Crossgate Community Partnership: Minutes

Minutes of the meeting, 6th February 2024

1. Attendance

Roger Cornwell (in the Chair): Max Arnold, Emma Backhouse, Robert Banks, Goshka Bialek, Ann Evans, Chris Hugill, John Knowles, Brendan McKeown, Pat Mussett, Simon Priestley, David Ramsden, Jean Rogers, Alan Shearer, Ann Stokes, Sarah Wilkinson, Joe Witherspoon,
Cllr Esther Ashby, Cllr Victoria Ashfield,
Cllr Liz Brown.

2. Apologies for absence

were received from: Joan Adams, Lesley Aers, Gillian Banks, Morag Crichton, Martin Hiles, Margaret Jefferson, Vicky Mattless, Malcolm Reed, Judi Webb,
Cllr Alan Doig, Cllr Grenville Holland, Cllr Carole Lattin, Cllr Susan Walker.

The meeting sent its commiserations to Cllr Grenville Holland, and wished him a speedy recovery.

3. The minutes of the January meeting

were approved as a correct record.

4. Matters arising from the minutes of the AGM:

Cllr Esther Ashby had contacted the Parish Clerk, who had made repeated attempts to contact STACK and ask them to clean up the windows of their Silver Street premises. Eventually he received a written response, saying they would get back to him.

5. Rushford Court

a) Possible second pedestrian entrance: Chris Hindmarch (the University's Project Manager for Rushford Court) had asked for the CCP's opinion about the possibility of retaining the temporary access from Waddington Street currently being used during building works, as a a second but purely pedestrian entrance. Members were generally in favour: separating pedestrian from motor access was seen as desirable, and one member would have arrived more promptly that evening if this route had been available. The one caveat was that the new entrance should not become a pick-up point for taxis.

b) Other issues: Cllr Liz Brown had noticed that the vehicle access onto Sutton Street was greasy and slippery. Roger recommended pointing this out to the building site manager, whom he had found helpful about another issue in the past.

6. Waste and Recycling

a) Durham City Waste Working Group The meeting agreed to continue to agenda this for future meetings until our representatives (Martin Hiles and Cllr Carole Lattin) are able to report back that it has met.

b) Large Waste and Recycling Bins: Goshka Bialek described the long-standing problems created by the large communal waste bins. Kirk Thiis (Street Warden) had been very helpful but was unable to solve the problem: the big bins were hard for users to handle, and neither users nor bin men returned bins to where they had come from. Students were liable to accumulate rubbish through the term, often in gardens, and then attempt to discard the accumulated rubbish in one go, leaving bags adjacent to bins which the bin men would not collect. The problem was as much with the collection crews as with the student residents. In addition, the bins are a security risk, since they are large enough that people can use them to climb over walls into back yards / onto garage roofs.
Liz would contact the council officer in charge of waste removal; she would also ask the wardens to patrol the area.
Cllr Victoria Ashfield had produced a leaflet to encourage better recycling, which she had been distributing by hand in Elvet and Gilesgate; her approach was to introduce herself by asking whether people were content with the provision of waste and recycling bins. Given the large array of communal bins under the viaduct, most of them were satisfied. Leaflets were available if members wished to try a similar approach in Crossgate.

7. Feedback on new Bus Station

Ann Evans was critical not of the Bus Station itself, but of its integration into the North Road. Not all bus stops had been moved into the Bus Station, and those that remained outside did not have shelters or information boards; there was no pedestrian crossing between those stops and the Bus Station, and one was needed to counter the hazard created by the poor visibility for buses exiting the Bus Station into two-way traffic; there was no dropped kerb aligned with the step-free entrance to the Bus Station; the road had been resurfaced within the Bus Station, but the adjacent roadway was in a terrible state. She asked whether there was any plan to bring the remaining stops within the new Bus Station, and was referred to Simon Day (Sustainable Transport Network planning at Durham County Council), with the caveat that he is currently very busy with the Sniperley enquiry.
Liz was concerned that the entrance into the Bus Station from the roundabout is very slippery, and is investigating whether the surface has been re-laid correctly; in the meanwhile she warns people to be very cautious when they walk on it. She will also investigate the possibility of a pedestrian crossing.
Esther thought that the new signage was generally good, except when a bus fails to arrive: it then vanishes from the listing, giving no indication of whether it will eventually arrive or what the alternative is. The board does not (as at the station) say "delayed", and there are no staff to answer queries.

