the Council has said things in the past.

I believe this is the best outcome for now. It gives the Council time to get its act together and come up with a workable solution.

One point to emerge from all the debate was the fact that the current criteria actually make no difference to the admissions of all but very few schools in the County, as in most areas there is either no alternative school or no real cometition for places.

My conclusion is that in coming up with new criteria, the Council should look very hard at the areas where there is competition and devise rules that deal fairly with these situations. My regret is that the County Council clearly has not taken this approach in the past.

You can see the full judgement at: DJ Adjudicator decision

The number of local parents appealing against the County admissions criteria for DJ has grown rapidly and the Schools Adjudicator has decided to hold a hearing on the issue later this month.

My information is that the Adjudicator will hold public meeting at the school on Thursday 26 June at 6 pm. This is to allow parents to make representations.

If there is more information, I will post the details.

In addition, a letter has gone out today from the parent governors of Neville’s Cross Primary School drawing attention to what is going on and letting them know how to make their view known if they have not already done so.

The City Council is holding one of its periodic Residents’ Forums on Wednesday 21 May at Durham Town Hall (6.30 for 7 pm start).

The Forum is on the topic of Premises Licences and is for residents of Crossgate and Framwelgate, Elvet, Neville’s Cross, Pelaw & Gilesgate and St Nicholas wards.

Representatives will be there from the City Council and Durham Constabulary as well as local councillors.

Please do attend and have your say.