twizell burn green infrastructure masterplan
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ÂTRANSCRIPT
Green Infrastructure Action Plan
Produced by Groundwork NE & Cumbria Issue date: 01/06/2015
in partnership and on behalf of the Environment Agency, and Durham County Council
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Whilst Groundwork NE & Cumbria make every effort to ensure
that materials are up to date and accurate the information
imparted on behalf of Groundwork is not intended to constitute
legal advice and should not be relied on as such.
Groundwork NE & Cumbria cannot take any responsibility on
how the information provided is interpreted, or for any action
taken regarding the information provided by the client.
Groundwork NE & Cumbria has made every effort to ensure the
information provided is appropriate and accurate at the time of
the publication of the report.
Legal Disclaimer
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Image 01: Twizell Burn at Stanley Wood
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Chapter Page
Glossary of Terms……………………………………………………………………………...8
1 Introduction……………………………………………………………………………………11
1.1 Aims and objectives……..………….…………………………………………………….11
1.2 Methodology…….…….…………….………………………...…………………………..12
1.3 Data Availability……...……………………………………………………………………13
1.4 Data Licencing………………...………………………..…………………………………13
1.5 Background and Strategic Context……….…………………………………………….. 14
1.6 Water Framework Directive………………………………………………………………16
1.7 Landscape and Land Use…………………………..…………………………………….17
1.8 Socio-Economic Factors………………………………………………………………….18
1.9 Climate Change……………... ……………………………………………………………19
2 Water quality…………………………………………………………………………………. 27
2.1 The Water Framework Directive…………………………………………………….......27
2.2 Water Quality Assessment…………………………………...…………………………..27
2.3 Water Quality Monitoring………………………………………………………………….28
2.4 Characteristics and Issues………………………………………………………………..30
2.5 Pollution Pathways and Sources……………………………………………………… 30
2.6 Opportunities……………………………………………………………………………….37
3 Fluvial and surface water management ……………………………………………….... 43
3.1 Hydromorphology…………………………………………………………………………. 43
3.2 Baseline ..…….…………………………………………………………………………….44
3.3 Historic Changes…………………………………………………………………………..45
3.4 Fluvial System…………………………………………...………………………………...45
3.5 Flooding…………………………………………………………………………………….46
3.6 County Durham Surface Water Management Plan...………………………………….49
3.7 Sustainable Drainage Systems…………………………………………………………..50
3.8 Opportunities……………………………………………………………………………….51
4 Biodiversity and landscape………………………………………………………………... 59
4.1 Characteristics & Issues…………………………………………………………………. 59
4.2 Poor Water Quality………………………………………………………………………...61
4.3 Contaminated Land….…………………………………………………………………… 62
4.4 Urbanisation………………………………………………………………………………..62
4.5 Reach A…………………………………………………………………………………….62
4.6 Reach B…………………………………………………………………………………….65
4.7 Reach C…………………………………………………………………………………….67
4.8 Opportunities……………………………………………………………………………….68
Contents
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Chapter Page
5 Access and recreation ……………………………………………………………………… 77
5.1 Characteristics and issues………………………………………………………………. 77
5.2 Opportunities……………………………………………………………………………… 82
6 History and Cultural Heritage……………………………………………………………….. 89
6.1 Characteristics……………………………………………………………………………. 89
6.2 Issues ………………...…………………………………………………………………… 92
6.3 Opportunities……………………………………………………………………………… 93
7 Energy Generation …………………………………………………………………………..99
7.1 Overview…………………………………………………………….……………………. 99
7.2 Constraints…………………………………………………………………………………99
7.3 Opportunities………………………………………………………………………………101
8 Cong Burn Overview……………………………………………………………………….. 109
8.1 Characteristics……………………………………………………………………………. 109
8.2 Water Quality………………………………………………………………………………109
8.3 Surface Water Management……………………………………………………………. 110
8.4 Landscape and Biodiversity……………………………………………………………...110
8.5 Access and Recreation.………………………………………………………………….111
8.6 History and Culture……………………………………………………………………….111
8.7 Historic Landfill Sites……………………………………………………………………..112
8.8 Energy Generation………………………………………………………………………..112
8.9 Opportunities………………………………………………………………………………112
9 Opportunities……..…………………………………………………………………………...119
9.1 Greening Twizell Partnership……………………………………………………………. 126
9.2 Chapman’s Well to Quaking Houses—Attenuation & Biodiversity Improvements…128
9.3 Memorial Park Improvements..…………………………………………………………. 130
9.4 Access Improvements…….……………………………………………………………...132
9.5 Newbridge Banks Hydro-power Feasibility & Wider Energy Generation..………….134
9.6 Chester-le-Street River Corridor Improvements……...……………………………….136
9.7 Sustainable Drainage Systems..………………………………………………………..138
9.8 Next Steps……….………………………………………………………………………..140
9.9 Planning Policy……………………………………………………………………………140
Appendices………………………………………………………………………………………….. 149
1. Bibliography…………………………………………………………………………….….. 150
2. Community Consultation Report…..………………………………………………….….. 152
3. Fairhurst Primary Area Masterplan.………………………………………………….….. 160
4. South Moor Heritage Trail Plane….………………………………………………….….. 162
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Image 02: Twizell Burn at Chester-Le-Street
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AAP – Area Action Partnership – partnership groups that cover all of County Durham. AAPs are made up of an area forum and an area board to identify and tackle issues in local communities, the AAPS have a budget for services, projects and investment. Two AAPs cover the study area, these are Stanley AAP and Chester-le-Street AAP
Abstraction of water – removal of water from a water body or the ground.
BAP – Biodiversity Action Plan
Biomass – organic material derived from living or recently living organisms. Referred to in this report with regard to using biomass (plant material) for combustion for the purposes of energy generation.
Cascading weir – a weir that covers a large drop in altitude by directing flow down a series of step-like structures
Confluence – the point at which two rivers meet
CSO – Combined sewer outfall
Culvert – a structure that allows water top floe under an obstruction such as a road (often in the form of a large buried pipe or concrete structure.
Daylighting – the process of opening a culvert
FAS – Flood alleviation scheme
Fluvial - Term used in geography and geology to refer to the processes associated with rivers and streams and the deposits and landforms created by them.
Green Infrastructure – Concept that highlights the importance of the natural environment in decisions about land-use planning.
Head – the difference in height of water course over a reasonably short distance.
Hydro electricity – electricity generated by flow of water (typically driving a turbine)
Hydromorphological - The knowledge of the shapes in the landscape as created under the influence of water.
Infrastructure – basic physical and organizational structure needed for the operation of a society, organisation or economy.
Glossary of Terms
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LNR – Local Nature Reserve
Macrophytes - aquatic plant that grows in or near water and is either emergent, submergent, or floating
NCA – National Character Area
Phytobenthos - Microscopic plants, including diatoms, that live on substrates such as rock/stone or large plants
PV – (solar) Photovoltaic electricity generated by solar panels
Riparian – area between a river and land or more simply put ‘the river bank’ can be referred to as a strip, area or zone or as a specific ecosystem e.g. riparian woodland.
SSSI – Special site of Scientific Interest
SUDs – Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems
SWMP – Surface Water Management Plan
Trapezoidal channel – artificial channel modification to a water course in a trapezoidal shape (flat base and angled sides) typically formed from concrete.
WAP – Waterbody Action Plan
Weir - barrier across a river designed to alter its flow characteristics
Partner Organisations and respective abbreviations:
Chester-le-Street & District Angling Club - CDAC
Durham County Council – DCC
Durham University – DHU
Durham Wildlife Trust – DWT
Environment Agency – EA
Fairhurst - FH
Groundwork North East and Cumbria – GWNEC
Natural England – NE
Northumbrian Water – NWL
Wear Rivers Trust – WRT
Woodland Trust – WT
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Image 03: Twizell Burn , looking east through Grange Plantation
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1.1 Aims and objectives
The aim of this report is to produce a robust Green Infrastructure plan for the Twizell Burn catchment that brings together existing issues and infrastructure in a cohesive and useful plan for a variety of stakeholders.
The plan focuses on a total length of watercourse of 12.2km, from the source of the Stanley Burn to where the Cong Burn meets the River Wear at Chester-le-Street. Part of this report includes an outline chapter for the Cong Burn from its source to the confluence with Twizell Burn. The Twizell Burn is also named the Stanley Burn in its upper reaches and confluences with the Cong Burn where it becomes Chester Burn at Chester-le-Street but for simplicity throughout the report the study area will be referred to as the “Twizell Burn”.
The overall objectives of the Green infrastructure Plan are as follows:
To describe the characteristics of the burn corridor and the
nature of the existing infrastructure and identify
opportunities for promoting multifunctional green spaces.
Undertake community consultation liaise with a range of
partner organisations to allow their input in terms of their
key aspirations for the catchment.
To provide project and concept ideas with reference to the
recommendations made by partners.
To use the report and identified projects as a planning tool
to influence future infrastructure, amenity and
environmental improvements.
To identify funding streams for potential projects and
partners and begin initial discussions with funding bodies
To utilise the strong partnership forged as part of the
consultation exercise to devise and develop a wider scale
programme of connected projects that deliver multiple
benefits throughout the catchment
To prioritise projects wherever possible in terms of their
cost and benefit to the local area
This Green Infrastructure plan has been prepared with the support of a partnership group established for the purpose, to bring together required expertise from a wide range of disciplines, and has formulated the vision, aims and objectives of the plan.
1. Introduction
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1.2 Methodology Groundwork NE & Cumbria have undertaken the following in
order to bring this report to fruition:
Organised 3 partnership workshops and consulted with all partners
Obtained and analysed data (where appropriate) from all relevant partners
Mapped all relevant data provided Undertaken a full walkover of the study area Undertaken 4 community consultations in Chester-Le-
Street, Pelton Fell, Stanley and Quaking houses to obtain feedback by way of a survey
This report will provide an overview of the various environmental characteristics, issues, current projects and opportunities within the burn corridor using the following thematic chapters:
Water Quality
Fluvial and Surface Water Management
Biodiversity & Landscape
Energy Generation
Access & Recreation
Historical & Cultural Heritage
Cong Burn Overview
A3 plans accompany each chapter which graphically depict the
key characteristics and issues affecting the burn under each
thematic heading.
The final Opportunities chapter describes where the opportunities for the burn exist and are depicted on a larger scale A0 map. The opportunities will suggest mitigation of existing issues and make recommendations for physical improvements to the burn under the thematic headings incorporating all existing projects and stakeholder interests/suggestions. These opportunities will also be presented in a table format and put to the partnership meeting to be prioritised and consolidated into likely projects that can be put forward for prospective funding. The subsequent projects will then be represented in table format as well to demonstrate the journey from issue to project idea.
Map 1 depicts the study area and the four reaches which will be considered within this report, as well as Local Authority and ward boundaries. The map also contextualises Twizell Burn on a national scale as well as the wider catchment area and surrounding tributaries.
1.2.1 The Study Area The catchment of the Twizell Burn lies to the south of the
conurbation of Stanley with the burn flowing east towards its
confluence with the Cong Burn at Chester-le –Street. The burn
and its catchment can be separated into 3 distinct ‘reaches’
Image 04: A view of Chapman’s Well, looking south
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which constitute the study area for the main body of this report.
A. Stanley – the source of the burn rises just south of Annfield
Plain where it is known as the Stanley Burn on the outskirts of Stanley, it then flows to the south of the town, skirting or running through the urban areas in places. The burn then emerges from Stanley at Hussledown works.
B. Mid Rural – the mid-section of the burn is primarily a rural area, which is largely wooded with steep banks on one or both sides of the water course. The burn passes the small settlements of The Middles, Crag Head (wherein it becomes the Twizell Burn), Grange Villa and Pelton Fell before flowing east towards Chester-le-Street.
C. Chester-le-Street – the Twizell Burn confluences with the Cong Burn just as it meets the town of Chester-le-Street. From here in it is referred to as the Chester Burn. There have been a number of flooding issues downstream of the confluence and the burn is culverted through much of the town centre until it’s confluence with the River Wear.
1.3 Data Availability
Undertaking a Green Infrastructure (GI) action plan requires a large amount of data collection, much of which is reliant on the willingness of third parties to supply in order to allow the study to be progressed. In some cases, the availability of data with respect to relevant information is not available within the time required to undertake the assessment and various assumptions are needed to enable the study to continue. This study has collated available information within the project timeline, and produced a catalogue of the data collected.
1.4 Data Licencing All rights reserved © Crown Copyright 2007. Ordnance Survey
Licence Number0100041467
All Rights Reserved © English Heritage 2014. Contains
Ordnance Survey data © Crown copyright and database right
2014 The English Heritage GIS Data contained in this material
was obtained on 4th December 2014.
