DCC 33
Great Lumley and Coundon – Settlement Study Scoring
Introduction
1. This report discusses the up to date position of Great Lumley and Coundon in regard to the scoring methodology set out in the County Durham Settlement Study. This is in response to an issue raised by Nathaniel Lichfield and Partners on behalf of Bellway Homes and Barton Willmore on behalf of Persimmon Homes at the Examination in Public.
2. The most recent County Durham Settlement Study was produced in September 2012. This followed an extensive consultation process on an earlier draft (December 2010).
3. The Settlement Study established a methodology for comparing the sustainability of the settlements of County Durham. Scores were awarded to a settlement depending upon the amenities it possessed, in terms of: health facilities; schools; shops; post offices; pubs; built sport and leisure facilities; community centres; employment (in terms of industrial estates); proximity to main town centres; and public transport services. A weighting was then applied to the scores, reflecting the importance of each type of facility to the settlement’s sustainability. Settlements were classed as follows: Main Towns: 90-113 points Small Towns/ Large Villages: 70-89 points Local Service Centres: 55-69 points Large Villages: 40-54 points Small Villages: 25- 39 points Hamlets: under 25 points
4. Full details of the methodology and scoring are discussed within the Settlement Study.
Great Lumley
5. The scores awarded to Great Lumley in the 2012 study were as follows:
Facility Score Weighted Score
Health facilities 1 4 Education 2 10
1
Shopping 3 15 Post office 3 6 Pub 3 9 Built sports facilities 2 2 Community centres 2 4 Employment 0 0 District centre 2 8 Transport 2 10 Total 20 68
6. The scoring has been revisited with reference to the scores awarded against each criterion, as follows:
Health facilities: 1 point (no change)
7. The village has one doctors’ surgery, Fletcher & Partners, with 4 doctors (see NHS Choices website).
8. It has been suggested that the doctors’ surgery should be assessed as a “health centre” or larger surgery. However, since it has four GPs and only a few in-house clinics, it was not defined as such, in accordance with the methodology where a surgery with 5 or more doctors and additional clinics is considered to be a larger surgery or health centre.
Education: 2 points (no change)
9. The village has a primary school only, as it did in 2012.
Shopping: 3 points (no change)
10. The village has a defined local centre. This designation was made in the Chester-le-Street Local Plan and continues in the County Durham Plan. Shops, takeaways etc. would be expected in a local centre and are not counted separately.
Post office: 3 points (no change)
11. One post office.
Pubs: 3 points (no change)
12. One pub.
Built Sports facilities: 2 points (no change)
13. Chester-le-Street Riverside Leisure Complex is some 1.8 km away from the village centre. The village therefore receives 2 points against this criterion for having built sports and leisure facilities within 800m – 3km of the village.
Community facilities: 3 points (increased from 2 points)
2
14. The Settlement Study made a distinction between “simple” community centres and “good” community centres (those with more extensive facilities).
15. In the 2012 study the community centre at Great Lumley was classified as simple. However since 2012 the range of facilities and activities at the centre has been increased and the Partnerships & Community Engagement team conducted a review of community buildings in summer 2012, in order to prioritise funding. The review considered: Condition, compliance and access; Leases and responsibilities; Management and governance; Usage; and Costs.
16. Great Lumley was one of the 36 buildings that received investment as a result of this process. Although the review considered additional factors besides the number, quality, and range of facilities, we agree that Great Lumley Community Centre is a significant asset for the village and therefore would justify a reclassification from ‘simple’ to ‘good’. Great Lumley would therefore receive three rather than two points for this criterion.
Employment: 0 points (no change)
17. There are no industrial estates within the village.
District Centre: 2 points (no change)
18. The village centre is some 2.8 km from Chester-le-Street town centre. It is therefore within 3km of a Main Town.
Transport: 2 points (no change)
19. The village has “less frequent” buses – defined as those with one bus every 30-59 minutes on the most frequent route. Great Lumley has one bus every 30 minutes at peak times on route 71 from Chester-le-Street to Houghton-le-Spring, and one every 30 minutes on route 78 from Consett to Sunderland. At the time of the 2010 study there were also 3 buses per day to the Metro Centre, but this service no longer runs (http://durham.pindarcreative.co.uk/Level2/default.asp).
Coundon 20. The scores awarded to Coundon in the 2012 Study were as follows:
Facility Score Weighted score
Health facilities 1 4 Education 2 10 Shopping 3 15 Post office 0 0 Pub 3 9
3
Built sports facilities 0 0 Community centres 3 6 Employment 2 6 District centre 1 4
Transport 3 15
Total 18 69
21. The scoring has been revisited with reference to the scores awarded against each criterion, as follows:
Health facilities: 2 points (increased from 1 point)
22. There are now five doctors at Eden View Surgery and a range of clinics, taking it into the “health centre” category, conferring upon it another point, or four points with weighting.
School facilities: 2 points (no change)
23. The village has a primary school only, as it did in 2012.
Retail facilities: 3 points (no change)
24. The County Durham Plan defines a local retail centre in Coundon. (The Wear Valley Local Plan 1997 recognised the existence of local retail facilities in the village and allocated additional land for retail purposes, although the land does not appear ever to have been used for this purpose.
