The Performing Right Society: even more annoying than utilities salesmen!

Over the past three months or so I have received at least a dozen letters at work from The Performing Right Society Ltd. Every letter tells me I must pay for a licence if I want to play recorded music either to my customers or to my staff - even if it's just in the staff room or kitchen. The thing is - I don't!

I looked into this a while ago and for a small business like mine it would have cost over £400 a year to play a radio in the staff areas alone, and a lot more if I played music in the public areas. So we all work hard, distracted only by the gentle sounds of intelligent and sociable conversation.

The letter, replete with large bold letters, for those who need to be SHOUTED AT to make sure they get the message, tells me I have to PHONE and tell them if I don't play music, or they MAY CONTACT ME AGAIN.

Why should I? It's like the police sending me a letter telling me I mustn't break the law, but could I please phone them to tell them I'm not!

It was clearly in!

Not that I'm biased or anything, but, as my photo shows, and as any fool can see, the ball was clearly in.

Thanks to Lux from Hob Nob Anyone?

Rise Carr Social Club: developer's consultation

Yesterday afternoon, from 3 to 6.30pm, I attended the consultation exercise held in the foyer of the old Rise Carr Social Club building. The owners plan to develop 20 flats and bedsits within the building, for rent. A representative from the architects' firm was there, together with a freelance planning consultant, Mike Cox, who used to be Chair of Housing on Middlesbrough Borough Council.

Many local residents attended: younger residents helping the more elderly along and everybody seeming to know everyone else. It was clear what a good community spirit there is in Rise Carr despite, or perhaps because of, the perception that "the Council never does anything for us round here". Which, apart from the investments made in North Park in recent years, is substantially true.

I had expected there to be objections based on increased pressure on car parking in Eldon Street and Lansdowne Street. And indeed there was. However, being able to see the full colour plans and internal drawings for the scheme, the residents had more pressing complaints: that of a lack of privacy which would be caused by having new windows at first and second floor levels knocked into the north, east and south walls of the building. I was invited into one resident's house and it was immediately apparent just how intrusive windows in the north wall would be: looking straight into the gardens, kitchens and bedrooms of the residents at the top end of Lansdowne Street.

The developers said they would raise the sills of the offending windows and install obscured glass up to half the height of the windows, in an attempt to protect residents' privacy.

Other comments from residents concerned the need for a gate to prevent unwanted access to the rear of the building, which would be exposed by the new scheme. There were also concerns about where rubbish bins were to be stored - something the architects didn't appear to have considered!

Some people were concerned about the type of tenant who might be attracted to these units and the potential for noise. Some thought there were too many units proposed in a relatively small space.

Generally, people wanted the club replaced before it deteriorated physically and became a magnet for anti-social behaviour. The preferred option would have been demolition and its replacement with terraced housing to match the rest of the street. Failing that, some residents would have been happy with the removal of the top story from the building, to bring it to a more sympathetic height.

The developers were given plenty of food for thought and were left in no doubt that the local residents expected to see their concerns reflected in the final plans for the site when they go before the Planning Committee. Otherwise there will be objections and I shall be happy to support the residents.

Tellingly, however, at one point the planning consultant said the dvelopers would be quite happy to go to appeal if necessary, and "win it there": a recognition of what we have seen elsewhere recently, with the Snooker Club and Skipbridge appeals, that local feeling counts for nothing when the inspector from Bristol arrives in town.

Coffee in Darlington - and the world

A couple of months ago I blogged about Caffe Nero flouting planning regulations when it opened its new shop on Horsemarket. Well, someone has just left a comment on that post, and you'll all miss it because who's going to scroll back two months just in case someone else has posted something? The comment was from Annabel Townsend, and she's got a blog called "Doctor Coffee".

Always keen to publicise other Darlington blogs, I shall add "Doctor Coffee" to my links on the right. This blog is written by a young Sheffield Uni Doctoral student from Darlington. She writes (at great length) about everything you could possibly want to know, and plenty you didn't know you wanted to know, about coffee, barristas and fishnets.

Bel also blogs about food. One of her posts makes the same point that I have made several times in Council and elsewhere about the lack of commercial waste recycling in Darlington. And here she is blogging about supermarkets and the market in Darlington. It's all good stuff, but give yourself a good chunk of time to read it!

North Road catch-up (4): Pendleton Road

As a ward councillor, I sometimes get asked to sort out some small problem that really doesn't need me to take action: but I'm always happy to help out where I can. Perhaps the complainant doesn't know where to turn for help, or perhaps - and this is a real indictment of "local democracy" - he or she thinks no-one in authority will take any notice of their complaint, so they turn to the ward councillor to sort things out for them.

One such problem arose recently in Pendleton Road. There is a small building there belonging to Northern Gas Networks. I know that because there's a plaque on the door saying so. As you can see, one of the walls beside the steps had fallen down and was potentially dangerous - young children play around the area.

A local resident contacted me to ask if the wall could be repaired and if the rubble which had spread around could be cleaned up. This resident also told me that the street sign at the end of the road, and the signs indicating the cycle path, had been stolen from their posts, as you can see from the third photo above.