We would like to thank to the following organisations for
attending the partnership workshops and for provision of data
and images:
The Environment Agency
Chester-le-Street Angling Club
Durham County Council
Northumbrian Water Ltd
Natural England
Stanley Town Council
Durham Wildlife Trust
Wear Rivers Trust
Durham University
The Woodland Trust
Image 05: Obstructions in Twizell Burn through Grange Plantation
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English Heritage
1.5 Background and Strategic Context 1.5.1 Overview The Twizell Burn is a tributary of the River Wear and runs to the
south of Stanley (where it is called the Stanley Burn), through
the rural north of County Durham until its confluence with the
Cong Burn (from where it is then named the Chester Burn) which
then runs through the urban area of Chester-le-Street before its
confluence with the River Wear.
This Green Infrastructure Plan will be used to provide the basis
for a co-ordinated approach to the creation and sustained
management of green infrastructure across the Stanley Burn –
Twizell Burn – Chester Burn corridor but where relevant will
make reference to the wider catchment. A separate overview
chapter has been provided within this report for the Cong Burn
from source to confluence with the Twizell.
1.5.2 Green infrastructure and planning policy Improving Green Infrastructure (GI) along the Twizell Burn
Corridor as well as the Cong Burn and wider catchment is an
essential part of realising the long term aspirations set out in
both the County Durham Green Infrastructure Strategy (2012)
and subsequent Green Infrastructure Implementation Plan –
West Durham Coalfield.
The GI Strategy is being fully embedded within Durham County
Council’s Core Strategy and it is hoped to form part of the
evidence base for the County Durham Plan which sets out where
different types of development will take place in the County
before 2030, and the standards to which it will be expected to
adhere.
The County Durham Green Infrastructure Strategy sets out 5
specific aims, these are:
1. Identify which elements of green infrastructure are
significant and should be protected
2. Identify where there are shortages in particular types of
green infrastructure – for example, which settlements have
insufficient parks and play areas
3. Identify the best opportunities for green infrastructure and
creation – where investment could have the greatest
beneficial effect or where resources should be focused
4. Act as a basis for planning policy on green infrastructure in
the context of new development – showing how new
development can include sufficient good-quality green
spaces and other GI features
5. Provide a framework to access funding
Within these aims a series of policy recommendations are
Image 05: View over playing fields at a culverted
stretch of Twizell Burn, east of Memorial
Park
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outlined within the GI Strategy:
Access and recreation – existing public open spaces and
rights of way should be protected; new development should
contain sufficient open space for new and existing
residents’ needs; open spaces and rights of way should be
good-quality, attractive and functional
Agriculture – the productive potential of agricultural land
should be protected; agricultural diversification will be
encouraged and supported
Biodiversity and geodiversity – designated sites and other
ecologically valuable assets will be protected from the
direct or indirect impacts of development; new green
spaces will retain, reinforce or create links to the existing
GI network; green spaces, roofs and walls will be
encouraged
Economic development – inequalities in the quality of living
environments will be addressed; industries which depend
upon green infrastructure will be supported; GI will be used
as an asset – to improve the image of areas and attract
inward investment, and to provide ecosystem services
Energy – the development of new wind turbines, biomass
facilities and small-scale hydro-electricity facilities will be
permitted where they are feasible and the environmental
impacts are acceptable
Health and wellbeing – healthy lifestyles will be supported
by the protection and enhancement of open spaces and
the public rights of way network
Landscape – designated landscapes and landscape
conservation areas will be protected and managed;
proposals to improve the countryside around towns and
villages will be supported
Townscape – sites of historic interest, and their settings,
will be protected and enhanced; the use of green
infrastructure as a design feature will be required where
appropriate; green infrastructure features which contribute
to townscape will be protected
Trees, woodland and forestry – the creation of new
woodlands will be supported; forestry and other woodland
industries will be permitted where appropriate; urban trees
will be protected.
Water supply, drainage and flood control – the quality of
water resources in rivers, streams and other water bodies
will be protected and enhanced;
Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems, which use green
infrastructure to manage flooding, will be required in new
development where appropriate, particularly in flood risk
areas.
The Green Infrastructure Implementation plan for the West
Durham Coalfield aims to ensure the recommendations from the
Green Infrastructure Strategy are transformed into actions by:
Detailed analysis of environmental qualities and issues,
taking into consideration studies carried out by the Council
and its partners, such as the Environment Agency, Natural
England and neighbouring authorities
Image 07: Flooding of footpaths adjacent to
Chapman’s Well
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Identification of priorities and mitigation/ amelioration
measures, either as general objectives or, where
appropriate, as specific projects
Discussion of planned development in the County in the
period covered by the proposed County Durham Plan (until
2030); suggesting, for each allocated development site,
how green infrastructure might be incorporated within the
site, and what improvements should be made to the
quantity, quality and management of green infrastructure in
the area.
Application of Green Infrastructure will assist in achieving many
of Durham's
Sustainable Community Strategy (SCS) priorities, including:
'altogether wealthier' - creating more vibrant and
successful towns and sustainable communities;
'altogether better for children and young people' -
improving access and protecting the environment for future
generations;
'altogether healthier' - contributing an environment to
improve mental health, encourage active lifestyles and
support well-being;
'altogether safer' - influencing a reduction in anti-social
behaviour; and
'altogether greener' - improving the natural and built
environment.
1.6 Water Framework Directive The Water Framework Directive (WFD) is the most substantial
piece of EU water legislation to date, requiring all inland and
coastal waters to reach “good status” by 2015. Using a structure
of river basin districts, the WFD will set a number of demanding
objectives, including ecological targets. Important differences to
current legislation include:
All water bodies, including rivers, coasts, estuaries, lakes,
man-made structures and groundwater are included;
New objectives will be set to promote the sustainable use
of water, which will be defined and assessed using
chemical, biological and physical measures;
Negative human impacts on the water environment from
specific places must be identified and a ‘Programme of
Measures’ established to address all types of impacts;
River Basin Management Plans bring all the above
together so that ‘good status’ can be achieved in the UK’s
river basins by 2015;
Public participation is a core requirement of the Directive
and is fundamental to the River Basin Management Plans
process.
Implementation will take place though a series of planning
cycles, with the first to be completed by 2015. These will take
Image 08: Wetland adjacent to Langleymoor
Plantation
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into account long-term environmental trends, such as climate
change, and improved understanding of basin characteristics.
Reviews of the River Basin Management Plans will then take
place every six years. A Water Body Action Plan has been
prepared for the River Wear and its tributaries.
From the source of the Twizell Burn to the confluence of the
Cong Burn with the River Wear there are a variety of clean water
and pollution inputs to the river system. Monitoring data reveals
that pollutants contributing to the moderate ecological potential of
these waterbodies include nutrients from sewage and agricultural
sources, specific pollutants including metals from trade effluents,
historical mine water drainage and spoil heaps. Sediment inputs
from urban and rural runoff also impact upon water quality (and
ecology) throughout the catchment; particles in suspension can
be detrimental to fish gills, whilst deposition of sediments covers
potential fish spawning sites and invertebrate habitats which
support the food chain. As the catchment is prone to flash-
flooding, sediments are frequently mobilised giving rise to turbid
water following heavy rain and also act as a path for the release
of pollutants from sediments in to the water environment. To
improve water quality to achieve Good Ecological Potential the
catchment dynamics must be understood, including the
hydrological regime, geomorphology and land-use, sources of
pollutants and constraints to addressing them. A detailed review
of catchment characteristics and opportunities to improve water
quality is provided in Chapter 2.
1.7 Landscape and Land use The catchment is primarily rural (66.5%) and the rest urban
(33.5%), much of the Burn corridor falls under the ownership of
Durham County Council. The catchment falls into 2 National
Character Areas; NCA16 Durham Coalfield Pennine Fringe and
NCA14 Tyne and Wear Lowlands. The landscape is that of broad
ridges separated by river valleys with a strong east-west grain
and land use varies from upland grazing in the west to mixed
arable farming in the east. As NCA 16’s name suggests, there is
a strong legacy of industry in the area, primarily coal mining and
associated steel works. Much of this industry closed by the
1980s leaving its legacy on both the landscape and its
inhabitants. As the catchment is predominantly rural there are
small pockets of industry, and only 2 industrial areas within the
study area.
Although not extensively culverted, the burn is crossed by a
significant number of bridges and roads that form pinch points
along the length of the burn for both water flow and barriers to
wildlife and the channel is heavily modified and engineered in
places. Although map 1 shows a large proportion of open space
within the burn corridor, the burn often flows through a heavily
modified and engineered channel from its natural state and
Image 09: Access restrictions to Stanley Wood
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course. Landscape and land use will be discussed in more detail
in Chapter 4.
1.8 Socio-economic factors The Indices of Deprivation 2010 provide a relative measure of
deprivation in small areas across England. The Indices of
Deprivation 2010 is the collective name for a group of indices
which all measure different aspects of deprivation. The most
widely used of these is the Index of Multiple Deprivation which is
a combination of a number of the other indices to give an overall
score for the relative level of multiple deprivation experienced in
every neighbourhood in England. County Durham is ranked the
50th most deprived County in England out of 149. This
measurement takes into account indicators such as health,
educational achievement and income to assess deprivation
overall.
More specifically, the areas which the Twizell flows vary in terms
of their levels of deprivation; this varies by Area Action
Partnership (AAP). Stanley is the 3rd most deprived AAP in
County Durham however a number of areas even within less
deprived AAPs are defined as amongst the most deprived wards
in England, this includes areas of central Chester-le-Street and
South Stanley, both of which are in the 10% most deprived
wards nationally. Many of the other surrounding areas,
especially in Stanley and rural mid section are within the 20%
most deprived areas nationally1. These areas are South Moor,
Quaking Houses and Langley Moor area, the Middles, Kate’s
Rigg and Low Stanley all of which are within a kilometre of the
Image 10: Poorly maintained interpretation in Stanley Wood
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water course.
Green Infrastructure can have multiple benefits in areas of high
deprivation as it can be a valuable contributor to improving
wellbeing. Good green infrastructure is of considerable economic
value too. The County Durham Green Infrastructure Strategy
sets out a number of ways in which GI can balance the
inequalities in more deprived areas of the County:
By fostering "environmental equity" - ensuring that all people have good-quality living environments and have access to sufficient open space, irrespective of income.
By fostering pride in local areas and their green spaces. By improving access to affordable fresh fruit and
vegetables. By improving the perception of areas as places to live and
work, thus attracting inward investment. By supporting sectors of the economy which depend upon
green infrastructure - agriculture, horticulture and, in particular, tourism.
A recent CABE report ‘The Value of Public Space’2 cites many
examples from around the world where improvements in green
infrastructure have helped attract inward investment, increase
local house prices and drive up local economies.
Green Infrastructure is a core outcome of any regeneration
programme involving land or water. As a planning tool, it is
highly flexible and therefore can apply to all of the areas
adjacent to the Burn.
1.9 Climate change
Climate Change is one of the biggest threats to our future, and
there is increasing evidence that climate change has already
begun. Climate Change brings the threat of increasing
temperature variations, intense air and water pollution, increased
episodes of droughts and floods, changes to woodland and loss
of wildlife. It may also result in poorer quality of life, particularly
for people living in deprived urban areas. Weather-related
incidents such as flood events, severe winters and hot summers
can limit capacity of poor households in deprived wards to
manage climate risks. Issues such as fuel poverty may become
exacerbated whilst the ability to react to, or avoid, incidents
such as flood events may be intensified.
Predicted scenarios of wetter winters, drier summers and
increased temperatures will have a profound impact on water
courses and the surrounding areas of land, with potentially
significant impacts on woodland in terms of the species that may
flourish. Excessive fluctuations in flow, water temperature and
chemistry will have a significant impact on the management of
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flooding, the timing of natural events such as fish spawning periods
and the opportunity to enjoy and access walkways and green
spaces. The Stanley Burn at South Stanley, the Middles and the
Cong Burn in Chester-le-Street has a history of flooding. Flooding
and surface water management is discussed further in Chapter 3.
Building climate change adaption into the restoration of The Twizell
Burn will produce multiple benefits including better flood
management, improving habitats and corridors for wildlife and
ensuring that urban development recognises that the burn corridor
is an important part of urban regeneration and sustainability (see
later chapters for further details).
Changes in climate will lead to changes in agricultural practice, as
will future developments of the EU Common Agricultural Policy.
Integrating these with other measures, such as biodiversity, access
and surface water management, will also need to take into account
sustaining a viable agricultural economy and its links to local
communities.
Woodland creation should take into account species that can
withstand ground that is subject to seasonal water logging followed
by periods of drought, together with consideration for planting
renewable energy crops. New renewable energy developments
should respect the character of the landscape, and biomass crops
may be an appropriate tool in enhancing more degraded
landscapes. Climate change is affecting habitats and as a result
species composition may change. Any future developments should
be dynamic in order to allow for climate change adaption to
happen.
The impact of climate change on vulnerable species, habitats,
landscape features and agricultural systems will need to be
monitored. Restoration of habitats will need to include management
measures to make them more robust and allow for adaptation and
dynamism, and should be at a landscape scale to improve
ecosystems and restore connectivity.
