Open Space, Sport and Recreation Needs Assessment

Area Profile: and Shildon

CONTENTS

Page (s)

1.0 Sub Area Map 3

2.0 Description of Sub Area 4

3.0 Local consultation findings 5 - 12

4.0 Quantity of provision 13 - 14

5.0 Access to facilities 15 - 20

6.0 Quality of facilities 21 - 22

7.0 Analysis and Recommendations 23 - 24

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1.0 Sub Area Map

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2.0 Description of Bishop Auckland and Shildon Area Action Partnership

Population 41,895

Location & Demographics

Bishop Auckland and Shildon are located approximately 12 miles north west of and 12 miles south west of Durham City. The early history of the market town of Bishop Auckland surrounds the Bishops of Durham and the establishment of a hunting lodge, which later became the main residence of the Bishop of Durham. This link with the Bishops of Durham is reflected in the first part of the town's name. The town has a bus station and a railway station which transports passengers along the Line.

Shildon, the ‘Cradle of the Railways’ is home to the Locomotion Museum (which opened in 2004) and was the North East’s first and remains its only national collection. The £11 million initiative combines the historic buildings and workshops of the Museum with a new 557 sq metre (6,000 sq ft) building.

The Bishop Auckland and Shildon AAP contains the Town Councils of Bishop Auckland and Shildon, and the Parish Councils of Eldon, and . The area has many things going for it, including a strong sense of community spirit and pride, ongoing regeneration and renewal initiatives and active partnership working, leading to local improvements. However in common with many parts of County Durham there are a lot of issues that need to be tackled.

The area of Bishop Auckland and Shildon contains the following parishes: Newfield, Eldon, Bishop Auckland, Tindale Cresent, Middlestone, West Auckland, Old Eldon, Escomb, South Church, St Helen Auckland, Coundon Grange, Binchester Blocks, Toronto, Coundon, , Leasingthorne, Shildon, High

Further information can be found at http://www.durham.gov.uk/PDFApproved/Profile_Bishop_Auckland.pdf and http://www.durham.gov.uk/PDFApproved/BishopAucklandandShildonAAPProfile.pdf

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3.0 Local Consultation Findings

The following is a summary the main local findings of relevance from local consultations which are described in full in the Needs Assessment Report (Appendix 1 to the Main Report).

3.1 Detailed comments from web survey

Postcode Comment Smaller open areas in residential places for younger children to play safely near their home, avoiding the need to play on DL14 9UY roads etc or walk far from home where parents cant monitor them. Adventure type playareas particularly for 9-14 age range. There are some good play areas for younger children. A more DL14 0SJ comprehensive leisure centre. Woodhouse Close only has swimming and a gym. DL14 0DR More Bridle paths!!!! DL14 6LJ More youth club type activities DL4 2LF Better lighted areas for night time activity

3.2 Best Value Survey by Action Area Partnerships

The results of the 2006/7 Best Value User Satisfaction Surveys for parks and open spaces in each of the districts have been disaggregated to AAP level as shown below.

Significant AAP % Very/fairly satisfied Rest of County Difference

Bishop Auckland and Shildon 54.4 59.1 No

Chester le Street 63.8 57.8 Yes 59.0 58.5 No Crook Willington and 56.6 58.6 No

Durham City 59.6 57.9 No

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Significant AAP % Very/fairly satisfied Rest of County Difference

Easington 51.9 60.9 Yes East Durham rural corridor 62.3 58.3 No and Chilton 54.0 58.9 No Mid Durham rural west 59.3 58.5 No 72.6 59.6 Yes 74.3 58.1 Yes Stanley 42.4 59.6 Yes 65.6 58.4 Yes Weardale 71.0 58.5 Yes

3.3 Summary of Relevant Findings from the Open Space, Sport and Recreation Study

The Action Area falls into two former local authority areas- and Weardale. A PPG17 study was produced for Sedgefield, but not for Weardale. The main findings of relevance for the Sedgefield PPG17 study in relation to Shildon are as follows.

• Consultation with sports interests highlighted the value attached to local athletics facilities, although understaffed and not easy to get to. • The perceived unsatisfactory quality of pitches, particularly at the Sunnydale Leisure centre. Other concerns relate to vandalism etc. • A concern over a perceived lack of access to swimming facilities. • A concern about a perceived lack of nature reserves.