Post office: 3 points (increased from 0 points)
25. There is now a part-time post office at the community centre
Pubs: 3 points (no change)
There are pubs in the village.
Sports facilities: 0 points (no change)
26. Both of the nearest built sports facilities - those in Bishop Auckland (Woodhouse Close) and Shildon (Sunnydale Leisure Centre) are just over 3km away.
Community facilities: 3 points (no change)
27. The Settlement Study made a distinction between “simple” community centres and “good” community centres (those with more extensive facilities). Coundon and Leeholme Community Partnership run an extensive community centre with play facilities, an ICT training suite, post office, room hire and catering.
4
Employment: 2 points (no change)
28. There is a small industrial estate in the village, as defined in the Wear Valley Local Plan 1997 and the County Durham Plan.
District Centre: 1 point (no change)
29. The village centre is 3km from Bishop Auckland Town Centre. It therefore receives one point for being within 3-6km of a Main Town centre. (The definition of Main Towns, otherwise known as Main Settlements or District Centres, changed as the Settlement Study progressed. Originally, this indicator assessed the distance to the Main Settlements listed in the Regional Spatial Strategy 2008. After the RSS was revoked in 2010, however, the indicator was changed to assess proximity to Main Towns as defined in the GVA Grimley (2009) "County Durham Retail and Town Centre Uses Study".)
Transport: 2 points (decreased from 3 points)
30. At the time of the study, the village had “frequent” bus services – defined as having a bus more frequently than one every 30 minutes during the day on the most frequent route. At the time, service no. 3 travelled every 20 mins to Bishop Auckland and Ferryhill. (There were additional, less frequent, services to Shildon, Spennymoor and Electrolux, Spennymoor.)
31. Since then, bus services have changed: available services are now:
18: 30 minutes, Bishop Auckland 35a: evening service, hourly, Bishop Auckland, Chilton, Spennymoor and Ferryhill. 7: hourly, Shildon – Spennymoor. 56: 30 minutes, Durham, Coxhoe, Ferryhill, Bishop Auckland.
32. There does not appear to be a bus service in the village at present with a frequency greater than 30 minutes (see http://durham.pindarcreative.co.uk/Level2/default.asp)
Conclusion
33. If the settlement study was to be updated to October 2014 the scores using the methodology set out in the 2012 Settlement Study for Great Lumley and Coundon would change to 70 and 74 points respectively. As such they would be identified in the settlement hierarchy as Smaller Towns and Larger Villages.
5
DCC 33
Great Lumley and Coundon – Settlement Study Scoring
Introduction
1. This report discusses the up to date position of Great Lumley and Coundon in regard to the scoring methodology set out in the County Durham Settlement Study. This is in response to an issue raised by Nathaniel Lichfield and Partners on behalf of Bellway Homes and Barton Willmore on behalf of Persimmon Homes at the Examination in Public.
2. The most recent County Durham Settlement Study was produced in September 2012. This followed an extensive consultation process on an earlier draft (December 2010).
3. The Settlement Study established a methodology for comparing the sustainability of the settlements of County Durham. Scores were awarded to a settlement depending upon the amenities it possessed, in terms of: health facilities; schools; shops; post offices; pubs; built sport and leisure facilities; community centres; employment (in terms of industrial estates); proximity to main town centres; and public transport services. A weighting was then applied to the scores, reflecting the importance of each type of facility to the settlement’s sustainability. Settlements were classed as follows: Main Towns: 90-113 points Small Towns/ Large Villages: 70-89 points Local Service Centres: 55-69 points Large Villages: 40-54 points Small Villages: 25- 39 points Hamlets: under 25 points
4. Full details of the methodology and scoring are discussed within the Settlement Study.
Great Lumley
5. The scores awarded to Great Lumley in the 2012 study were as follows:
Facility Score Weighted Score
Health facilities 1 4 Education 2 10
1
Shopping 3 15 Post office 3 6 Pub 3 9 Built sports facilities 2 2 Community centres 2 4 Employment 0 0 District centre 2 8 Transport 2 10 Total 20 68
6. The scoring has been revisited with reference to the scores awarded against each criterion, as follows:
Health facilities: 1 point (no change)
7. The village has one doctors’ surgery, Fletcher & Partners, with 4 doctors (see NHS Choices website).
8. It has been suggested that the doctors’ surgery should be assessed as a “health centre” or larger surgery. However, since it has four GPs and only a few in-house clinics, it was not defined as such, in accordance with the methodology where a surgery with 5 or more doctors and additional clinics is considered to be a larger surgery or health centre.
Education: 2 points (no change)
9. The village has a primary school only, as it did in 2012.
Shopping: 3 points (no change)
10. The village has a defined local centre. This designation was made in the Chester-le-Street Local Plan and continues in the County Durham Plan. Shops, takeaways etc. would be expected in a local centre and are not counted separately.