Opportunities identified in this report include integrated approaches
for action on climate change and include wider environmental,
economic and social goals. The opportunities should support and
encourage integrated approaches to water management and flood
protection, including river and floodplain restoration in order to
move the Twizell Burn towards good ecological potential (as per
WFD aims).
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INTRODUCTION SUMMARY The Twizell Burn is a main tributary of the River Wear
The Twizell burn is 9.4km from source to confluence with the Cong and the Chester Burn is
2.8 km from its source to the confluence with the Wear.
Enhancements to Twizell Burn are to be multi-functional across a range of objectives from
water quality and habitat to public amenity and economic regeneration.
The Twizell Burn from source to its confluence with the Cong is classified as Poor
Ecological Quality for the Water Framework Directive (WFD) and the aim is for the Twizell
Burn to achieve Good Ecological Potential status.
Twizell Burn changes its name twice before its confluence with the Cong; it is named the
Stanley Burn until it flows east of the town where it becomes the Twizell until the confluence
with the Cong, where it becomes the Chester Burn. The Chester Burn after its confluence
with the Twizell is included as part of the detailed study area.
The Cong Burn from source to the Twizell confluence is addressed as an overview study in
Chapter 8.
Twizell Burn is a heavily modified water course and the biggest barriers to fisheries
improvement are the large obstruction, step weir at Newbridge Banks just south of Grange
Villa, where the channel has been straightened (various sections) and the large culvert at
Chester-le-Street town centre. The intermittent sewage discharges has the biggest impact
on the level of invertebrates in the river and overall water quality.
Contaminated land/run off from mine workings is an un-quantified constraint throughout the
study area.
A large proportion of the study area, through which the burn flows, is green space owned by
the local authority.
The burn flows through 6 of the most deprived wards in the UK.
Climate change predicts an increase in future flood events and will require a range of
resilient solutions.
The planning process must enforce the adoption of policies and strategies which recognise
the multiple benefits of Green Infrastructure.
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VISION STATEMENT The greening of the Twizell Burn - a well-used and valued natural environment offering a wealth of
benefits to those who live near to, or visit, the area. Its network of green spaces, recreational facilities,
biodiversity and water quality will be of higher value, more accessible and resilient to the impacts of
climate change and flooding events.
Connecting communities
A high quality network of multifunctional green spaces along the burn corridor will provide attractive
formal and informal spaces for local communities and visitors to enjoy and opportunities to connect
new communities with existing neighbourhoods.
The Burn
The Burn, a recognised and valued important asset supporting the wildlife and fauna in the area; will
become even better by achieving good ecological potential.
Climate change solutions
Green infrastructure plays an important role in making the area resilient to climate change, this will be achieved through awareness raising for the local communities and improvements to the Burn and the wider environment to alleviate the impacts of flooding events.
Healthy communities
Through a joined up green network, increased opportunities for physical activity, sport and active recreation will positively contribute to health and wellbeing of communities.
Biodiversity
Wildlife habitats will be maintained and enhanced (and new habitats created) and links between sites will be improved to help reverse habitat fragmentation.
Landscape and built heritage
The quality and integrity of the local landscape and the area’s rich industrial heritage will be valued, respected and enhanced.
Sustainable development
Well-designed new developments respect and contribute positively to the natural environment with an increased number incorporating SUDS complemented by the exploration of the potential of renewable energy sources.
Active outdoor access
A well connected, signed and promoted network of green routes, well used by the community and visitors, to travel throughout the Twizell Burn and into neighbouring areas.
People and nature
People are volunteering to improve their local environment and in the monitoring of wildlife, to create a place with opportunities for everyone to get involved.
23
24
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Scale: 1:26,000
25
26
Image 11: Twizell Burn flowing through Stanley Burn Woods
27
2.1 The Water Framework Directive As defined by the WFD (Directive 2000/60/EC of the European
Parliament and of the Council): “Good surface water status"
means the status achieved by a surface water body when both
its ecological status and its chemical status are at least "good".
Good chemical status is critically linked with good ecological
status; both are needed to achieve “overall good status” within a
water body.
Ecological characteristics of the study area are considered in
more detail in Chapter 4. Water quality and ecological conditions
are interdependent, therefore the ecological assessment looks at
the water quality (chemical) but also uses other measures such
as wildlife living in the ‘riparian’ zone, the physical properties of
the channel and materials that make up the river bed and
embankments. Both for water quality and ecological monitoring
and assessment purposes, aquatic invertebrates are used as
indicator species.
Physical characteristics of rivers that influence ecological
condition are described as hydro-morphological characteristics.
Hydromorphology is defined and explored in more detail in
Chapter 3.
2.2 Water Quality Assessment Across England and Wales, the condition of rivers and
groundwater is evaluated by the Environment Agency (EA)
according to environmental assessment criteria stipulated by the
Water Framework Directive (WFD). The following categories of
assessment (referred to as “classification level sub elements”),
and their associated individual “classification items”, given in
brackets, are used by the EA to determine the overall status of
the Twizell Burn and Chester Burn:
Overall water body: (Ammonia phys-chem, dissolved
oxygen, pH, phosphate, temperature);
Ecological: (biological quality elements,
hydromorphological supporting elements, physico chemical
quality elements, specific pollutants and supporting
elements (surface water);
Biological quality elements: (fish, invertebrates,
macrophytes, macrophytes and phytobenthos combined);
Hydro-morphological supporting elements: (hydro-
2. Water quality
Image 11: Twizell Burn flowing through Stanley Burn Woods
28
morphological regime; mitigation measures assessment,
morphology);
Specific pollutants: (Ammonia Annex 8, Copper, Triclosan,
Zinc).
Chemical groundwater (GW): chemical status element;
Priority hazardous substances: (Cadmium and its
compounds, Di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate, Lead and its
compounds, Nickel and its compounds, Nonylphenol and
Tributyltin compounds);
Understanding WFD assessment criteria and standards, and how
they may be subject to change is essential; as they are central to
determining appropriate actions needed to achieve good status.
As the European Commission (EC 2014) outlines, via WFD
mechanisms, standards can be renewed and new standards can
be applied to address priority hazardous substances. For
example, the priority hazardous substances (classification item)
listed in section 2.2 have only required assessment in the study
area since 2013 (year 4 of the first river basin cycle, (2009 to
2015)), whilst Ammonia (Annex VIII) no longer requires
assessment as a specific pollutant. As a result it is appreciated
that whilst addressing issues presented within this masterplan
can improve water quality towards the current minimum levels,
future drivers may bring in priority substances that will need to be
addressed to achieve Good Ecological Status in the Twizell Burn
catchment
2.3 Water Quality Monitoring As part of an annual monitoring programme, the EA undertake
inspection and sampling activities on the Twizell Burn, Chester
Burn (Reaches A to C) and Cong Burn to determine their visual,
chemical and ecological condition under WFD.
Monitoring is carried out at a number of locations across Twizell
Burn and involves one or more of the following activities:
Inspections: the Environment Agency routinely check rivers
for evidence of pollution, e.g. oil contamination,
discoloration of water or perhaps littering of the channel with
sewage downstream of Combined Sewer Outfalls (CSOs).
Sampling: as part of the annual monitoring programme or
for investigative purposes (e.g. following a pollution incident
or suspected inputs from an unknown source) samples of
water are collected at river monitoring locations and are
analysed to determine the levels of a variety of chemicals
(and potentially particles in the water (“suspended solids”)
that affect clarity and prevent light penetrating through
water. The clarity of water is often expressed as a measure
of turbidity.
Groundwater quality is/can also be assessed by taking
samples of water from underground boreholes and
Image 12: Partially blocked culvert and poor water
quality at the eastern edge of Stanley Burn Wood
29
analysing the water for chemical constituents.
Under WFD the following chemical tests are carried out on water
samples taken from rivers to help assess water quality:
Dissolved Oxygen: the higher the level of oxygen dissolved
in the water the better
Phosphates: the level of phosphates in the water,
commonly derived from sewage related discharges
containing detergents;
Ammonia - a nitrogen based compound, naturally derived
from urine and a component of agricultural fertilisers;
Heavy metals: metals such as mercury and lead which are
prone to persist in the environment;
Hydrocarbons: derived from crude oil (e.g. diesel, petrol,
engine oil and lubricants) hydrocarbons are toxic to aquatic
life, deoxygenate water and blanket surfaces.
Kick sampling is used to assess the ecological quality of a
waterbody and involves a survey of invertebrates living on and
under the rocks and stones of the river bed. Surveys can be
undertaken on the bankside as live sorting or samples may be
preserved and analysed in a laboratory. The Biological
Monitoring Working Party (BMWP) method is used to quantify
the number of indicator species present in the river and scores
tallied from the number of each species present are used to
assess ecological condition. The following may be used to
indicate how good or poor water quality may be:
High numbers and diversity of some invertebrates,
particularly certain types and abundances of Mayfly,
Stonefly and Caddis Fly larvae which are found in well
oxygenated water, and where the deposits of sediment are
relatively undisturbed and clean, as required to support
their lifecycles;
Low numbers of non biting midge larvae – chironomids
which are more tolerant to lower dissolved oxygen levels,
and polluted conditions as would be associated for
example with contamination by sewage.
(A pollutant is defined as a substance liable to cause pollution, in
particular those listed in Annex VIII” of the WFD. (European
Commission, 2014) (Directive 2000/60/EC of the European
Parliament and of the Council)).
Based upon a compilation of monitoring data, the EA classify
water bodies, resulting in either fail, poor, moderate, good, or
high status, for classification sub elements and for overall water
body status.
Chemical status of the study area, factors that attribute to the
current status and opportunities to improve it are outlined in the
following sections.
Image 13: Iron ochre discoloration in Stanley Wood
30
2.4 Characteristics and Issues
2.4.1 Overview The main study area comprises the following water bodies and
their associated catchment areas, as illustrated on map 1:
The Twizell Burn (from Source to Cong Burn) (Reach A
and B)
The Cong Burn (from Twizell Burn to River Wear), referred
to as the Chester Burn (Reach C).
Characterisation carried out by the Environment Agency (EA) in
2013 designated these waterbodies as heavily modified in terms
of their hydromorphology (see Chapter 3, Surface Water
Management) and as a result, classified their ecological status
as being of moderate potential (rather than status) under the
Water Framework Directive (WFD).
To meet current objectives to attain ‘Good Ecological
Potential’ (GEP) in waterbodies within the catchment, the
following key elements require to be addressed and improved to
‘good’. (The status of these key elements as reported by the EA
in 2013 is noted in brackets):
2.4.2 Twizell Burn - Reach A (Stanley) to Reach B (Rural Mid Section): Specific pollutants: zinc - (fail);
Physico-chemical quality elements: phosphate - (poor);
and ammonia - (moderate);
2.4.3 Chester Burn - Reach C (Chester-le-Street):
Physico-chemical quality: phosphate - (moderate);
Biological quality: fish (poor);
Macropytes & Phytobenthos: sub-element phytobenthos -
(moderate).
These waterbodies fall within the Northumbria River Basin
District; actions arising from opportunities identified within this GI
masterplan will be incorporated in the Northumbria River Basin
Management Plan, (2015 to 2021).
2.5 Pollution sources and pathways 2.5.1 Urbanisation The growth and development of urban areas can significantly
affect the quality (and quantity) of water in the natural
environment. Building upon previously undeveloped land can
dramatically change the natural processes involved in the
transportation and storage of water and sediments, and create
new sources and pathways for pollutants to enter rivers and
groundwater. There is also extensive littering throughout the
catchment and issues attached with management of allotment
Image 14: Pollution ad fly tipping west of
Newbridge Banks
31
Image 15: Light industry at Morrison Busty
sites.
In 2013 Groundwork NE & Cumbria worked along with Esh
Housing on the delivery of a £50,000 contract, in order to
remove considerable amounts of silt and rubbish from the Kate's
Gill area in Craghead and regenerate the woodland, much of
which had been flooded for many years due to the blocked
culvert on site. The work also included boundary fencing and
hedge planting, 2500 square metres of native woodland planting,
removal of Himalayan Balsam, wildflower plug planting, meadow
seeding and tree works required to existing established trees
which were damaged throughout the flooding of the site. A series
of ponds were also created along the length of the burn within
the woodland area.
Fly-tipping in Kate's Gill was a key concern due to the fact that
this was a historic problem within the area. The accumulation of
rubbish within the slopes surrounding the gill is a major issue,
and due to limitations with access by machines and budgets
throughout the project not all rubbish was removed at the time.
Further work was identified as being required with the allotment
site to restrict access to the site boundary adjacent to Kate's Gill
to prevent the opportunity for tipping in the future. Work was also
identified as being required with the allotment holders in order to
ensure that they are not contributing towards the issues on the
site.
Within the rural setting, farm buildings (and associated
infrastructure such working yards, slurry tanks, silos and fuel
tanks) are also considered to be part of the built environment.