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3.4 Summary of Relevant Findings from the Play Strategy

The Action Area falls into two former local authority areas- Sedgefield and Weardale.

3.4.1 Main Conclusions

The following were general findings from the Sedgefield Play Strategy , and therefore have relevance to this Action Area/sub area:

• 71% of children and young people said that there was not enough play spaces locally. The lack of facilities and activities in for young people in general, across the whole borough has been highlighted as a widespread need. • The main reason for children/young people to visit their most used space is to provide informal opportunities to meet and play games with friends. Findings highlight the importance of providing informal open spaces for children to meet near their homes that are not necessarily designated play or sports facilities. • Age appropriate play facilities have been highlighted as an area that needs improvement. Facilities for the over 8’s have been indicated as a specific need. • The need for all facilities to be accessible and not restricted by bad design or unconsidered street furniture has been highlighted as a key issue for facilities to be inclusive. • Some existing play facilities have been identified as ‘old hat’ and boring and therefore are being underused. This has been highlighted most prominently in areas that are considered disadvantaged and rural as local children need locally accessible free play provision. • Pro active engagement and involvement of children and young people and hard to reach groups needs to increase to ensure that these groups voices are heard and to ensure that provision is developed to meet their needs. • The main issue highlighted by Play and Youth Organisations was the lack of facilities for teenagers such as skateboard areas and BMX sites. • 70% of town and parish councils felt that the needs of young people were not being adequately met and that new/improved play areas, sports pitches and other play/youth facilities would help.

The strategy includes a gap analysis for play spaces highlighting specific needs across five sub-areas within the borough as well as noting a number of borough-wide issues. These should be taken note of in relation to the current PPG17 assessment.

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The following were general findings from the Weardale Play Strategy , and therefore have relevance to this Action Area/sub area:

• The play audit and consultation and dialogue with children and young people demonstrate demand for increased play provision. • The District maintains a reasonable level of fixed play provision and has undertaken a disability access audit of sites. While physical access to fixed play sites has improved dialogue with children and young people with disabilities within Wear Valley District identified demand for more equipment on which to play within Wear Valley’s fixed play sites. Dialogue with children and young people with disabilities and their parents/carers identified key play sites where they felt the introduction of such equipment should be prioritised. • The play audit and consultation/dialogue with children and young people has demonstrated that there are gaps in available play provision and leisure opportunities for children and young people, particularly regarding supervised and indoor play activities. Children aged 5 to 13 are targeted less frequently out of school hours than other age groups. • Analysis of the play audit and consultation/dialogue has shown that children and young people in this age range, and their parents/carers, value measured adult supervision. ‘Fear of bullying’ and ‘competing with older children’ were commonly voiced by children as barriers to play within the questionnaire. An adult presence can help to: - Encourage dialogue and creative play - Create a space where children and young people feel safe to determine their own play.

3.5 Town Council Survey findings of Relevance

3.5.1 Survey Findings

Quantity and Quality of Recreational Facilities Town Councils were asked to comment about the quantity and quality of a range of facilities and the following table highlights the issues of concern (marked with an X) (no X entered indicates no perceived problem).

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Shortageof WildlifeAreas Not Enough Not Rugby Pitches Not Enough Not Cricket Pitches Poor Quality Poor Playing Pitches Not Enough Not FootballPitches Not Enough Not Areas Teenagers For Not Enough Not Informal OpenSpace Not Enough Not Children's Play Areas Poor Quality Poor Children's Play Areas Not Enough Not Tennis/ Netball/Mugas Poor Quality Poor Tennis/ Netball/Mugas Shortage Indoor Of Halls Suitable For Sport Not Enough Not BowlingGreens/Short-Mat Bowls Poor Quality/ Poor Inadequate ChangingFacilities Shortage Footpaths/ Of Bridleways/Cycleways TownCouncil Bishop Auckland X X X X X X X X X Shildon X X X X X

Local Issues

Specific comments received from the individual Town Councils are provided below:

Bishop Auckland :

• We have plenty of football and cricket pitches • The Durham Tigers Rugby Club have shared use with St Mary’s School and St John’s • Henknowle football pitch goal area needs repairing • King James pitch has poor line marking and infrequent grass cutting and has uneven surfaces in some areas • We have 4 netball courts at the town recreation ground, they are in good condition but Cockton Hill courts are in disrepair