I went to investigate, spent a couple of minutes tidying up the rubble and phoned Northern Gas Networks on the number shown on the plaque. NGN confirmed over the phone that it was their problem, thanked me for bringing it to their attention and promised to get it sorted out. A couple of weeks later the wall was repaired and my neat pile of rubble removed, though, as you can see, they came with one coping stone short! I've phoned them again...

As for the missing street signs: here we have a slightly different story. I emailed the Highways Department, and, as is often the case with this particular department, got no response whatsoever.

So, after a week, I asked Democratic Services (the Council Department which, among many other things, assists councillors in their duties) to repeat my request to Highways. This time, a reply was received, promising to get new signs made and installed. So far there has been no action on site, but no doubt there will be soon! Otherwise, just like the resident got in touch with me, so I shall get in touch with Dem Services and get them to crack the whip!

North Road ward catch-up (3): Car sales campaign working?

The Council's campaign against rogue car traders on North Road, which started last Monday, seems to be having some effect. It's early days yet, but last Wednesday when I checked there was only one car for sale on the whole stretch of North Road, and that was in the Harrowgate Hill ward - and it had a yellow warning sticker on.

Sunday is usually the busiest day of the week, when there have been over 20 cars on sale sometimes. Well today there were only five cars for sale, three in Harrowgate Hill and two in North Road.

The campaign will have to be kept going: we need to get the numbers of cars on sale reduced even more, and make sure they don't come back, but so far it seems to be working. I feel quite pleased with my contribution in keeping the issue before officers and the Cabinet member. It can be hard work as a back bench Lib Dem councillor to get anyone with any power, whether it's an officer or a Cabinet member, to take any notice of you. But I think I've played my part in getting the Council to take action over this issue.

Darlington: A cycling demonstration town?

At the last Full Council meeting I pointed out that, for all its excellent rural and suburban cycle routes, if the Council was serious about increasing cycling in Darlington it would have to make it safe for cyclists to commute to work or shop in the town centre. Cllr Lyonette's helpful response was to recommend I purchase a cycle map of the town.

These videos, made by Mike McTimoney, show his experience of cycling to work in Darlington. Mike avoids the death trap that is the inner ring road and also the stretch of North Road from Morrisons to town, which is pretty hairy. Look out for the two cars certainly breaking the 20mph speed limit on Salisbury Terrace, and the white car which just has to squeeze past on Larchfield Street. The recently refurbished Greenbank Rd/Woodland Rd junction would have benefitted from a cyclists' refuge ahead of the traffic queue.

Darlington: before the Pedestrian Heart

Love the music...love the video.



I like this one too, but the owner doesn't allow the video to be embedded:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=17UJnQWVTaI&NR=1

North Road ward catch-up (2): Fancy living here?

Earlier this year the Council refused the owner of this and two of the other workshop units in Whessoe Road planning permission to return the units to residential use. The owner has now appealed against this decision. The Planning Inspector from Bristol will decide.

I would guess this planning application is connected to the new legislation that imposes full business rates on empty commercial properties. Some commercial landlords have even resorted to pulling their buildings down, rather than be faced with having to pay full rates on hard-to-let properties. Sunderland's Alexandra Business Park is just one of many places across the country where buildings are being demolished.

The Government's intention was to force commercial landlords to re-let empty property quickly. But in the current recession the potential tenants aren't there, so landlords are facing steep bills. Problem is, if so much property just gets pulled down, not only is this an eyesore, but where will the available property to let be when the credit crunch eventually lifts?

A number of these workshop units opposite B&Q have been empty for some time. Unable to attract commercial tenants, even for these high-visibility units, the owner wants to return them to residential use. I don't think I'd like living here on a busy road with no garden or yard, in a predominantly commercial area. Still, it would be handy for Morrisons and B&Q.

North Road catch up (1): Rise Carr Social Club

Rise Carr Social Club has been closed for some time, having become unviable as a place of entertainment. In one of my earlier attempts to widen my range of interests and accomplishments and meet women, I once went salsa dancing there: and a dim, gloomy evening it was too (the ballroom wasn't great either).

Now the owners intend to convert it to apartments for rent. The target market will be young people from the local area who are not yet able to get on the housing ladder. The developer has contacted local residents and councillors to give us the chance to comment on these proposals before final architect plans are prepared.

So, if you want to see the initial plans and make your views known, the developer and architect will be in the Social Club between 3pm and 7pm next Wednesday afternoon, September 17th. The external aspects of the building will be improved, the brickwork looks as though it is to be clad, the windows and the entrance area modernised and the external downpipes will be removed.

Of course it's a shame that once proud and busy local social clubs struggle for financial viability. Customers have so much more choice about where to spend their dwindling cash. But apart from the sad loss of a social facility, as far as I can see, the only drawback might be pressure on parking space in the area, though there is usually plenty of unused kerbside space along the side of the Phoenix Centre and North Park. If local residents have any concerns, please don't hesitate to get in touch with me or Cllr Fred Lawton.