Farm steadings are traditionally used to store a variety of
chemicals including organic and inorganic fertilisers and
pesticides.
Pollutants can reach the river system either directly, for example
via point source discharges or indirectly via diffuse runoff.
2.5.2 Surface water drainage A number of natural and man-made conduits can convey
pollutants (and clean water) from the built environment to the
Twizell Burn / Cong Burn; these conduits include surface water
drains and ditches; overland-flow, infiltration and through-flow
(e.g. through soil), and significantly, discharges from the
combined foul and surface water drainage system.
The purpose of a Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) is to allow
dilute, yet untreated, waste water from the sewer network when
flow capacity is exceeded e.g. during storm events. Discharges
should only occur under specified flow (or emergency)
conditions authorised by the Environment Agency; sewage
plastics and debris over 6mm should be screened from the
discharge to abate littering of the receiving environment.
In total there are an estimated 30 CSOs that discharge directly in
to rivers within the study area. CSO’s are necessary on
32
Image 16: Monitoring stations in Chapmen’s Well, evidence of past mining and landfill activities
combined sewers (that take both surface and foul water types)
to prevent sewer flooding both internally and externally. These
systems are typically found in developments before 1960. The
release of untreated waste water (which includes surface water
runoff, domestic grey water and trade effluent discharges) can
contaminate water resources to the detriment of human health,
wildlife, agriculture and the local economy.
By law, the UK has a duty to limit pollution from storm water
overflows, including CSOs. In England and Wales CSO’s are
assessed under the terms of the Urban Waste Water Treatment
Directive (UWWT), in accordance with Guidance issued by the
Department for the Environment, Transport and the Regions
(1997). Many older CSOs were designed and constructed to a
much lower standard than is now considered acceptable.
Common faults of combined sewer systems are:
The downstream sewer pipe diameter is too small,
causing the CSO to spill frequently;
The discharge is unscreened.
CSO discharges may contain significant loads of a wide variety
of pollutants (despite dilution), including bacteria and viruses,
oxygen demanding and toxic chemicals and sediments, as well
as persistent materials such as heavy metals and Polycyclic
Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs). As observed across the
catchment sewage litter also persists in the river habitat,
including baby wipes, cotton buds, sanitary products, toilet
block holders and detergent containers. The water service
provider Northumbrian Water Limited are active in monitoring
CSO discharges and educating communities such as the Love
Your Drain campaign. The Environment Agency and Wildlife
Trust’s Yellow Fish campaign seeks to tackle the sewage
littering by preventing entry of these items at source including
domestic and commercial / social premises.
2.5.3 Domestic wrong-connections Domestic wrong-connections of foul water to surface water
systems can result in the discharge of untreated sewage and
waste water effluent from kitchens and bathrooms direct to
rivers. Detergents can have a toxic effect on all types of aquatic
life; they destroy the mucous layers that protect fish from
bacteria and parasites which damage fish gills. Phosphates in
detergents can also lead to algal blooms that release toxins
and deplete levels of oxygen in water. Wrong-connections are
suspected at locations such as Pelton Fell Banks where
sewage odour has been identified. Polluting inputs could be
prevented and corrected by:
Catchment wide education as to the cause of wrong-
connections and correct drainage requirements.
33
2.5.4 Former mine workings In terms of bedrock geology, the study area is underlain by Coal
Measure rocks of Carboniferous age; owing to widespread coal
seams, and the presence of iron and sandstone within the
bedrock 4,5. mineral extraction flourished in the region from the
1800s to the late 1900s. Mining activities were central to the
local economy, the origins of transport links and infrastructure,
and gave rise to early modifications to the water environment.
Evidence of deep and opencast coal mines and quarrying is
prolific throughout the study area; sites of former mine workings
are now part of cultural and industrial heritage, and where
suitable, former quarries have been used for waste disposal
sites / landfill. The locations of former mines and historic landfills
are illustrated by map 6.
Among the legacies of mineral extraction, spoil heaps are a
common feature in the landscape, and are found in close
proximity to the river corridor·
Major sources of zinc and nickel in the study area are likely to be
runoff and seepage from colliery spoil and mine-water; these
elements are released from iron ores and sulphide minerals
found in spoil heaps through oxidative weathering and
dissolution. Through infiltration and surface water runoff these
metals can reach groundwater and surface waters. Whilst
naturally occurring, and performing crucial biological functions
(as micro nutrients), elevated levels of metals in the water
environment can increase chemical oxygen demand (COD) and
can have directly toxic effects on wildlife; concentrations of zinc
as low as 2 ppm is reported to have adverse effects on the
amount of oxygen that fish can carry in their blood.
2.5.5 Rural diffuse pollution
Agriculture within the study area is predominantly arable, with
considerable equestrian activity, with livery yards, stables and
horses grazing. Where livestock (and horses) have unrestricted
access to river embankments, poaching can result in the
degradation of soil structure, exposing sediments to rainfall and
subsequent runoff to the river system.
Residues from pesticides, herbicides and fertilisers can adhere
to soil particles and drain to watercourses via spray drift,
leaching and run-off. Constituents of these substances such as
nitrates (and faecal coliforms in organic manures) can have
deleterious effects on the ecosystem, reducing oxygen available
to aquatic life, affecting hedgerows and riparian habitats.
Contaminants can percolate to groundwater affecting drinking
water supplies and accumulate in the food chain.
Mechanical cultivation of farm land, and forestry operations, can
leave land susceptible to soil erosion and sediment runoff to
rivers. The effects upon water quality are notably increased on
Image 17: Frothing water in Twizell Wood
34
Image 18: Litter and fly-tipping in Alma Woof
steep land with linear conduits to feeder streams, with few filter
strips and natural buffers such as hedgerows.
2.5.6 Reach A - Stanley
The most significant potential sources of pollution in Reach A
are point source discharges direct to the river system:
Final effluent (and any emergency discharges) from
Hustledown Sewage Treatment works (STW) located on
the north bank of the Twizell Burn east of South Stanley
Nature Reserve
There are 18 CSOs in this reach
Investments at Hustledown Sewage Treatment Works (STW)
has lead to reductions in the amounts of Ammonia and
Phosphate discharged thus improving the quality of Twizell
Burn.
Drainage from the conduits mentioned in Reach A combine to
form the headwaters of the Twizell Burn; the quality and
quantity of water in these minor channels can have a direct
effect on the quality and flow of water downstream.
Pollution inputs from the upper reaches of the Twizell Burn
catchment affect water quality downstream.
Owing to prior evidence of diffuse pollution from industrial
estates within the study area, in partnership with the
Environment Agency, Groundwork NE & Cumbria engaged
businesses at the following industrial estates in pollution
prevention awareness activities in 2013/14:
Morrison North Industrial Estate, Annfield Plain
Morrison Busty Industrial Estate, Annfield Plain
Stella Gill industrial Estates, Pelton Fell (Reach B)
The project aimed to help improve water quality in the Twizell
Burn by identifying and addressing sources of diffuse pollution
from industrial land-use. A review of activities at the industrial
estates identified potential sources of diffuse pollutants/
contaminated land including gas oil, engine oil, petrol, bitumen,
antifreeze, paints, inks, cement/aggregates, rock salt, exposed
wastes/ soils, detergents and water from vehicle washing.
Operators engaged in the project received best practice
guidance for the storage and handling of chemicals, and the
disposal of trade effluent in order to help prevent and mitigate
the risk of pollution to groundwater and the Twizell Burn.
Recommendations were implemented at key sites, addressing
for example the risk of salt runoff to the surface water system.
Spill response demos and free spill kit materials were also
provided to businesses at workshops, supported by Business
Durham.
During the Twizell Burn Week of Action (led by the Environment
35
Agency in November 2013) communities in the vicinity of Stanley
engaged in educational activities to help improve water quality.
Participants were involved in activities such as litter picking to
improve aesthetics of the Twizell Burn; discovery activities
exploring river invertebrates; and the Love Your Drain campaign
led by Northumbrian Water Group, to help address the causes of
sewer blockages and sewage spills from CSOs.
There is approximately 35 ha surface area of restored spoil (and
constructed wetland) at the Morrison Busty Coalfield, adjacent to
the Stanley Burn.
Research conducted on mine water hydrogeology and
geochemistry suggests that restoration of the Morrison Busty
coalfield by the application of compost top soils has had some
success in controlling the leaching of contaminants to the
Stanley Burn. Effectively identifying and addressing sources of
contamination from disused mines across the catchment could
significantly improve water quality longer term, addressing two of
the key elements to achieve good ecological potential.
Farm Steads in the area include:
Twizell Hall Farm
Eden Hill Farm
Twizell Dykes Farm
There are no known sources of pollution occurring at the above
farms; these are listed for identification purposes only and for
reference for future opportunities
2.5.7 Reach B
The most significant potential sources of pollution in Reach B are
likely to be diffuse sources, with some point source discharges:
There are no major sewage treatment works discharges in
Reach B. According to Northumbrian Water Ltd.’s drainage
data (2014) there are 4 CSO’s draining within Reach B
Spoil heaps at the river embankments at Alma Woods and
at Newbridge Banks near Pelton Fell
Diffuse runoff from yards and roads in this area is likely to be the
main source of pollution. Rainwater flushed over these surfaces
can pick up contaminants such as road dust, sediments from
building sites and chemical residues including for example oil
and chemicals from vehicle leaks and spillages and leachate
from waste bins. This can runoff to streams and ditches leading
the main river, or enter the river system via road drains which
are connected to the surface water drainage system.
Another source of pollutants entering the Twizell river system is
from an un-named tributary at Craghead which is in turn fed by
minor springs leading to a field drainage ditch rear of terraced
cottages on the north side of the B6313 road, Craghead Lane.
The upstream section of the said field drainage ditch (partially
Image 19: Discoloured water running in Twizell Burn
36
Image 20: Twizell Burn in Reach A showing signs of discoloration
visible behind an informal hedgerow) had been deepened/
widened. At the time of walkover the embankments were
unconsolidated / un-vegetated leaving exposed top soil at risk of
being mobilised during heavy rain, potentially adding sediment
load to the channel.
There is also an un-named tributary of the Twizell Burn south
east of Shafto House, culverted under the B6313 road at
Craghead that brings in surface water runoff from adjacent land
both the north (upstream) and south (downstream) sides of the
culvert. This is likely to contain diffuse pollutants from soil
stripping in the vicinity of the stream and deposits of cut
vegetation on the embankments
The flow in the study area (observed during catchment walkover
visits in 2014) visibly changes from dark grey at the Stanley Burn
from the Langley Moor Plantation, to light grey and cloudy at
Twizell Wood (Reach A to B) with evidence of soap suds,
sewage plastics and odour identified particularly downstream of
Hustledown Sewage Treatment Works (STW) to Pelton Fell
banks. The absence of sewage fungus growth on the bed or
embankments of the channel indicates that the discharges of
sewage are intermittent and well diluted.
Farm steadings in the area include:
Twizell Hall Farm
Eden Hill Farm
Twizell Dykes Farm
There are no known sources of pollution occurring at the above
farms; these are listed for identification purposes only and for
reference for future opportunities.
2.5.8 Reach C—Chester-le-Street
The most significant potential sources of pollution in Reach C
are likely to be point source discharges direct to the river
system, and diffuse runoff from urban areas:
Chester-le-Street STW discharges direct to the River Wear
however back up of flow to the sewage treatment works
and overflow of sewage to the Chester Burn. According to
Northumbrian Water Ltd.’s drainage data (2014) there are
8 CSO’s draining within Reach B.
Although the flow remained turbid in the lower areas of Reach B
and Reach C, the Cong Burn (upper) provides a diluting effect
on sewage inputs from the confluence at Pelton Fell bridge. The
discoloration in the Cong Burn waterbody observed downstream
to Chester-le-Street riverside was characteristic of runoff from un
-vegetated areas such as eroded embankments (e.g. at
Newbridge Banks cascading weir) and recently dredged ditches
(e.g. fields to the rear of terraced housing, at the north site of
Craghead Lane). Sediment inputs can however mask otherwise
37
visible evidence of CSO inputs, and leave plumes from other
point source outfalls and diffuse sources un-detected
The installation of a new CSO at Chester-le-Street (at the
confluence of the Cong Burn with the River Wear) is reported to
have reduced sewage spills, helping address aesthetics and
levels of sewage derived ammonia, improving overall water
quality.
Farm steads in the area include:
High Flatts Farm
There are no known sources of pollution occurring at the above
farms; these are listed for identification purposes only and for
reference for future opportunities
2.6 Opportunities There are a number of opportunities to improve the water quality
across the study area. There is huge potential to develop a large
scale partnership programme (the Greening Twizell Partnership)
of projects using the varying range of expertise of the
partnership group to bring together and deliver on a wide range
of GI projects, including water quality improvements. Water
quality underpins and ties in closely with land use, biodiversity
and surface water management and any improvements that
address water quality will have a positive effect on these areas.