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• There is a limited multi-use games areas • Henknowle only has basket ball and 5-a-side football • There are three bowling greens (external) and one internal, Town recreation ground bowling green facilities are in very poor state • All changing facilities are inadequate, dated and in poor state of repair and cleanliness • There is too much informal open space – need more equipment for the youth of the town (8 – 18 yr olds) • Play areas are limited to under 8’s, no facilities for 8-18yr olds • Desperate for teenage facilities, have none at all • The provision for the youth of Bishop Auckland is virtually non-existent – there is absolutely nothing for them to do and nowhere for them to go. They do not want to go back to school for their leisure time and at present, that is all there is available • The only indoor halls we have are attached to schools, the town should not have to rely on school facilities • Provision for cyclists are relatively poor and many of our recreational footpaths are fouled by dogs • Generally, our public areas are unkempt and encourage wildlife instead of people • Lack of floral displays in all areas and lack of care and pride in parks/recreational areas in the town

Summary of what we require:

• Equipment needed for teenagers in all areas • Teen shelters • Purpose built youth club for the youth of the town • Changing facilities and pavilions need updating and maintaining • Pleasant and attractive seating areas and floral displays needed

Shildon

• There is an under provision of Multi Use Games Areas. These could add value to the Thickley/Jubilee Fields and New Shildon areas of the town • Existing changing accommodation is urgently in need of refurbishment • Absence of informal play areas/kickabout areas in New Shildon and Thornhill Gardens areas of the town • Play area required to serve the Thickley area of Shildon

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• Whilst there is a skatepark in Hackworth Park, there are no youth shelters in the town • There may be opportunities to provide Mugas for joint use by the schools and the general public at: - Sunnydale Community College - Thornhill Primary School

3.6 Action Area Partnership Board Members Survey (main priorities identified)

• Support to voluntary and community organisations (55 votes) • Crime and community safety (48 votes) • Unemployment and job prospects (41 votes) • Environmental issues (36 votes) • Activities for young people (35 votes) • Transport (32 votes) • Education and lifelong learning (28 votes) • Affordable and decent housing (28 votes) • Access to health services (24 votes) • Volunteering opportunities (3 votes)

3.7 Main consultation findings from the Playing Pitch Study

The Action Area falls into two former local authority areas- Sedgefield and Weardale. A playing pitch study was produced for Sedgefield, but not for Weardale. The main findings of relevance in relation to Shildon are as follows.

For football the key issues highlighted through consultation were:

• refusing teams entry into their leagues due to pitch availability and quality (mainly junior teams) • latent junior demand could be a significant Borough wide characteristic • evidence of teams being turned away at some community schools because of over demand, and likewise for some local council pitches • lack of access to schools pitches in general • some dissatisfaction pitch and facility quality

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• high 'running costs' may be suppressing demand

As part of the Sedgefield Borough PPG17 study a survey of pitch sports clubs was conducted The information, together with responses received from the other surveys can be used to validate the conclusions in relation to issues contained in the 2003 report. This survey suggests some issues that are generally consistent with the outcome of the playing pitch study consultation and these include:-

• Maintenance quality and consistency across the Borough; • Pitch availability; • Training provision; • Passporting youth activity levels into other age groups; and, • Developing and maintaining a dialogue with the Clubs.

The above also have relevance to the Action Area/sub area.

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4.0 Quantity of provision

The table below shows provision against the County Durham standards for the AAP. The existing provision of open space is shown on the map on the following page. Further maps showing provision for each ward within the AAP are available and are held in a separate appendix. An analysis of findings are made in section 7.

