Leisure centre postcode lottery laid bare as three new sites approved MULTI-MILLION pound plans to replace ‘ageing and outdated’ leisure centres in Seaham, Chester-le-Street and Bishop Auckland have been given the green light. Expected costs for the scheme, which includes improvements to other sites across the county, have ballooned from £62.8 million to £78 million since they were first put forward last year (2020). But bosses have also promised there will be no disruption to existing users between construction starting and the new facilities opening. “In 2020 we approved the principles of an ambitious plan to transform our leisure centres, including three new centres to replace ageing and outdated facilities,” said Councillor Carl Marshall, cabinet member for economic regeneration at Durham County Council.
FREE parking offers are to be extended across County Durham. Highways chiefs have approved the move, which will scrap charges for on and off street parking in town, city and village centres after 2pm from next month. It is hoped the scheme, which will be reviewed every three months, will help entice visitors back to shops and other attractions as coronavirus restrictions are eased. “Previously we’ve had to balance inclusivity, economy, availability of spaces and the need to promote sustainable travel,” said Carl Marshall, cabinet member for economic regeneration at Durham County Council. “However, demand for parking in our town centres remains low due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and it’s unclear how this will change and how quickly demand will return to pre-pandemic levels.
Richard Holden A MEMBER of Parliament has spoken out against Durham County Council, claiming his constituency is neglected in its Leisure Plan. Richard Holden, MP for North West Durham, has criticised Durham County Council’s £63 million Leisure Plan to cover ‘leisure transformation’ across the County. Areas across County Durham are seeing huge financial boosts to enable them to extend or refurbish existing facilities or to build new ones. However, this only applies to council owned facilities, which has led to criticism from Mr Holden. Mr Holden has also written to the county council following an announcement that Consett Swimming Pool will be closed for a further 12 – months but local schools are still being charged for non-existent swimming lessons.
A MAJOR investment by Hitachi in its County Durham plant – enabling it to build entire trains – has been welcomed by council leaders. Hitachi Rail announced last week that it was investing in its state-of-art factory in Newton Aycliffe, which will create about 40 new jobs, improve training and benefit the wider business community. The move will see the launch of new welding and painting facilities so the company can manufacture its signature high-tech aluminium carriage shells on site rather than importing them from overseas. The facility, which has the contract to build the next generation of intercity trains for East Midlands Railway and Avanti West Coast, will allow Hitachi Rail to expand its regional supply chain and strengthen relationships with suppliers such as Dyer Engineering and Hydram Engineering.
A MAJOR County Durham development has entered its next phase with construction of a range of industrial units about to start. Work gets underway this month on Station Place, which is part of the wider £90m Merchant Park industrial scheme in Newton Aycliffe – a 65-acre development at Aycliffe Business Park off J59 of the A1(M) and home to Hitachi Rail. The new £4.8 million scheme on Site 2 at Merchant Park is set to provide 50,333 sq ft of new industrial space to support new and expanding businesses at Aycliffe Business Park. The scheme is due to complete in early 2022 and will deliver ten new industrial units ranging in size from 5,000 sq ft for start-up and growing businesses and creating 130 jobs.