Water quality opportunities could be completed as individual
projects or as part of the Greening Twizell Partnership All
opportunities are discussed further in Chapter 9.
To further address polluting inputs and prevent deterioration in
water quality, task groups could deliver further outreach events
and workshops, tailored to engage businesses and communities
that influence water quality in the catchment.
Events could coincide with regional/national awareness
campaigns e.g. resilience to flooding and climate change. These
events could be used to raise awareness of the benefits of a
good river system and ecosystem both for the quality of life of
residents and the local economy via Green Tourism. Trends and
progress made in water quality should be communicated back to
the community groups and businesses, recognising any
achievements afforded by their participation and role in
safeguarding the environment.
The following engagement by task groups could significantly
improve water quality, working with:
Scrap-yards and SME’s located off-industrial estates, to
address potential pollution sources from wastes (e.g. oils
and heavy metals), and to link in with anti-fly-tipping
campaign campaigns in County Durham more specifically
around Stanley. Image 21: Modified watercourse in Reach C
38
Image 22: Outfall at the Burn edge near to Chester-le- Street
Drainage maintenance operatives; to raise awareness of
best practice for the collection and disposal of material
from culverts, drains and dredging;
Construction and demolition companies, to better prepare
for works in the vicinity of the water environment following
pollution prevention methodology and appropriate
aftercare.
Water quality in the whole study area could be improved by
reducing the discharge of phosphates (from household and
industrial detergents) and ammonia and specific pollutants from
CSO discharges. Northumbrian water is an engaged partner
and have been undertaking extensive work around wrong
connections in collaboration with the EA. The following
opportunities have been identified:
Educate communities and catering providers within the
catchment to prevent the disposal of sewage plastics and
waste Fats Oils and Greases (FOGs) to the sewer
network to reduce obstruction to flow and consequential
CSO spills;
In relation to the above, work closely with communities at
Hustledown Road/South Moor (Reach A) to tackle littering
and fly-tipping in the vicinity of culverts;
Work with local suppliers of detergents and washing
appliances to promote the sale of phosphate free/low
phosphate products in shopping centres;
Ensure trade effluent discharges to sewers comply with
consents and share best available techniques to
potentially eliminate specific pollutants at source;
Apply development constraints to ensure sewer capacity
is not exceeded by the additional flow, and ensure that
surface water is drained separately from sewage, via
SUDs;
Maintain CSO screens and pumps, particularly before
and after heavy rainfall and respond promptly to
indicators of sewage blockages e.g. odour complaints;
Separate foul and surface water drains (de-dualling)
where feasible. This will then convey clean water direct to
rivers and waste water direct to Waste Water Treatment
works. The problematic CSOs at Hollyhill Gardens and
Memorial Park could benefit from this approach;
Northumbrian Water are engaged as a partner and
already looking at this.
Academic research projects to determine water quality
arising of former mine workings (including restored sites)
through investigative monitoring
Use of research findings to devise appropriate solutions
to control and mitigate against contamination of the water
environment (groundwater, surface waters and wetlands).
To reduce sediment load and contamination of the water
environment within the study area, the following opportunities
39
could be implemented catchment wide:
Promote Catchment Sensitive Farming, particularly on the
south side of the Twizell Burn/Cong Burn; engagement
with the agricultural sector would be supported by Natural
England linking with Wear Rivers Trust;
Assessments and promotion of Good Environmental and
Agricultural Condition (GAEC) and development of farm
waste management plans at farm steads
There is significant green space throughout the study area which
through enhanced design could be used to improve habitat,
water quality and drainage attenuation within the natural flood
plain. This is discussed in more detail in the Surface Water
Management Chapter 3. Primary locations where opportunities
could be explored are listed as follows:
2.6.1 Reach A
Stanley Burn / Twizell Burn at Morrison Busty coalfield -
enhancement of existing wetland, and creation of SuDS
wetland attenuation to treat surface water draining to the
Stanley Burn. (SuDS wetland attenuation also designed to
capture drainage from upstream industrial estates)
South Moor Road and Pine Street, South Moor - creation
of bio-retention pits as part of Sustainable Drainage
Scheme (SuDS) scheme (initial outline by Fairhurst15)
2.6.2 Reach B
Twizell Burn at Alma Woods (Reach B) - protection and
enhancement of wet woodlands and wetland habitat to
attenuate and cleanse water following flash floods;
Twizell Burn at Newbridge Banks (Reach B); modification
to cascading weir impoundment to reduce erosion of
embankments and regulate sediment transfer downstream;
2.6.3 Reach C
Cong Burn at Chester-le-Street riverside — creation of
flood detention basin, ponds/wetland to store flood water
(Reach C).
Image 23: Access and drainage within Reach C
40
WATER QUALITY SUMMARY
The Waterbody is classified poor for 4 water quality elements and moderate for 3
water quality elements which all need to be addressed to achieve the required ‘good’
status under the Water Framework Directive
There are a number of pollution sources affecting the area including point source and
diffuse pollution
Point source pollution is more prevalent in Reach A
Diffuse pollution is more prevalent in Reaches B and C
There are 30 Combined Sewer Outfalls in the study area
There are 7 farmsteads in the area that could be engaged as part of a diffuse pollution
project
Projects to improve pollution from high risk industries have already occurred with the
3 industrial estates in the study area
Opportunities to enhance water quality will in turn enhance, land use, biodiversity and
surface water management
Educational activities/awareness initiatives
Scale: 1:26,000
±
41
42
Image 24: Twizell Burn in Reach B
43
3.1 Hydromorphology Hydromorphology is a term born out of the Water Framework
Directive (WFD) and used to describe the morphology of rivers,
lakes, estuaries and coastal waters in combination with their flow
characteristics; hydromorphology has two components:
hydrology - the flow and quantity of water
geomorphology - the physical characteristics, such as size,
shape and structure of a channel, and the processes that
influence them.
The Water Framework Directive (WFD) requires surface waters to
be managed to safeguard their hydromorphology to protect
ecology. Hydromorphology is a supporting element to determining
the status of a waterbody. By understanding the relationship
between hydromorphology and ecology the river channel habitat
and its floodplain (river corridor) can be improved which in turn will
work towards achieving Good Ecological Status (GES) for natural
water bodies and Good Ecological Potential (GEP) for heavily
modified waterbodies such as the Twizell and Chester Burns.
The biology of a river is assessed against biological elements (see
Table 1); by improving the hydromorphology of the river and its
corridor, this will in turn improve the biology of the river which is
assessed in terms of WFD.
Table 1
3. Fluvial and Surface Water
Management
Biological elements which are supported by
hydromorphology
Biological
element
Definition
Macrophyte
(aquatic plants)
Aquatic plants e.g. flowering plants,
reeds, rushes mosses and some algae.
Phytobenthos Algae that live on the river bed and other
hard surfaces.
Benthic macro
invertebrates
Aquatic invertebrates e.g. worms and
insects that spend part of their lifecycle
in or on substrates on the bottom of the
river
Fish
Dependent on suitable habitat such as
gravels on which to spawn and oxygen-
ated water.
Migratory species require unobstructed
fish passage up and downstream
44
WFD describes the physical environment in terms of
'hydromorphological quality elements' (HQEs) as follows:
Hydrological regime
Quantity and dynamics of water flow
Connection to groundwater
River continuity
Morphological conditions
River depth and width variation
Structure and substrate of the river bed
Structure of the riparian zone
When describing the channel form and processes operating
within the fluvial system in relation to WFD, it is useful to refer to
the HQEs.
3.2 Baseline There are two waterbodies within the study area:
Twizell Burn from source to Cong Burn (Reach A to B)
The Cong Burn (from Twizell Burn to River Wear), referred
to as the Chester Burn (Reach C)
Both waterbodies are classified as heavily modified for reasons
of urbanisation, with an ecological status of moderate.
3.2.1 Reach A to B—Twizell Burn from source to Cong Burn The headwaters of the Twizell Burn are situated within and
upstream of Langley Moor Plantation and the drains of Langley
Moor (NGR NZ1821850242, altitude 220m AOD).
A large proportion within the burn does flow in open space
mainly in Reaches A and B, but overall the channel is often
heavily modified and engineered from its natural state and
course. The gradient is steep in urban areas around South
Stanley but becomes shallow downstream through Craghead
and continues the same as it flows through towards Grange Villa.
Downstream of Hustledown treatment works and up to Grange
Villa, the Burn flows in very steeped sided channel.
From the source of the Twizell Burn to the confluence of the
Cong Burn with the River Wear there are a variety of clean water
and pollution inputs to the river system. Monitoring data reveals
that pollutants contributing to the moderate ecological potential
of these waterbodies include nutrients from sewage and
agricultural sources, specific pollutants including metals from
trade effluents, historical mine water drainage and spoil heaps.
Image 25: Saturated path / land along the north
edge of Chapman’s Well
45
Sediment inputs from urban and rural runoff also impact upon
water quality (and ecology) throughout the catchment. As the
catchment is prone to flash-flooding - latest major event was in
Chester-le-Street in 2012 affecting 80 residential and business
properties - sediments are frequently mobilised giving rise to
turbid water following heavy rain and also act as a path for the
release of pollutants from sediments in to the water environment.
To improve water quality to achieve Good Ecological Potential
the catchment dynamics must be understood, including the
hydrological regime, geomorphology and land-use, sources of
pollutants and constraints to addressing them. A detailed review
of catchment characteristics and opportunities to improve water
quality has been provided in Chapter 2.
3.2.2 Reach B to C—The Cong Burn (from Twizell Burn to River Wear), referred to as the Chester Burn
The Cong Burn meets the Twizell Burn at Pelton Fell Bridge,
(NZ2676151728). From here in it is referred to as the Chester
Burn. There have been a number of flooding issues downstream
of the confluence and the burn is converted through much of the
town center until it’s confluence with the Wear.
3.3 Historic changes
The predominant changes to the river course have been the
result of some extensive culverting, notably beneath Chester-Le-
Street (Reach C), but also in sections throughout the reach such
as beneath the playing fields located in South Stanley, east of
Memorial Park (Reach A) and beneath Newbridge Banks in
Reach B, for example. Historic maps, as held by Durham County
Council Record Office, show very little natural alteration to the
morphology of the river since 1860. In sections, such as through
Stanley Wood and Twizell Burn Wood (Reaches A & B
respectively), the relative shallow profile of the Burn coupled with
the steep river banks offer little erosional potential to alter the
course significantly, though records do show very minor changes
to course. Changes to the river are noted in the eastern part of
Twizell Burn Wood (Reach B), approaching Newbridge Banks
and to the immediate east of Newbridge Banks, which are all
attributed to artificial channelling and diversion from the natural
course for the coal mining industry and related brick works. The
burn then reverts to its natural course between Grange Villa /
Newbridge Banks and Chester-Le-Street, where the burn is
culverted beneath Chester-Le-Street marketplace and town
centre.
3.4 Fluvial System The catchment lies to the south of the conurbation of Stanley
and the burn flows east towards its confluence with the Cong
Image 26: Access and surface water drainage in
Reach C
46
Burn at Chester-le –Street. The burn and its catchment can be
separated into 3 distinct ‘reaches’ which constitute the study
area for the main body of this report.
Stanley – the source of the burn rises just south of Annfield
Plain where it is known as the Stanley Burn on the
outskirts of Stanley, it then flows to the south of the town,
skirting or running through the urban areas in places. The
burn then emerges from Stanley at Hussledown works.
Mid Rural – the mid-section of the burn is primarily a rural
area, which is largely wooded with steep banks on one or
both sides of the water course. The burn passes the small
settlements of The Middles, Crag Head (wherein it
becomes the Twizell Burn), Grange Villa and Pelton Fell
before flowing east towards Chester-le-Street.
Chester-le-Street – the Twizell Burn confluences with the Cong Burn just as it meets the town of Chester-le-Street. From here in it is referred to as the Chester Burn. There have been a number of flooding issues downstream of the confluence and the burn is culverted through much of the town centre until it’s confluence with the Wear.
The Durham coalfield is prevalent throughout the stretch of the
Twizell Burn, with the County Durham Geodiversity Audit
recognising the Westphalian ‘Coal Measures’ running between
Consett and east of Chester-Le-Street in this part of County
Durham. This layer of rock contains shales, sandstones and coal
seams and lies on top several other layers of limestones,
sandstones and shales.
3.5 Flooding As the hydromorphological designation implies, the Twizell Burn
and Cong Burn have been heavily engineered, in connection
with industrial (mainly mining) activity and urbanisation in the
catchment.
Prior to WFD, less emphasis was placed upon preservation of
the natural river hydromorphology, including the form of the river
bed, embankments and connectivity of the river with the
floodplain. Engineering works were largely authorised where the
design met the overall development needs.
With the introduction of WFD regulations, the impacts of
proposed river engineering works (e.g. flood alleviation schemes,
in-stream structures, and bank protection works) are assessed to
determine likely affects upon the ecological status of the
waterbody.
