Etherly Parish Plan A4 Spread
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FOREWORD BY PAUL RYMAN – Vice Contents: Chair of Etherley Parish Council & Chair person of the Parish Plan Committee • FOREWORD It is now over a year since your Parish Council decided to undertake work on a Parish Plan. A plan which we hope will draw together the views of the community • PARISH PROFILE and ideas on how the Parish may develop over the next 5 – 10 years. Preparation, consultation and the initial survey and analysis has been more complex and time • THE PROCESS consuming than was first envisaged, but I now have great pleasure in presenting this Plan, which I hope will provide a mechanism to make others aware of the • A SENSE OF HISTORY concerns and aspirations of those who live within the Parish, and help influence their decisions giving regard to community priorities and local needs. • KEY ISSUES The Parish Council cannot deliver, by itself, the objectives in the plan. These can only be achieved by partnerships by and within the community, supported • WHERE WE ARE NOW by other agencies. Active partnership and co-operation with our local authorities, neighbouring Parish Councils, local partnership and funding agencies will • ACTION PLAN be paramount if we, as a community, are to achieve the objectives set out in this plan. I hope you enjoy reading the plan and thank you for your continued support in helping making things happen. Etherley Parish Plan 1 Parish Profile therley Parish is situated in Southwest County EDurham, 3 miles west of Bishop Auckland and spans a wide semi rural area. The landscape surrounding the Parish is extensively agricultural with arable, cattle and sheep farming taking place on the fertile land. Surprisingly many of these areas have been the subject of open cast mining over the past 40 to 50 years and subsequently sympathetically restored to maintain the areas rural heritage. A fine balance between maintaining the rurality of the area and making provision for further housing is evident and has ensured that new development has been both appropriate and necessary. Infill development has enhanced the villages of Toft Hill and Etherley and the recently completed Southfield Toft Hill and Etherley, housing estate has created an oasis of new homes for both existing residents and newcomers to the both very different in character community. but sharing a strong community spirit. Strong Community: t the central part of the Parish are the villages of AToft Hill and Etherley, very different in character but sharing a strong community spirit. Housing at Toft Hill is predominately stone built terraced housing, built as typical two up two down to 2 Etherley Parish Plan the busy A68 road. The school is actively involved with village life and is central to our community. The school provides excellent facilities for the children of the Parish. Properties located at High Etherley and Low Etherley consist of a variety of houses, cottages, terraced properties, older detached and semi detached houses and some historical buildings, including the Church, Methodist Chapel, Institute building, the former church hall and school house. Throughout the Parish there are also two post offices, a village shop, four public houses and numerous small businesses as well as a number of small housing estates adding to the interest and diversity of our A labyrinth of rights of way exist community. within the centre of the village and Adjacent to the eastern boundary of the Parish lie the two estates of Bankwell Drive and Witton Way built in across open farmland, most of which the early nineteen sixties and early nineteen seventies are maintained to a high standard to provide access for walkers. accommodate mining families in the past. Infill over recent years has included differing designs of property which have contributed to the compactness of the centre of the village. The large new development at Southfield provides new detached and semi detached dwellings and the layout of this estate is such that houses visible from the A68 are terraced to keep in line with the rest of the village. A focal point of Toft Hill is the village primary school situated alongside Etherley Parish Plan 3 respectively. Despite these two estates being part of South of West Auckland the continuation of the Parish our village they actually lie in the neighbouring Parish includes terraced and detached properties, a hotel and of Evenwood and Barony. Close by is Phoenix Row a garage which all border the A68. which consists of traditional cottages built to accommodate the pit workers at Phoenix Pit which A number of farms are dotted throughout the operated in the early nineteenth century. surrounding agricultural land. A labyrinth of rights of way exist within the centre of the village and across To the south of High Etherley detached properties open farmland, most of which are maintained to a randomly border the A68 – at Spring Gardens a small high standard to provide access for walkers. group of stone terraced cottages and a public house exist and at West Auckland a very small number of modern houses, situated off the main road, fall within the boundary of Etherley. 