ePetition details

ownership and maintenance of Urpeth Grange play area and equipment

We the undersigned petition the Council to Take over the ownership and maintenance of Urpeth Grange play area and equipment, situated adjacent to Ripley Close, Urpeth Grange Estate, Urpeth.

Part of the planning stipulations of the building of the 47 houses on Ripley Close and Pickering Walk was that a play area and equipment must be provided by the developer (Persimmon Homes) for use by the 1,000, or so households of the existing estate, as well as households from the proposed development. This is because the development was to be built on land ostensibly used as a play area for the existing households. Without this provision, people from the existing estate said there’d be no play provision anywhere on Urpeth Grange Estate.

The 47 home development is unique, in that it is situated in the middle of an existing housing estate.

At the time of planning, County Councillors were told that the play area would be adopted as part of Durham County Council’s ‘play strategy’. Indeed, Durham County Council was involved in the selection of play equipment for the play area. However, this adoption did not happen.

Since completion, the play area has been used extensively by children from across the wider Urpeth Grange Estate and beyond.

A consequence of Durham County Council not adopting, owning and maintaining the play area is that 42 households of Ripley Close and Pickering Walk will own and pay maintenance costs for a play area used by children from 1,000 households and beyond (5 homes, designated as social housing are owned by Karbon Homes and do not own, nor contribute). This is deeply unfair. We hereby implore Durham County Council to adopt and maintain the play area.

This ePetition ran from 23/10/2020 to 05/03/2021 and has now finished.

288 people signed this ePetition.