Authorisation from the Environment Agency is required before
certain engineering works (and the abstraction of water over
certain volumes) can take place. Conditions are imposed for the
design and construction and similarly for the maintenance of new
and existing engineering structures.
Impermeable surfaces such as concrete pavements, tiled roofing
Image 27: Road and built infrastructure / culvert at
Chester-le-Street
47
and tarmacked roads in the built environment limit the natural
infiltration of rainwater to soils, groundwater stores and rivers.
Traditional practice has been to collect rainfall and surface water
runoff from urban areas to sewer networks and/or surface water
drains to rivers. The rapid transfer of surface water to rivers through
piped systems and overland runoff over a short period of time results
in peak flows in the river channel.
With climate change, storm events (including rainfall and other
precipitation such as snowfall) have become more frequent, and
increasingly, greater volumes of water are being experienced.
Particularly in low-lying urban areas such as Chester-le-Street.
Flooding on developed land and green space is problematic to
residents and authorities and other water users including wildlife,
causing disruption to homes, infrastructure and habitats.
Flooding is common in the study area, particularly in the mid to lower
reaches. Flood zones (1:1000 year and 1:100 year events) are
illustrated on Figure 3, as are the locations of existing flood defences
and areas benefiting from them. Recently the most notable flood
event occurred in 2012. This resulted in substantial numbers of
residential and commercial properties being flooded in Chester-le-
Street.
Traditional practice has been to remove all surface water runoff and
wastewater flows from the built environment via piped drainage
systems directly to rivers, or to surface water drains and/or to
combined sewer networks which ultimately convey flow to rivers.
Affording an alternative to (and a greater interval between) rainfall
and end of pipe discharge, Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems
(SUDS) mimic natural drainage through incorporating features such
as ponds and swales that slow, store or filter water at the surface.
SUDS help attenuate water close to its source and through filtration
and storage allow potential pollutants and sediments to settle and
degrade in the environment, assisted by natural bio-chemical
processes and plants.
Culverting and canalisation of river sections to reclaim land and
access for coal mining, housing and transport infrastructure has
occurred all along the Burn corridor.
3.5.1 Reach A The following areas in this reach are prone to flooding:
Twizell Burn at South Moor Road
Culverts at South Moor Memorial Park,
Twizell Burn at Middles, associated with maintenance required to
clear drainage from farmland
Twizell Burn at South Moor Road
Twizell Burn at South Moor Road, culverted section from South
48
Moor Memorial Park
Twizell Burn at Middles, associated with maintenance required to clear drainage from farmland
Drainage sinks were also reported at:
Mine shaft near Quaking Houses – the course of water after entry to the (suspected) mine shaft or fissure is not known.
The upstream catchment of the Twizell is largely rural; not being
a main river it is unlikely to be eligible for Flood Defence Grant in
Aid (FDGIA) funding. The most significant urban area in the
upstream catchment is Stanley; whilst local authority flood
alleviation proposals are not currently in place for the Stanley
area, measures to attenuate flow and to help improve water
quality catchment wide are being investigated. The local
authority has commissioned an appraisal of opportunities for
Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems across the catchment. The
outcomes and recommendations of recent studies carried out by
Fairhurst (November 2014) are considered below.
Surface Water Management Plan (SWMP) Studies conducted by
Fairhurst (November 2014) identified opportunities for SUDS
within the study area, these are outlined in the opportunities for
Reaches A and B below. The report focused upon a primary site
at South Moor referred to as ‘Pine Street Empty Homes cluster’.
SUDS options outlined by Fairhurst’s report could be repeated,
(subject to ground survey and appropriate design specification),
in other similar residential areas across the catchment and
include the main features as follows:
Porous paving; as an alternative to impermeable tarmac
and concrete surfaces, porous paving could be installed in
car parks and yards to attenuate water, capture sediment
and treat pollutant loads;
Rain gardens; green roofs and rain gardens can reduce
peak flow and the total volume discharged to surface water
systems and improve water quality. In addition, they can
improve insulation and increase the lifespan of the roof.
Bio-swales to treat surface water; could be installed alongside roads replacing conventional kerbs, saving construction and maintenance costs.
Other options, for green-spaces, including farmlands and former
mining sites include:
The creation of ponds and/or reed beds and wetlands to treat surface water (before discharge to the river, and/or intermediary surface water drainage / or combined sewer system).
3.5.2 Reach B In this reach, weirs and dam impoundments have been installed to control the flow regime, making the middle reaches of the Twizell Burn impassable to fish; this is particularly evident at the cascading weir at Newbridge Banks and the series of smaller
Image 28: Small culvert in Langleymoor Plantation
49
weirs on approach to this which are discussed further in chapters 4 and 7.
3.5.3 Reach C In this reach there are a number of modifications to the channel:
Development on river embankments and floodplains (including
parks, forestry and green-spaces) consuming and altering the
natural riparian habitat, and constraining the dissipation of
energy.
Road crossings (bridges) on the Chester Burn from Twizell
Burn to River Wear, notably Spa bridge (recent works have
stabilised this bridge) and Pelton Fell bridge. Raised water
levels and impacts upon infrastructure have been attributed to
sediment accumulation
Chester Burn at Chester-le-Street riverside (Hogarth Gardens), to Burn Greens and the confluence with the River Wear
Measures being considered to address flooding and improve
biodiversity across the study area include the daylighting of culverts;
locations where culvert daylighting may be appropriate are listed
more fully in the opportunities below. The town of Chester-le-Street
is situated within the floodplain of the River Wear; due to significant
historical flooding issues associated with both the River Wear and
the Chester Burn, Chester-le-Street is prioritised for further flood
alleviation measures and the Environment Agency are leading on a
flood alleviation scheme (FAS).
Potential barriers to daylighting have also been identified;
The culvert arises at the railway viaduct and passes under
Chester-le-Street marketplace; a popular attraction to the town and component of the local economy. Daylighting would reduce space for usual market place activities.
The culvert crosses several roads hence engineering around road infrastructure could disrupt transport and increase the cost of any works significantly.
The Environment Agency’s Medium Term Plan (MTP) has identified the need for funding for the daylighting proposals in 2019/20. Work is currently underway to identify a possible funding package from various stakeholders to contribute to the works.
3.6 County Durham Surface Water Management Plan The County Durham Surface Water Management Plan (SWMP)16 sets out a number of key issues and ‘next steps’ for improving surface water management across the county, The SWMP partnership comprises of Durham County Council, the Environment Agency and Northumbrian Water and sets out key principles to improve surface water management with positive impacts on flooding, water quality and to influence developments to manage surface water . The 4 overriding objectives are defined as: “Guide limited resources to critical drainage areas of greatest
need (existing development)
Image 29: Pinch point and bank structure in Reach A
50
Ensure the level of future development does not exacerbate existing problems and identify opportunities for new development to provide benefits in terms of flood risk management
Inform emergency planning and feed in to Durham County Council’s Flood Plan
Protect and improve water quality in accordance with the objectives in WFD”
Key findings acknowledge that maintenance of drainage systems, both man-made and natural, is essential in managing the flow rate of surface water and associated impacts. Particular emphasis is placed on developers to implement best practice for managing surface water. 4 areas of possible development are identified in Stanley and Chester-le-Street which demonstrate the potential for improving surface water management and to attract support from organisations external to the SWMP partners.
3.7 Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS) During 2014/15, Fairhurst (FH) completed a South Moor Surface
Water Management15 review with significant focus on a SuDS
assessment, primarily looking at SuDS measures that could be
implemented in 6 streets in South Moor (Reach A), referred to as
the primary study area (see Chapter 3 map), in order to ascertain
how to improve surface water management. All suggested
measures followed the SuDS principles of:
Mimicking natural drainage where feasible;
Controlling water at its source.
With the support of the Environment Agency and Northumbrian
Water, Fairhurst were able to identify a series of SuDS for the
primary study area and those which theoretically would benefit a
wider secondary area too (see Chapter 3 map). The results of
the hydraulic modelling that FH undertook and the subsequent
designs for SuDS implementation in the primary study area,
including rain gardens, permeable paving and bio-swales (see
Appendix 2).
It is noted that available space impacts significantly on the
variety of SuDS available to be implemented and the ability of
the SuDS to attenuate and reduce flow rates. There are
therefore more options within the wider secondary area as well
as the wider catchment as a whole for implementation of SuDS,
including:
Swales
Attenuation Basins
Trench Troughs
Green Roofs
Filter Strips
Retention Ponds
Image 30: Evidence of artificial channelling through
Reach B
51
Wetlands
FH report that the implementation of SuDS would provide non-
monetised and socio-economic enhancements to the local
catchment, community and environment through the incorporation of
retrofit SuDS features. However, due to increased available space
and range of SuDS options available, these benefits significantly
increase through the implementation of SuDS in the Secondary
Study Area, where larger scale and ‘soft’ SuDS, such as swales and
detention basins can be constructed.
3.8 Opportunities
There are a number of opportunities which could be realised which
will improve the hydromorphology of the river and its corridor, and
therefore improve the biology of the river (see Table 2.1 below). In
reality the improvement to a channel, the target biological element
and HQEs are all interlinked.
When looking for opportunities, it is important to bear in mind that
channel processes of variance in flow volumes and velocity and
sediment transport regime including the erosion, storage and
deposition of sediments, create and maintain habitats for aquatic life.
Sediment is moved around within the channel and arranged into a
series of habitats or bedforms. These bedforms include pools,
riffles, bars and backwaters and a variance in the channel bed, thus
improving the biological habitat. Erosion in one part of the river may
provide sediment for habitat downstream. The waterbodies are
heavily modified and culverted in places reducing the opportunity for
the process of sediment transport from one place to another and
therefore habitat to develop.
As discussed in previous chapters, there is the potential to develop a
large scale partnership programme (the Greening Twizell
Partnership - GTP) of projects using the varying range of expertise
of the partnership group to bring together and deliver on a wide
range of GI projects.
To progress this masterplan to the project stage, the GTP will have
to gather further information to gain an understanding of the
processes operating within the catchment:
Processes – erosion, transport and deposition, areas of
channel instability, sediment sources, sediment transfer and
storage
Channel form and behaviour – variability in flow and sediment
regimes
Channel response to change – lateral and vertical response,
context with the catchment, area areas more susceptible than
others, areas at risk
As hydromorphology is a supporting element, any project(s) would
aim to improve the hydromorphology quality elements of a reach
with the overall objective of improving the local ecology and biology
elements listed above and therefore move the WFD status from
Image 31: An example of heavily modified stretches
of the Burn downstream of Newbridge Banks
52
moderate to Good Ecological Potential (GEP).
When looking for opportunities within the project to achieve WFD
objectives, an improvement in fish ecology could be brought about
by improving fish spawning habitat for example through increasing
the flow diversity within the channel, improving the channel bed
and addressing agricultural runoff. Where the planform of a
channel is constrained due to major infrastructure, work can be
done within the confines on the channel to diversify the channel
cross section.
Any work will take into account the natural sediment regime of the
river and demonstrate an understanding of the sediment transport
processes of supply, transport and storage zones, the natural flow
regime, channel processes including channel adjustment and how
this carves out the morphology of the channel. All work will be
WFD compliant.
In addition to engineering solutions as identified below, flood risk
can be mitigated by ensuring that the channel is free-flowing; fallen
trees, shopping trolleys, sewage debris, and wastes (including fly
tipped tyres, sewage and windblown debris) that cause obstruction
to flow and culvert blockages and were observed throughout the
catchment, particularly at the downstream section of the Twizell
Burn and in the Cong Burn from the Twizell to the River Wear.
Regular waste clearance and removal of sediment could help free
53
capacity in culverts and the channel cross-sectional area improving
the natural flow regime, habitat and water quality.
A ranger post as part of the Greening Twizell Partnership would
assist with this.
As supported by the County Durham Surface Water Management
Plan16 and the South Moor Surface Water Management Plan15, a
number of opportunities to incorporate SuDS features across the
catchment are recognised in order to:
Improve water quality and support WFD targets;
Reduce the impact of surface water on the man-made
drainage network, particularly to reduce the number of CSOs
discharging;
Manage surface water at source and improve flow rates -
maintaining a more even and steady flow in watercourses;
In order to do this successfully, opportunities exist to:
Retrofit SuDS in existing green-spaces and the built
environment - notably in the Primary Study Area as a first
phase, before rolling out in to the wider Secondary Study Area
and catchment as a whole;
Incorporating SuDS in the design of new developments.
Image 32: Evidence of heavily modified structures affecting flow and fish passage
54
3.8.1 Reach A
As detailed by Fairhurst, opportunities exist for the implementation
of SuDS, including permeable paving, stormwater planters and
rain gardens, within the primary study area. Additionally SuDS,
including attenuation basins, and swales, could be implemented in
the secondary study area which sits predominantly with Reach A.
