The Overview and Scrutiny Officer referred
Members to recent press articles that fall within the remit of Environment and Sustainable
Communities Overview and Scrutiny Committee.
The articles were:
- County Durham trees part of UK
database to conserve the country’s woodland – Seeds
from some of County Durham’s trees have been collected as
part of a national programme to create a database of UK tree
species. A team from the Royal Botanic Gardens were in County
Durham to collect the seeds, which will be banked in its
underground vaults, which can be used in conservation work to
protect UK woodlands from pests and diseases.
- How town centre will look after
£6m plus flood prevention work – The scheme at
Chester-le-Street will start later this
month. The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
have approved £2.79 million in funding from the European
Regional Development Fund for the project. Durham County Council
had already committed up to £1.5 million to the scheme with
the remainder of cash coming from the Environment Agency which is
contributing £1.9 million. The project would see the 90m
stretch of the Cong Burn which runs underneath the town’s
Market Place open up. As well as reducing the risk of flooding it
is hoped that the move would see the watercourse transformed into
an attractive landscape.
Resolved: That the
presentation be noted.