Fawdon eFocus April 2017

Fawdon Community Centre is managed on a lease from the council by the Newcastle Tenants and Residents Federation. The Federation is negotiating with the council to take ownership of the building and has ambitious plans to develop the use of the building for the benefit of the local community. With this in mind they would like to set up management committee for the centre, to work alongside the trustees of the Federation. If you would like to offer to become a member of this committee, or find out more, then email Karen Harrison at the centre: fawdoncc@hotmail.co.uk - or call her on 285 2724.

Red House Farm Residents Association has set up an arms-length trust, with independent local trustees, the purpose of which is the improvement of the environment of the estate and its enjoyment by residents. The Association will be inviting proposals from people who live on the estate for funding for projects that meet these aims. The money for this came (very belatedly) from the Great Park developer consortium, via the city council.

At its annual budget meeting at the beginning of March the city council voted, as we feared, to end all funding from the council to Kenton Park Sports Centre despite a strong campaign from the centre, many local residents and your local councillors to try to persuade them to give one more year of (reduced) grant. David and Brenda are working alongside the centre's management committee to help find other sources of funding, and opportunities are being explored. However, a source of grant for the coming year has now arrived via Kenton Ward which had been given funding by the former Coalition Government to support local activities for older people and help with community development but hadn't used it until now ........

We are annoyed that the city council rejected proposals from we Liberal Democrats to put on hold some of the other service cuts until alternative arrangements were in place (and to use the council's growing reserves to buy time). So, for example, all but three of the 50 school crossing patrols will go; there will be a removal of all small litter bins and their replacement by a much-reduced number of larger bins; more communal bins will be brought in for terraced areas like Coxlodge; the budget for maintaining the parks will be cut again, and there will be reductions in the opening hours of the council's recycling centres. All of this could have been prevented. If you would like to read more about our proposals, see : https://newcastle-libdems.org.uk/en/

We are still waiting to hear from the council of the date of the next meeting for residents, officers and councillors with Red House Farm football club. There are still a number of outstanding issues that need to be talked through and resolved on the condition of the site and its use by the community as well as the club.

The next meeting of the Fawdon and Coxlodge Local History Society is on Tuesday 18^th April, 7.15 with a talk on the history of toll roads. The society meets on the third Tuesday of the month, September to May at St Clements Court. Belsay Gardens, Red House Farm NE3 2AZ. Guests are welcome to attend the talks and enjoy a cup of tea afterwards for a charge of £2 - annual membership is £12.

Silver Screen at St Mary's Fawdon is normally every third Tuesday at 2pm, with lovely tea and cakes. However, because of Easter the next one is Tuesday 25th April - "A Street Cat named Bob"

Residents in Shrigley Gardens reported concerns to us about the worn nature of the speed cushions in the street, designed to slow traffic that cuts from Kenton Road in Coxlodge through to Edgefield Avenue and North Kenton. The council have installed monitoring wires for traffic speed/volume, and we await the outcome of the survey.

Recent Incident at Aldi. You may have heard about the recent stabbing at the Aldi supermarket on Edgefield Avenue. The police say that the two males involved, both aged 16 were well known to each other. The offender was arrested. Inspector Julia Rana told us: "Whilst this was a horrendous attack, it would appear to be an isolated incident and a matter between the two males. I have absolutely no concerns for the wider public and I would appreciate it if this message could be relayed to your constituents with any interaction you may have with them. We have identified which school the males attend and I can confirm that it is not in the Kenton area (so not local to where the incident happened.) Reassurance patrols were put in place".

The traffic management team at the city council has told us that it is working up some proposals to improve the junction at Foxton Avenue/Fawdon Lane by introducing waiting restrictions at the corner. Once prepared, the proposals will be put out to consultation with residents and others.

