8/7/2019 Winlaton Tabloid Autumn 10 p1

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Winlaton, Blaydon, High Spen, Rowlands Gill, Chopwell, Winlaton Mill

Going...goinggone!

Focus Autumn 2010

LIVING STREETS is a charitywhich specialises in consultinglocal residents, schools andbusinesses to look at thecharacteristics of their localcommunity.

It identifies the good and bad

points about where they live andwork. This helps your localcouncillors to work out, understandand argue for improvements toneighbourhoods.

In recent months Living Streetshave investigated Winlaton villagecentre, from the play area onWindy Fields, to CommercialStreet and along Half FieldsRoad to St Paul’s Church.

During a walkabout withchildren from Winlaton WestLane Primary , they raised thefollowing:

Traffic in the Back Street area

with nowhere really safe to crossroads.Lamp posts and signs looking

shabby with bits missing.Bent railings.The state of the Bus Station

graffiti is to be removed.What the pupils would like to see

in the Windy Fields play area.Parking on the Front Street .Traffic issues around Bus Station.General state of flower beds.And when adults were on a

walkabout, they agreed with all of these points. In addition, they feltthat action needed to be taken on:

Concrete around trees beside theGarths

Lack of crossing facilities near SPaul’s Church.

State of the Scout HutGrass churned up on green next

to Doctors’ Surgeries.Poor signage and access to

parking behind shops at the top of Mount Pleasant.

The state of disrepair to streetsigns

The general state of Winlaton

As a result of the walkabouts andthe Living Streets project, theCouncil will now look at sorting outthe issues that have been raised.

Living Streets

Hookergate prepares for final periodof teaching but row continues over

location for replacement school

KERGATE School isaching its final period of g before it finally closes itsoom doors. However then by Labour Councillors toe school has left the rowlocating its replacement toe on.eshead Council’s ruling Labourwant to build a new school inafter they have finished closingHookergate.h Blaydon School having beeny Labour as well, children from

on, Winlaton and the Derwentarea are being obliged to travelrom their home areas for theiron.our Councillors have proposed

ut down the existing Rytonl and build a new one on aield site next to the busy Rytons.ny people feel that refurbishingsting Ryton site would be muchvalue for money and better forildren from Hookergate whot have to be moved twice duringducation.al residents have told us that theyt understand why the hugecampus, with its excellent

ng facilities, should beoned in favour of the smallerhich will be more difficult tofrom the outlying villages.

June, the Government put onnd announced a review of the

ding Schools for the Future” programme which wasted from the last Labour

nment.F was massively bureaucraticelivered far too few schools,of which cost much more thand.

In the run-up to the general election,Labour announced hundreds of newschools would be given the go-aheadeven though there was nowhere nearenough money even to pay for afraction of them.

The Government will announceshortly 600 refurbishment andrebuilding projects that will go ahead

Councillors Elaine Earl and Brenda Osborneoutside Hookergate School. Now that the decisionto close the school has been taken by GatesheadLabour Councillors, they believe buyingexpensive greenbelt land for a replacement schoolis not value for money when the existing RytonSchool site can be refurbished.

across the country over the coming fouryears.

Councillor Brenda Osborne said, “If money is available, we feel that so muchmore can be done by refurbishing and

improving the existing school ratherthan throwing millions on buying theland for a new building on a smaller andless accessible location.”