Additional locations where SuDS design options and installation
options should be considered include:
The site of Durham Hartland Heaths project – Chapman’s
Well
Morrison Busty restored coalfield
South Moor Road—Memorial Park and playing fields to the
rear of Greenland Community Primary School
Hollyhill (proposed Persimmon housing development)
The Fairhurst report identifies opportunities to retro-fit SuDS
components into existing public open space on a large site
or on a regional scale in the urban areas – mainly towards
South Stanley where the gradient of the river is steep and
the floodplains are relatively wider.
The report recommends using local school playing fields and
playgrounds to manage surface water runoff through
initiatives such as ‘SuDS for Schools’ run by the Wildlife and
Wetlands Trust in partnership with Natural England.
3.8.2 Reach B
Linked with other themes, including community energy, recreation,
water quality and biodiversity, opportunities in this Reach are
summarised as follows:
Feasibility study for river restoration and/or modification of
cascading weir (dam impoundment) at Twizell Burn,
Newbridge Banks to incorporate community hydro scheme
and improvements for fish passage (salmon and trout)
Subject to flow conditions, profits from community hydro
scheme could go back into funding river restoration works
across the study area, and/or potentially fund flood
alleviation and SUDs schemes throughout the burn corridor
The South Moor SWMP report by Fairhurst identifies SuDS
opportunities at Grange Villa as there are adequate areas of
open space. This will attenuate, store and improve water
quality of runoff therefore increasing water quality in the
Twizell Burn.
3.8.3 Reach C
The benefits of daylighting sections of the Chester Burn culvert at
Chester-Le-Street are summarised as:
Regeneration of the middle of Chester-le-Street, making the
55
FLUVIAL AND SURFACE WATER MANAGEMENT SUMMARY
There are a number of modifications to the channel across the study area including,
culverts and weirs
Modifications to the channel have contributed to flow and recent flood events in Chester
-le-Street
Some of these obstructions are impassable to fish
There are 2 potential major engineering schemes; deculverting at Chester-le-Street and
hydro electricity generation/renaturalisation of the cascading weir at Newbridge Banks
There is the potential for installation of Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems across the
catchment, especially in Reach A.
SUDs schemes could build on the initial County Durham Surface Water Management
Plan (SWMP) and more recent South Moor SWMP
There is potential to influence planners to invest in SuDS and measures to improve
surface water management
river a feature of the town; this could potentially bring commercial
benefits and buffer noise from the town with the sound of water.
Reduced maintenance costs (not having to clear out the culverts on
a semi-regular basis);
Improve aquatic habitat (flora and fauna);
Improve hydromorphology; the Cong Burn waterbody is designated
heavily modified under WFD.
Image 33: Evidence of debris within Twizell Burn, near Memorial Park
56
Scale: 1:26,000
±
57
58
Image 34: View of the playing fields at North Shore
59
4.1 Characteristics & Issues 4.1.1 The Landscape
The catchment lies within Natural England’s National Character
Areas (NCA) 16 Durham Coalfield Pennine Fringe and 14 Tyne
and Wear Lowlands. The catchment is primarily rural (66.5%)
urban (33.5%) and much of the Burn corridor falls under the
ownership of Durham County Council.
The Durham Coalfield Pennine Fringe NCA (NCA 16) is
described as a ‘transitional landscape between the North
Pennines NCA to the West and the Tyne and Wear Lowlands to
the east’ Just over half of the catchment, from Source to Grange
Villa sits within the boundary for NCA 16 5.
The remainder of the catchment, downstream of Grange Villa to
the confluence with the Wear at Chester le Street is within NCA
14, the Tyne and Wear Lowlands. NCA 14 is described as ‘an
area of gently undulating land, incised by the valleys of the major
rivers and their tributaries.4
The source of the burn is in the east of Durham Coalfield
Pennine fringe a landscape of mixed arable farming typically
divided by hedgerows. The Twizell is typical of the river valleys
within this NCA and is surrounded by woodland and conifer
plantations, notably:
Reach A - Langleymoor Plantation, South Stanley Woods Nature Reserve and Stanley Wood;
Reach B – Twizell Wood, Fox and Parrot Wood, The Bottoms and Grange Plantation;
The woodland corridor is a five mile stretch intercepted by only a few roads.
The coal mining heritage has left a strong mark on the
landscape, influencing settlement patterns and infrastructure and
there are a high proportion of reclaimed sites along the Twizell
as is typical of the NCA. The coal mining heritage of the area will
be discussed further in chapter 6.
The underlying geology of the area is the coal measures,
comprising of thinly bedded mudstones, ironstones and coal
seams and boulder clay which covers much of the area
especially the valley slopes. The valleys also have deposits of
alluvial sands and gravels.
4. Biodiversity and landscape
60
4.1.2 Biodiversity The riparian habitat is generally of a fair quality. As discussed below there are important habitats and species across the study area and also the wider catchment. It is the aquatic habitat of the burn itself where biodiversity is lacking. The full issues with water quality and the burn’s classification under the Water Framework Directive (WFD) are discussed in chapter 2, however along some stretches the biological quality of fish is deemed poor and Macrophytes and Phytobenthos (aquatic plants) are deemed moderate and thus need attention to achieve the required ‘good’ status under WFD.
There are a number of important species and habitats within the study area and wider catchment as defined within the Durham Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP) and are detailed in section 4.5. The following are important as defined in the BAP and are present in the study area:
4.1.3 Habitats & Species
Native Hedgerows (varies catchment wide)
Woodland and Scrub (broadleaf woodland throughout both
catchments, much of the river corridors are wooded. Wet
woodland is present in Alma woods)
Ponds (a number of BAP ponds in the rural catchment of
the Cong Burn, more information is included within Chapter
8)
Reedbeds (Chapman’s Well - Reach A)
Rivers & Streams
Upland Dry Heath and Acid Grassland (Chapman’s Well -
Reach A)
Brownfield Sites
Built Structures
Lowland Meadows & Pasture
Transport Corridors
Species include: Brown Trout
Great Crested Newt
Otter
Dingy Skipper
Badger (Setts are interspersed throughout the catchment)
There are a number of other species on the Durham BAP that are also present in the study area and wider catchment, including a variety of birds, small mammals and invertebrates. Veteran trees are also present in the Cong Catchment. These species listed above are those that were flagged as important by Durham County Council/Durham Biodiversity and the relevant data supplied. Modifications to the channel, through artificial channelling, culverting and the creation of pinch points by road and bridge infrastructure, can all impact on the flow of water and subsequently fish passage. Historic culverts may cause either delay to or total exclusion of migrating fish. The common reasons for both of these problems include excessive water
Image 35: Chapman’s Well Local Nature Reserve
61
velocities, inadequate (shallow) depth or culvert diameter, sudden change of invert level between the culvert and the watercourse, rapid change in stream hydraulics at the upstream inlet, lack of resting places, and debris accumulations causing physical blockage. Culverting effectively removes the natural habitats both of the watercourse itself and of the bank-side habitats; this can lead to fragmentation of habitats, especially in urban environments where biodiversity corridors are especially important. Enclosed culverts also remove natural daylight from areas of the water course, thus preventing plant growth and being undesirable to fish. Culverts can also be prone to blockage which can lead to localised flooding. Modifications to the channel are discussed further in Chapter 3
There are 2 designated Local Nature Reserves (LNRs) in the Twizell Burn catchment, at Chapman’s Well and South Stanley Woods. There is also a Special Sites of Scientific Interest (SSSIs) at Greencroft and Langley Moor. Locations are marked on Map 4 - Landscape. Details about the SSSI are in section 4.5.
Of the 39 people surveyed as part of the community consultation exercise 63% said they would like to see improvements to conservation, 48% said they would utilise improvements to interpretation around habitats and biodiversity and 56% said they would be interested in learning about biodiversity and conservation. In addition 26% said they would utilise improvements for recreational fishing and 22% said they would like to learn more about fishing. Of the 14 who expressed a wish to become involved with any future project 62% would like to get involved with practical conservation activities.
4.2 Poor Water Quality There are a number of water quality issues in the Twizell Burn, these are described in more detail in chapter 2. Much of the water pollution in the beck originates from diffuse rather that point source pollution, which effects the overall water quality of the burn and thus the overall status of the biodiversity in the channel itself. Point source pollution to the beck can be seen from unsatisfactory Combined Sewer Outfalls (CSOs), which contribute to the nutrient load of the burn, and somewhat from domestic wrong-connections and landfill leachate (where these can be identified). Diffuse pollution can be seen from leachate from mine workings and agricultural runoff.
The addition of sewage to an aquatic system can cause eutrophication, especially in the summertime and this has been observed in the channel in the study area particularly where the channel is unshaded. Eutrophication occurs when excess nutrients (phosphates and nitrates) enter a water course and cause algal blooms. The effect of these algal blooms is twofold, firstly they both limit the sunlight available to bottom-dwelling organisms and plants thus preventing them from photosynthesising and producing oxygen and secondly as the algae dies and decomposes, dissolved oxygen is used up by the microorganisms involved in the decomposition process. Under eutrophic conditions, dissolved oxygen increases during the day via photosynthesis of the algae and plants (where light is not blocked), but is greatly reduced after dark by the respiring algae and microorganisms. The water body can become hypoxic (have a low oxygen level) and cause suffocation in fish and other
Image 36: Artificial channelling within Twizell
Wood, upstream of Newbridge Banks
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animals. Certain kinds of algal blooms can also release toxins, posing a threat to biodiversity and a health hazard to the public. Eutrophication was not observed during the walkover, however these took place in November 2014, and Eutrophication is a phenomena more prevalent in the summer months.
Domestic wrong-connections, can result in significant water
pollution problems. Detergents, including those that are
biodegradable can have toxic effects in all types of aquatic life if
they are present in sufficient quantities. All detergents destroy
the external mucus layers that protect fish from bacteria and
parasites and they can cause severe damage to the gills.
Furthermore, phosphates in detergents can lead to freshwater
algal blooms that can cause eutrophication and can potentially
be toxic. Vehicle washing from domestic premises is also a
contributing factor to detergents entering surface waters.
4.3 Contaminated Land There are likely to be areas of contaminated land in the study area due to the historical industrial legacy which could affect the burn (via leachate) and its adjacent habitats, heavy metals for example over time can bio-accumulate up the food chain and can be toxic, and cause chronic illness in long-lived predatory species. Contaminated land issues in the study area are likely to be due to the prevalence of previous heavy industry in the form of coal mining and steel works and its legacy.
4.4 Urbanisation Urbanisation of the catchment is not widespread, however Durham County Council propose to build more than 30,000 houses in the County before 2030, with 6 development sites currently planned within the catchment and a number of developments are also currently being constructed. The growth and development of communities and associated infrastructure can directly affect biodiversity both by the change in land use and the immediate effect on water quality. Urbanisation can both destroy an original habitat and lead to habitat fragmentation, preventing the movement of species from one area to another. Urbanisation of an area also increases both the volume and speed of storm runoff, as well as introducing pollutants into the flow. Hence, widespread urbanisation can and has resulted in river flooding problems as well as water quality and resultant biodiversity issues.
4.5 Reach A The majority of the area around the source of the burn is a restored former coal mine, spoil heap and open cast mining area. A Local Nature Reserve (LNR), Chapman’s Well, managed by Durham County Council, covers a large area of this section of the burn. Apart from a small notice board next to the area to the south of the Morrison Busty Depot there is very little information or maps in evidence on site. The reserve consists of various marshland, heathland and wetland habitats that have been created as part of the
Image 38: Chanel invasion and obstruction by
riparian habitat
Image 37: Plantation of deciduous trees near
Newbridge Banks
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restoration of the Morrison Busty colliery which operated from 1927 to 1973 and adjacent spoil heap that accepted material from other collieries and following open cast mining that covered most of this area between 1986 and 1992. Some of the wetland areas, including reed-beds for run-off filtration are in an un-favourable condition. Some tree planting has been established that forms Langley Moor Plantation but the remainder of the reclaimed area is left to grassland. The area to the south has many conspicuous vents, pipes and monitoring equipment. It is likely that there will be instances of both contaminated land and leachate in this area, from the old mine workings, the council depot at Morrison Busty and potentially from industrial activities at Morrison Road North Industrial Estate (Annfield Plain).
Langley Moor Plantation is managed by the Woodland Trust and
extends either side of the two minor watercourses that source
near Morrison Busty Depot – the Durham County Council owned
depot and recycling centre. The plantation consists of a high
percentage of conifers however there are some mature
deciduous trees including some fine mature beech that extend
along the valley slopes of the southern watercourse. The
plantation and woodland appear well managed and under storey
vegetation is varied.
Within Chapman’s Well is the Greencroft and Langley Moor
SSSI, totalling 27.7ha. The SSSI comprises many areas of
heathland and mire habitats with associated birch woodland.