Problems of anti-social behaviour, noise and littering remain for residents who live on either side of the cut through the newCoppice Way estate (Newlyn Road, North Kenton) to North Kenton Park. We have been in touch regularly with the police and neighbourhood wardens, and we accompanied local police and specialist officers on a walkabout a month ago. We have been to Kenton School to meet senior teachers about the behaviour of the young people, to try to identify them, and they have been carrying out some observations. We have had regular contact with residents and it has been discussed by the local tenants and residents association - they sympathise but say that this is an established right of way that many residents have used and would wish to continue to use. We have been in contact with Barratt several times and they dispute the idea that prospective purchasers were misled about the intention to make it a closed estate. We have been through the details with senior planning officers at the council and taken legal advice but it is the case that anti-social behaviour is not a reason that can be legally justified for closing down an established public right of way.

Brenda and David are meeting with council officers to try to establish what has happened to the balance of the money set aside for improvements to Kenton Park by the developers of the new estate on the site of the former Hillsview School off Redland Avenue. By our calculations there is a sum of £25000 - £30,000 left and we don't intend to let it disappear into a black hole at the civic centre.

The widening of Kingston Park Road and the junction works at Fawdon Lane began three weeks ago, and residents have been written to by the council. There is a webpage which contains information on the junction improvements and will be updated as construction progresses: https://www.newcastle.gov.uk/parking-roads-and-transport/re-newcastle-transport-improvements/fawdon-lane-improvements-0 Residents can write to fawdonlane@newcastle.gov.uk if they wish to raise any issues as the work progresses.

Following a recent six-vehicle accident at the mini roundabout at the junction of Wansbeck Road North, Kingston Park Road and Broadway West, questions were asked about whether the junction might be improved but both the council and the police are against any idea of a T-junction. It is not an easy roundabout as cars come quickly upon it from bends on the west and south approaches but if people slow down and apply the normal rules of the road for giving way to the right then there should be no problems.

The Council has at last agreed to replace the iron bridge over the Ouseburn north of Acomb Crescent. The bridge is no longer in good condition and if left will eventually become unsafe. The latest information to us says "The Council is now waiting for an estimated cost for the removal of the existing bridge and installation of a new one".

There have been many complaints from users of local bus services, especially the 30 and 31, of missed and late buses from town. We raised this matter with Stagecoach who have apologised, explained the problem and promised better service over time. See the foot of this email for their full reply.

Remedial estate work is still not completed at Hazel Walk (Byrewood Walk, Piper Court, Carsdale Road) in North Kenton and yet again we have been in touch with Barratts who claim problems with their contractors. When we first approached them last summer they promised that the work would be completed before the autumn! Now they are also speaking of changing some of the streetworks specifications, having already installed incorrect kerb foundations. The senior highways engineer at the council wrote to them on 24^th March - we quote: "We have asked for works to be completed, to an adoptable standard and in accordance with the approved drawings …. I can arrange for our Site Engineer to meet you on site next week to identify all of the remaining highway works required before acceptance by the City Council and commencement of the maintenance period". Yes please, get on with it.

Earlier this month, the council's Regulatory and Appeals Sub Committee considered the objection raised to the proposed making of a permanent Traffic Regulation Order to introduce no waiting at any time restrictions (double yellow lines) at theBelsay Gardens junction with Acomb Crescent. The Council had received a number of complaints "from a variety of road users that vehicles are frequently being parked too close to the junctions adjacent to Belsay Gardens. This parking is making manoeuvring difficult particularly for large vehicles, including buses. The indiscriminate parking is also making visibility difficult for pedestrians crossing at this junction" (to quote the report). The Sub Committee set the appeal aside and will now proceed with introducing the restrictions.

Ricky Tomlinson, comedian, actor and star of The Royle Family appears at Coxlodge Club on 27^th April - should be a great night. Check it out at www.coxlodgeclub.com

Volunteer-run Fawdon Community Library is looking for local people with a little time on their hands to help out - perhaps a couple of hours per week. Training and support is given and there's always two people on duty for each session. Email for more information at fawdoncommunitylibrary@gmail.com or check out https://fawdoncommunitylibrary.com/

Thanks to Aldi who are giving the library team space in the car park on the morning of 8th April to hand out leaflets, sell second hand books and have a tombola. Thanks also to Michelle and her colleagues at Asda for the help they have given the library for promotions and fundraising.