4 Etherley Parish Plan Parish Location Geographical Location: North East of the district. ocated in the heart of County Durham, on the The unusual layout of the Parish boundary is such Loutskirts of Teesdale and on the borders of Wear that it encompasses Toft Hill, Etherley, Phoenix Row, Valley, Etherley Parish is uniquely situated within Spring Gardens, Hummerbeck, Bildershaw and part of beautiful countryside yet benefiting from excellent West Auckland. Basically the Parish of Etherley local services. developed along and around the A68, a former trunk road and primary route to the north and Scotland. Etherley Parish is the second largest Parish in Teesdale and is geographically located at the very Etherley Parish Plan 5 The District: Barnard Castle, the main market town of Teesdale, is rich in history. Named after the Norman castle eesdale, a largely undiscovered corner of England around which the town was built, Barnard Castle has Tis located within the North Pennines Area of some fascinating shops and the addition of a lively Outstanding Natural Beauty. street market every Wednesday plus a monthly farmer’s market. A dale of waterfalls, wooded valleys, vast open spaces, picturesque villages and breathtaking scenery, Having the lowest population per square mile of any Teesdale provides a wonderful and exiting area for other District in England, Teesdale offers space and tourism and leisure. scope to live in tranquillity yet be within easy reach of major commercial and industrial centres. Some of the outstanding features of the dale include High Force, the largest waterfall in England, Raby Despite being located at the edge of the district, Castle, the home of Lord Barnard’s family since 1626, Etherley Parish prides itself on the contribution it The Bowes Museum and Hamsterley Forest. makes, both environmentally and economically to this However, the real attraction of Teesdale is the superb diverse and tranquil part of the country. open countryside and magnificent scenery throughout the dale. The Surrounding Area: lthough, located in Teesdale, Etherley Parish has Athe benefit of facilities and services provided in Wear Valley with the market town of Bishop Auckland being located only a short distance away. The town provides a wealth of services including excellent shopping outlets, restaurants, hotels, public Etherley Parish is the second largest Parish in Teesdale and is geographically located at the very North East of the district 6 Etherley Parish Plan houses, banks and a twice-weekly street market. County Durham - Sporting and leisure facilities are also plentiful with Land of the Prince Bishops: football club, cricket club, rugby club, golf club and a leisure centre in Bishop Auckland. raditionally a coal mining and industrial area of Tthe country, County Durham has transformed over Located in the centre of the market place is the the past two decades to become one of commercial ancient and beautiful Auckland Castle, the seat of the and economic importance. Since the closure of the Bishop of Durham. The surrounding parkland coal mines during the eighties and nineties and the provides a wonderful area for walking. loss of jobs in the steel and rail industries, the infrastructure has been put in place to attract new business thus ensuring that employment opportunities Sedgfield District/ Darlington: were created. o the South East our Parish boundary adjoins Steeped in a wealth of history, much of which is TSedgefield and Darlington. centred upon Durham City with its’ Cathedral and Castle, County Durham prides itself on being the place to live and work. County Durham boasts many delightful places and areas of interest across the entire county, from numerous museums to interest all tastes to beautiful open countryside to the west as well as the ever improving coast line to the east. Etherley Parish Plan 7 The Process The Consultation Exercise: The Process: A consultation programme sought the views of all Based upon advice from the Countryside Agency, the those living in the Parish on what is important to steering group, consisting of Parish Council members, them and what, if anything, could be done to improve residents and representatives from local the environment in which they live. The steering organisations, and businesses, devised an action plan group devised and produced a questionnaire with achievable targets to be met. The timescale set containing 47 questions covering all areas of Parish was 18 months from initial registration with the life including, household details, facilities and Countryside Agency until completion and production services, the environment, transport and highways, of the final document. However, when the first 50% local authorities, crime and safety and other local of the grant was eventually received, little more than issues.