Working in partnership for village

Feb 7 2008 By The Journal

CHESTER-le-Street District Council’s vision for the future is firmly focused on promoting and delivering sustainable communities through the innovative regeneration programmes we deliver within our villages. At the heart of regeneration are the people and their aspirations for the future to improve their quality of life.

It is recognised that sustainable regeneration can only be achieved through working in partnership to meet the needs of our communities to provide a lasting legacy of regeneration.

Pelton Fell is a former mining community situated a mile west of Chester-le-Street on the B6313 in County Durham. Since the closure of the Pelton Fell Colliery in 1963 the community has seen its share of decline with outward migration and low property demand.

This community was identified as a priority for regeneration by the council in 2003 and through working in partnership with them and a development consortium consisting of Nomad Homes, Durham Aged Mineworkers’ Homes Association (DAMHA) and Bellway Homes.

Currently the third and final phase of the village’s development is about to start.

The regeneration of Pelton Fell is bringing the following benefits to the local community:

• Around 250 new homes located in a safe neighbourhood designed to provide a choice of dwellings and tenure for both private sector owner occupiers and social rented accommodation.

• By working in partnership with the community and developers the partnership has maximised resources and funding streams to create a brand new Community Resource Centre (CRC) that will provide a focal point for the local community in a multi-functional space suitable for the delivery of a wide range of community activities.

• A multi-use games area (MUGA) and separate play facility as specified by the District Council in the legal agreement for the sale of the council’s land to Bellway.

• A new heart for the village that will create a sense of place for Pelton Fell and ensure a sustainable mix of commercial activity.

The overall vision for the scheme is that by 2010 Pelton Fell will be a place which people feel proud to call their own. It will be a place where home owners and tenants live side by side as part of a vibrant local community with strength and influence.

The council is working with our partners to deliver a regeneration scheme that will bring long-lasting benefits to the wider Pelton Fell community, a positive example of true lasting sustainable regeneration.

Disabled Grants facilities:

Our commitment to our communities is not just about bricks and mortar and providing new housing. It is also about enabling members of our communities with disabilities to continue in independent living and to ensure our properties are warm, safe and weather proof. By working in partnership we have secured Single Housing Investment Pot funding from the North East Housing Board, to provide a range of disabled facilities which we have delivered in partnership with the Care and Repair Home Improvement Agency, and local contractors signifying the true meaning of sustainable regeneration. The impact of this funding has been a huge benefit to our residents, and demonstrates the important role public sector intervention funding has played in delivering sustainable regeneration within our communities. The work has been delivered in four of our former coalfield communities, Grange Villa, Sacriston, Edmondsley and Pelton Fell alongside a scheme to upgrade private sector properties to “Decent Homes Standards”, which has included a range of re-wiring, new central heating systems and new roofs.

It has provided residents with much needed upgrades to their properties and has delivered a range of disabled adaptations such as stair lifts, wet rooms, over bath showers and handrails to prolong independent living.

The scheme was designed to meet the needs of our communities thorough strategic regional delivery guided by the North East Housing Strategy. The work has been welcomed by our residents who have reported the significant independence this regeneration scheme has provided them by enabling them to live both comfortably and independently in properties many of them have lived in for the past 40 years. This is what sustainable regeneration is all about – community inclusion and working in partnership to meet the needs of our communities.

Janice Lunn is Regeneration Project Manager at Chester-le-Street Council.