8. North Road: junction outside Sainbury's / Iceland

Following a reference to this location at our previous meeting, Esther explained that the Bridges pub had complained of noise from people congregating on the wide pavement area at this junction. DCC had asked the Parish Council to contribute to improvements, and the Parish had offered to contribute to greening the area, but this was apparently not what DCC has in mind.

9. National Organisation of Residents' Associations (NORA)

NORA appeared to have garbled the e-mail address of our nominated representative. Roger had now received a mailing from them, which he would circulate. It was agreed that we should consider in the new academic year whether we wished to continue our membership or cancel our standing order.

10. Controlled Parking Zone (update)

Liz has had a meeting scheduled with the Chief Parking Officer, and other interested parties, including other County Councillors, and the people who are programming the new virtual system. There was widespread discontent that the virtual system had appeared out of the blue, with no prior consultation with either residents or councillors. It now seemed that scratchcards will continue for residents' visitors.
Pat Mussett had also received a reply to his letter.

11.Planning application for conversion to HMO, Crestholme, The Avenue

Simon Priestley reported that conversion was not excluded by the proportion of student properties in proximity to Crestholme, which is only 7.3% (although there are numerous student properties just outside the relevant distance). However, it is on a major pedestrian route used by students, so policy 16c applies, as it had at Oaklea, further down the Avenue. He was in the process of drafting an objection on behalf of the CCP, but wanted to see what objections came in from immediate neighbours. Meanwhile, he urged people living along the route (in particular, in the Avenue) to produce evidence of foot traffic. The meeting agreed that the CCP wished to object to this application.
Roger added that it would be discussed at the Parish Planning Committee the following Friday: he was also concerned at the actual plans. These were inadequate, since it was not possible to make accurate measurements, but it appeared that the dining room has a floor area if 8 square metres (not the minimum 10); the application was to accommodate six students, but showed only four bedrooms.
Roger and Simon agreed to draft a letter which people could use as a model for individual objections.

12. Neighbourhood Wardens' report

Roger talked the meeting point by point through the (previously circulated) report. There was a query as to whether the fines levied for littering were actually paid: Councillors would attempt to find out.

13. Report from County Councillor

Liz had nothing to add to her previous contributions.

14. Reports from Parish Councillors

a) Esther apologised that she had left her notes at home; she had spent the day at the Sniperley enquiry, supporting John Pacey.
The Parish Council was concerned at the explosion in the number of bins stored in Fowler's Yard, so that it is no longer a pleasant place to hang out. They were working with the Street Wardens to improve this. The Parish was also supporting the City Theatre over improvements to its windows.
The University appeared to be doing well in involving the community in the appointment of a replacement for Hannah Shepherd (Community Liaison Officer); Roger was involved with this.
The Parish continued to work to build relations with ShopWatch and PubWatch.
There was an allotment vacant at the top of May Street.

b) Toria invited volunteers to the planting of 40 trees in the community garden / orchard at Laburnum Avenue: access was from Lawson Terrace. She was in touch with student gardening and volunteering societies.
A blue plaque was to be affixed to the house of sculptor Fenwick Lawson in Bow Lane.

c) A written report from Cllr Carole Lattin had previously been circulated; Simon would reply to Carole with an update on progress of the Emergency Plan.

15. Other business: Robinson's Greengrocers

Members expressed regret at the closure of this much-valued establishment. The Parish Clerk was looking into what, if anything, the Parish Council could do to fill the gap; Cllr Rupert Friederichsen was looking for volunteers to run a greengrocers in the city. The meeting agreed that if we could obtain contact details we should write to Sandra Robinson, expressing our thanks and best wishes.

16. Date of next meeting

The next meeting will be on Thursday 7th March 2024.