Post office: 3 points (no change)
11. One post office.
Pubs: 3 points (no change)
12. One pub.
Built Sports facilities: 2 points (no change)
13. Chester-le-Street Riverside Leisure Complex is some 1.8 km away from the village centre. The village therefore receives 2 points against this criterion for having built sports and leisure facilities within 800m – 3km of the village.
Community facilities: 3 points (increased from 2 points)
2
14. The Settlement Study made a distinction between “simple” community centres and “good” community centres (those with more extensive facilities).
15. In the 2012 study the community centre at Great Lumley was classified as simple. However since 2012 the range of facilities and activities at the centre has been increased and the Partnerships & Community Engagement team conducted a review of community buildings in summer 2012, in order to prioritise funding. The review considered: Condition, compliance and access; Leases and responsibilities; Management and governance; Usage; and Costs.
16. Great Lumley was one of the 36 buildings that received investment as a result of this process. Although the review considered additional factors besides the number, quality, and range of facilities, we agree that Great Lumley Community Centre is a significant asset for the village and therefore would justify a reclassification from ‘simple’ to ‘good’. Great Lumley would therefore receive three rather than two points for this criterion.
Employment: 0 points (no change)
17. There are no industrial estates within the village.
District Centre: 2 points (no change)
18. The village centre is some 2.8 km from Chester-le-Street town centre. It is therefore within 3km of a Main Town.
Transport: 2 points (no change)
19. The village has “less frequent” buses – defined as those with one bus every 30-59 minutes on the most frequent route. Great Lumley has one bus every 30 minutes at peak times on route 71 from Chester-le-Street to Houghton-le-Spring, and one every 30 minutes on route 78 from Consett to Sunderland. At the time of the 2010 study there were also 3 buses per day to the Metro Centre, but this service no longer runs (http://durham.pindarcreative.co.uk/Level2/default.asp).
Coundon 20. The scores awarded to Coundon in the 2012 Study were as follows:
Facility Score Weighted score
Health facilities 1 4 Education 2 10 Shopping 3 15 Post office 0 0 Pub 3 9
3
Built sports facilities 0 0 Community centres 3 6 Employment 2 6 District centre 1 4
Transport 3 15
Total 18 69
21. The scoring has been revisited with reference to the scores awarded against each criterion, as follows:
Health facilities: 2 points (increased from 1 point)
22. There are now five doctors at Eden View Surgery and a range of clinics, taking it into the “health centre” category, conferring upon it another point, or four points with weighting.
School facilities: 2 points (no change)
23. The village has a primary school only, as it did in 2012.
Retail facilities: 3 points (no change)
24. The County Durham Plan defines a local retail centre in Coundon. (The Wear Valley Local Plan 1997 recognised the existence of local retail facilities in the village and allocated additional land for retail purposes, although the land does not appear ever to have been used for this purpose.
Post office: 3 points (increased from 0 points)
25. There is now a part-time post office at the community centre
Pubs: 3 points (no change)
There are pubs in the village.
Sports facilities: 0 points (no change)
26. Both of the nearest built sports facilities - those in Bishop Auckland (Woodhouse Close) and Shildon (Sunnydale Leisure Centre) are just over 3km away.
Community facilities: 3 points (no change)
27. The Settlement Study made a distinction between “simple” community centres and “good” community centres (those with more extensive facilities). Coundon and Leeholme Community Partnership run an extensive community centre with play facilities, an ICT training suite, post office, room hire and catering.
4
Employment: 2 points (no change)
28. There is a small industrial estate in the village, as defined in the Wear Valley Local Plan 1997 and the County Durham Plan.
District Centre: 1 point (no change)
29. The village centre is 3km from Bishop Auckland Town Centre. It therefore receives one point for being within 3-6km of a Main Town centre. (The definition of Main Towns, otherwise known as Main Settlements or District Centres, changed as the Settlement Study progressed. Originally, this indicator assessed the distance to the Main Settlements listed in the Regional Spatial Strategy 2008. After the RSS was revoked in 2010, however, the indicator was changed to assess proximity to Main Towns as defined in the GVA Grimley (2009) "County Durham Retail and Town Centre Uses Study".)
Transport: 2 points (decreased from 3 points)
30. At the time of the study, the village had “frequent” bus services – defined as having a bus more frequently than one every 30 minutes during the day on the most frequent route. At the time, service no. 3 travelled every 20 mins to Bishop Auckland and Ferryhill. (There were additional, less frequent, services to Shildon, Spennymoor and Electrolux, Spennymoor.)
31. Since then, bus services have changed: available services are now:
18: 30 minutes, Bishop Auckland 35a: evening service, hourly, Bishop Auckland, Chilton, Spennymoor and Ferryhill. 7: hourly, Shildon – Spennymoor. 56: 30 minutes, Durham, Coxhoe, Ferryhill, Bishop Auckland.
32. There does not appear to be a bus service in the village at present with a frequency greater than 30 minutes (see http://durham.pindarcreative.co.uk/Level2/default.asp)
Conclusion
33. If the settlement study was to be updated to October 2014 the scores using the methodology set out in the 2012 Settlement Study for Great Lumley and Coundon would change to 70 and 74 points respectively. As such they would be identified in the settlement hierarchy as Smaller Towns and Larger Villages.
5