Supply of open space (hectares) Semi- Amenity Natural Parks & Outdoor Sport Open Green WARD Gardens Space Play Space Space Space Allotments Bishop Auckland and Shildon (TOTAL) -18.96 15.75 -4.47 37.17 -39.63 13.63 Byerley 10.16 4.85 0.05 -1.78 -3.33 11.38 Sunnydale 9.97 -2.05 1.11 2.34 -3.52 2.78 Thickley -3.64 4.15 -0.13 1.52 -3.64 -0.68 West Auckland -4.31 2.14 -0.59 5.39 -4.31 -1.83 Bishop Auckland Town -2.65 1.93 -0.51 7.10 -1.59 -0.65 Coundon -0.34 1.50 -0.75 12.06 -4.32 9.76 Henknowle -3.90 -3.25 -0.78 3.02 -3.91 -2.06 Escomb -3.29 17.61 -0.56 5.02 -3.29 -2.40 Dene Valley -2.83 1.81 -0.42 3.19 -2.83 3.51 Woodhouse Close -4.78 12.25 -0.86 6.73 -3.57 -1.64 Cockton Hill 0.81 -1.41 -0.90 -0.11 -4.65 -0.63

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5.0 Access to facilities

The following maps show the existing provision and access to different types of open space across the County. Further analysis has been made using the GIS toolkit developed as part of this study, which allows access to be analysed at a more local level (e.g. ward). The following maps have been used to ‘flag up’ access issues, and the ward maps should be used to determine issues. An analysis of findings are made in section 7.

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6.0 Quality of open space

The quality of open space within this AAP varies as much as it does across the whole County, and therefore the recommendations and observations made in part 1 of the study report should be referred to. A number of specific observations follow.

• The quality of outdoor sports facilities varies within the area with some good quality pitches and built facilities, but need for investment in other facilities. • A number of amenity open spaces have been subject to improvement through additional planting and art features. There are however, some areas with significant areas of grass with no landscape structure. • There are a number of examples of partnership regeneration projects, where open spaces have been enhanced. Examples include provision of youth facilities and enhancement of amenity spaces. • Recent development has resulted in improvements to a number of Parks & Gardens and Play Space. • There is still a need for investment in open space, particularly Play Space and Amenity Space. The provision of additional facilities for young people is a priority. • There are few Parks & Gardens in the area and further investment is required if they are to reach Green Flag standard.

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Improved amenity open space Enhancing entrances Large expanses of grass with no features

New facility – example of regeneration project Important historic features and semi-natural Good quality sports provision greenspace

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7.0 Analysis and Recommendations

This section includes an analysis of the main issues related to quality, quantity and access to open space within the Bishop Auckland and Shildon AAP. It should be considered in context with the wider findings of the study, outlined in part 1 of the report. The analysis and recommendations are considered by typology.

Allotments

• Overall, there is a sufficient supply of allotments within the area, however, only 2 of the wards within the area have sufficient provision. • Access to allotments is generally good, however, there is lack of provision in the north area of Bishop Auckland. • As expected, the quality of existing provision varies greatly. • New provision for allotments should be sought through development where there is an existing gap in access or under supply in provision.

Amenity Open Space

• Overall, there is a sufficient supply of amenity open space across the AAP, with only two wards falling below the required quantity standard. • Access to amenity open space is generally good, however, there is a gap in access in the East area of Bishop Auckland. • Quality varies greatly from some very poor areas of grass with no features (e.g. Coundon), to areas where landscape features and plating have improved quality.

Parks & Gardens

• Overall, there is an under supply of parks and gardens across the AAP. • Access to facilities is also poor, with few areas meeting the recommended standard. • Those parks that do exist, have had some recent investment, however, would require further investment and a good management plan if they are to become green flag candidate sites. • The lack of provision to parks and gardens is to some extent met by provision of outdoor sport space in some areas – see below.

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Outdoor Sport Space

• Overall there is sufficient quantity of outdoor sport space within the AAP, with only two wards falling below the standard. • The Henknowle Ward has an under provision of both Parks & Gardens and Outdoor Sports Space, so additional provision should be sought. • Access to sport space generally meets the required standard. • Quality of provision is generally good, with the need for some investment.

Play Space

• Overall there is an under supply of play space, with only two wards meeting the required standard. • Access to play space varies, with significant gaps in key areas such as Bishop Auckland. • The quality of play areas varies greatly, with some having enjoyed recent investment, and some in need of total refurbishment or replacement. • There is a need for additional facilities in this AAP, which should be sought through development and providing new facilities on existing open spaces.

Semi-natural greenspace

• This AAP has an under provision of semi-natural greenspace across all wards. • Access to semi-natural greenspace also falls below the minimum standard in many parts of the area. • There is a need for additional semi-natural greenspace in this AAP, this should be sought through development where possible, and through creating semi-natural greenspace areas within existing spaces e.g. amenity open space.

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