Littering of the field at Coxlodge Recreation Ground is a regular problem, and with increased dumping of bags with dog poo (not just a problem there of course). The council needs to take some responsibility here - there is no bin for what is a recreation area. The lads from the bowling club should be congratulated for cleaning up recently. They filled 6 black bin bags with plastic bottles and cans and 60 dog litter fouling bags that had been thrown by the side of the pathway. The transfer of the recreation centre lease to its committee from the council is agreed in principle but still delayed by the need for approval by the Coal Industry Welfare Organisation. Recent winds blew down part of the signage on Jubilee Road, and it was looking pretty tatty anyway, so that's another task.

It's great that The Jubilee Pub in Coxlodge is soon to reopen after the terrible fire (arson) in January. There will be a family fun day on 23^rd April, St George's Day, from 12 noon.

Next round of Tenants and Residents Association Meetings - all are welcome to hear what is going on in the area and to raise any issues you may have. Either or both of David and Brenda will be in attendance

Red House Farm - Wednesday 12 April at 7.30pm at the Northumbrian Piper.

North Kenton - Thursday 20 April, 7pm at Kenton Park Sports Centre.

Little Grange and nearby part of Fawdon - Wednesday 17 May, 7pm in the Sea Cadets Hut, end of Aln Crescent (close by the Metro line)

Our surgeries are on the second Tuesday of the month 5.30 - 6.30 pm at St Mary's Church, Fawdon. No appointment is needed - just call in. Alternatively contact us as follows: Brenda Hindmarsh 285 1528 brenda.hindmarsh@newcastle.gov.uk; David Faulkner 284 5662 david.faulkner@newcastle.gov.uk

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Information from Stagecoach

I regret to learn of the difficulties which have been experienced over recent times regarding the punctuality of these services. Please accept my apologies for any inconvenience this may have caused.

I have spoken with my local colleagues who are responsible for the day-to-day operations of these routes, and they have confirmed that these services have indeed been encountering ongoing issues with temporary roadworks. It is with regret that just as one highways scheme has been concluding (such as that at St.James Boulevard/ Westmorland Road), another one has been commencing (such as that at Church Road). In addition to the significant over-run of works on John Dobson Street which is recognised in your note, there were also a number of weeks difficulty last summer caused by the remodelling of the Great North Road/ Forsyth Road junction in west Jesmond. Individually each of these works can cause disruption, but when they follow on from one another, this produces an increasingly challenging operating environment, and one which causes great difficulty for our customers.

Over most recent times, Services 30 and 31 have been particularly affected by ongoing, but very variable, delays due to roadworks along the Elswick Road corridor. These works are associated with the creation of cycling infrastructure. These delays have led to a number of instances of late running. Due to these difficulties, it has been necessary for the local team to intervene in the operations of these services so as to provide an equal balance of services, and as a result it has been necessary to remove a journey from service on a number of occasions.

Whilst we clearly regret having to do this, we do consider this to have a lesser impact on customer journeys overall, as it allows the bus to regain schedule quickly, and it is certainly more desirable than having a flotilla of buses running together. That said, this itself is sometimes regrettably unavoidable due to the nature of individual customers' journeys, and the variable nature of the delays we are currently experiencing across the west end.

I am advised that whilst the works along Elswick Road remain ongoing, they are on schedule for completion in the coming months, and it is considered by officer colleagues that the current phases are probably the most problematic. Once this interim phase has passed, I would expect to see an improvement in the punctuality of your bus service.

Notwithstanding this aspect, we are also independently recompiling the schedules that each individual bus on these services operates to. We anticipate being able to introduce a revised timetable at the end of April, after a current legislative notice period has passed. This revised timetable will build in more operating time for each bus at known key points of delay, and particularly across the afternoon peak period.

Whilst I accept this response may be disappointing, please rest assured my local colleagues are doing all they can to continue providing a high level of service in what is a very challenging period on the local highways network, and the completion of aspects noted above should certainly help to deliver improvements for customers.