This is deemed to be rare as many areas of similar habitat
across lowland County Durham have been lost to various
developments17. Species of prevalence and importance within
the SSSI include:
Heather - Calluan vulgaris
Mat-grass - Nardus stritica
Heath Rush - Juncus Squarrosus
Common Sedge - Carex nigra
Purple Moor-grass - Molina caerula
Hare’s-tail cottongrass—Eriophorum vaginatum
Soft-rush - Juncus effuses
Common Cottongrass - Eriophorum angustifolium
Carnation Sedge - Carex panacea
Marsh Violet - Viola palustris
Sneezewort - Achillea ptarmica
Devil’s-bit scabacious - Succia pratentsis
Greater Bird’s-foot Trefoil - Lotus uliginosus
Downy Birch - Betula pubescens
Sessile Oak - Quercus petraea
Tufted Hair-grass - Deschampsia cespitosa
Image 39 Step weirs provide barrier to fish
migration
64
Bog Moss - Sphagnum recurvum
Bilberry - Vaccinium myrtillus
Greater Crested Newts
Black Darter Drangonfly - Sympetrum danae
In addition the species listed, Natural England18 recognise that
lowland dwarf shrub heath and broadleaved, mixed and yew
woodland are present with the SSSI. English Nature also identify
a mosaic of wet and dry heath areas, broadleaf woodland and
ponds which support a diverse range of flora and fauna, however
also note that invasive species such as Rhoddodendrum,
Himalayan balsam, Australian swap stonecrop and parrot’s
feather require controlling to ensure they do not take over
available habitat and smother native species.19.
Near to Morrison Busty Depot to the north west of the study area
there are patches of open ground with very little vegetation these
are brownfield areas valuable for rarer butterflies such as dingy
skipper, common blue and small heath. The area immediately
west of Morrison Busty depot has recently undergone some
disturbance (unknown) and has been left in an unfinished state.
The section of Twizell Burn between Chapman’s Well and
Memorial Park is narrow and contained by agricultural fields to
the north and the settlement of Quaking Houses to the south.
Stanley Burn starts at the confluence of two tributary streams a
short distance north of the settlement of Quaking Houses.
However the burn is immediately culverted for a 50 metre
section before re-appearing at the start of South Moor Woods.
The burn through this section has steeper tree covered slopes.
The woodland is mainly mature beech with some shrub
understorey including an isolated denser stand of Laurel.
Stanley Burn is culverted from South Moor Road to Tyne Road
East a distance of around 700 metres. Stanley Burn re-appears
from the culvert to the east of Tyne Road East, and from here
the burn has created an incised valley that is covered in mixed
woodland that forms Middles Wood, Stanley Wood, Dene Wood
and then Twizell Wood. Stanley Burn becomes Twizell Burn to
the north of Craghead. Middles wood consists of mixture of
mature deciduous trees with a healthy layer of under storey
shrubs. To the south bank of the burn there is a new housing
development at Hollyhill, with much of the site still under
construction, there appear to be a number of access ways that
will link the estate with houses to the north side of the burn via
Middles Wood.
Middles Wood is separated from Stanley Wood by Durham Road
the B6532. Part of Stanley Wood is a designated as a Local
Nature Reserve; South Stanley Woods Nature Reserve.
Hussledown Sewage Treatment Works are situated adjacent to
Stanley Woods approximately 150 metres from the burn. There
is a phased housing project taking place in this area.
Image 40: Riparian habitat within Chester-Le-Street
65
A tributary joins the main channel from its culvert under the B6313, this flows from South Moor Golf Course through Kate’s Gill. At Kate’s Gill there is a population of brown trout that appears separated from the main Twizell and Cong Burns that are prevented from moving either upstream or down stream due to the impassable culvert. These fish, observed by Chester-le-Street Angling Club, may show visible signs of being a distinct population (they are predominantly dark in colour, as opposed to the usual mottled colour with dark spots). The water appears clean and detergent free upstream of the culvert at Kate’s Gill and locals use the area to fish for brown trout, however at the exit of the culvert it was observed during the walkovers that the water appears contaminated with detergent, likely from domestic wrong-connections. Groundwork NE & Cumbria carried out litter picking and silt removal work in the area as detailed in Chapter 2. Stanley Wood has a similar vegetation character to Middles Wood with a mixture of deciduous trees and understorey shrubs. The topography however is different with the steep sides of Middles Wood easing to more gradual slopes. There are isolated areas of wetland habitat fed by runoff from the agricultural fields to the north. There are a number of designated/important sites along this reach, these are: Chapman’s Well Local Nature Reserve - an area of
heathland and wetlands (reedbeds) which support a
number of species including the rare, BAP listed Dingy
Skipper Butterfly.
South Stanley Woods Local Nature Reserve – native
woodland along the riparian corridor
Greencroft and Langley Moor SSSI designated as being in
“Unfavourable Recovering” condition.
Local wildlife site at Ousterley
4.6 Reach B Further downstream toward Stone Row (Grange Villa) is the
former site of Twizell Burn Drift Mine (1843 – 1948).
Surrounding this site the valley sides are covered in coniferous
trees and form Twizell Plantation located to the north east of Fox
and Parrot Woodland (managed by Woodland Trust). A number
of stone abutments either side of the burn suggest that at some
point there were a number of crossing points possibly related to
mining operations. Evidence of the reclamation of the drift mine
exists adjacent to the burn at the eastern end of this reach where
the watercourse has a concrete base and sides. Close to Stone
Row the burn flows over a highly engineered section of
watercourse consisting of a cascading weir contained deep
within concrete retaining walls and there is an unsightly cage to
prevent objects being thrown or falling into the water before the
burn enters the culvert under Stone Row.
Either side of the burn the land rises steeply and is covered in
conifer plantation. A cage structure covers the culvert outfall
Image 41: River corridor at confluence with the
River Wear
66
similar to that on the other side of the road. The cascading weir
extends for 150 metres downstream from the road. Combined
with the dark coniferous plantation that covers the steep slopes
either side of the burn. The Cascading Weir at Newbridge Banks
completely prevents the movement of fish upstream with limited
downstream movement/washout of juvenile fish during periods of
high flow.
Beyond the engineered section of watercourse and conifer
plantation the Twizell Burn follows a pleasant meandering
course through Grange Plantation and The Bottoms. Either side
of the burn there is a mixed selection of trees and shrubs with a
few grassy clearings. The floodplain is wider in this section for
about one kilometre but the land either side of the burn rises
steeply again to the south. This area also has high quality
substrate suitable for fish spawning and therefore is of high
conservation value. There are two barriers to fish migration
between Cong/Twizell confluence and Newbridge Banks weir
which act as barriers to fish migration – these are a footbridge
and collapsed concrete structure opposite by Burnthouse Road
and Allotment gardens and provide and opportunity to improve
fish passage.
Detergents likely from domestic wrong-connections were evident
in this stretch of the burn during the walkovers.
The valley sides then become steep with dense vegetation. To
the south of the burn was the site of Pelton Colliery (1835 to
1965). Spoil heaps above the steeper valley slopes are
accessible as part informal/part formal park managed by Durham
County Council. Grange Plantation and along access tracks in
most of the woodland are showing signs of erosion which could
be mitigated by access improvements and appropriate planting
regimes.
There is an area of wet woodland at Alma Woods which needs
to be appropriately protected and maintained.
Public access to the areas adjacent the Twizell Burn is limited at
the southern end of this area due to riparian land being in private
ownership At the eastern end of this reach the B6313 is bridged
over Twizell Burn and immediately after this bridge the burn joins
Cong Burn to become Chester Burn. Recent work has been
funded by the Environment Agency to implement a Reed bed
mine water treatment scheme that Chester-le-Street & District
Angling Club (CDAC) constructed in the nature reserve. Further
work funded by WFD Grant in Aid (GiA) has been undertaken by
CDAC to improve fish passage in this section. All of the works
took place on DCC owned land and the Reed bed won a recent
award. This may be replicated in other parts of the catchment
and may provide an opportunity for the Twizell Greening
Partnership to build on in partnership with angling clubs.
There are a number of important sites for biodiversity in this
reach, these are:
Image 42: Riparian habitat within Reach C
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Twizell woods local wildlife site – woodland along the
riparian corridor
Otters are present east of Hett Hills and at the confluence
at Pelton Fell
Wet woodland is present at Alma Woods
4.7 Reach C Chester Burn follows a meandering course from Pelton Fell to the Chester Burn Viaduct that carries the East Coast railway line. The burn is bridged three times by the B6313 which itself winds into Chester-Le-Street. Just before the viaduct the watercourse is culverted for 500 metres emerging 300 metres from the confluence with the River Wear. This is a large culvert and is likely to delay or prevent movement of fish to and from the Wear and cause fragmentation of the habitat. The Chester Burn is canalised for the final section before the culvert and it is not visible from the footpath and road level as it is hidden by the stone walls that form the boundary of the road along this section. The Grade II listed viaduct is essentially the end of the Chester Valley and the entrance to the town. The valley deepens and the slopes on both sides are wooded giving way to meadow on the north side. The open green slopes on the north side are fringed with pigeon crees and this is tempered by the mixed woodland to the south. The valley area from 500 metres west of the viaduct is included in the Chester-Le-Street Conservation Area and forms an important entrance into Chester-Le-Street. The Chester Burn re-appears from the culvert close to residential housing and public open spaces that mainly consist of cut grass. Downstream of the culvert entrance the burn is contained within a concrete channel until the A167 bridge. Flood alleviation walls and banks are prominent in this area. A discreet footpath link at the side of the burn links under the A167 bridge to the Riverside Park Area. From the bridge Chester Burn flows in a deeper channel in to Riverside Park with the sewage works located immediately to the north. Recent siltation issues impacting fisheries habitat in upper reaches of Cong Burn associated with unregulated motocross activity was brought up in community consultation meetings and is a known issue by the Environment Agency. There is an opportunity to engage with and educate this sector and would be one more task that the GTP could work on in collaboration with the EA. Three species of invasive plant, Giant Hogweed, Himalayan Balsam and Japanese Knotweed have been found in various areas along this reach of the burn and along the Wear in the immediate vicinity. Hogweed needs extensive management as seeds can germinate several years after the parent plant is killed. Giant Hogweed is also hazardous to health as it can cause blistering and sensitivity to sunlight. Otters are present at the confluence of the Twizell and Cong Burns at Pelton Fell and Chester-le-Street.
Image 43: Woodland and access in Reach A
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4.8 Opportunities Providing that the condition of the land and restoration conditions allow, greater public access to the various sites could be achieved. In order to establish the current conditions, survey work may be required and this may involve geotechnical and ecological study, especially surrounding restoration and re-naturalisation of the channel. As well as creating new biodiversity opportunities throughout the area, enhancing and or increased management regimes of the existing Local Nature Reserves should be considered. In addition opportunities exist to support the eradication of invasive species such as Japanese Hogweed and Giant Hogweed to support biodiversity. There is great potential to open up 2.5km of spawning habitat to migratory salmon from Cong / Twizell confluence upstream to Newbridge Weir and similar opportunities exist in other areas of the catchment. As discussed is some detail in Chapter 2 there are extensive areas of allotments through the catchment – associated issues with fly tipping, invasive species and poor management which represents significant potential to improve management through working with trusts and owners and improve education. Landscape and biodiversity opportunities could be completed as a series of coordinated single individual projects or as part of a large programme of improvements of which both approaches would be overseen by the Greening Twizell Partnership All opportunities are discussed further in Chapter 9. Biodiversity and relevant legislation should be considered throughout when addressing the opportunities. Developments should avoid getting too close to important or sensitive habitat and species. New developments should also look to incorporate measures to enhance the area’s biodiversity through landscaping and SuDS.
4.8.1 Reach A Replacement of the defunct reed beds and on-going maintenance of the Chapman’s Well LNR would assist with water filtration and increase habitat for other wetland species. Opportunities also exist to improve the SSSI at Greencroft and Langley Moor, notably around the removal and management of non-native species. Daylighting the 50 metre section of culverted section at Quaking Houses would relieve incidence of flooding upstream and re-naturalise the channel so aquatic plants can re-colonise and fish can move more freely. Additional biodiversity opportunities should be considered to the adjacent woodland area, such as selective felling and a maintenance regime of the plantation to allow for a richer understorey of vegetation to develop which in turn would encourage other wildlife. Day lighting some or all of the culverted section at South Moor Road and the playing fields would be complex due to the land use
Image 44: Woodland and access in Reach A
69
and ownership of the land above the course of the burn. However it would assist flood alleviation and provide the opportunity for a large whole-scale project including wetlands, planting and new access opportunities. Daylighting part of the culvert at Kate’s Gill (upstream of the road) maybe possible, although it is likely that much of the culvert will need to remain, in which case modifications to the culvert to allow fish to pass freely into and out of the tributary could be implemented. Anti-fly tipping campaigns would be useful in all of the woodland locations along this reach. This would not only improve the overall aesthetic but also remove any danger such wastes pose to wildlife, particularly birds and mammals.
4.8.2 Reach B Selective felling of conifers adjacent to the watercourse at Grange Plantation to add light on to the corridor should be considered. This would improve the biodiversity adjacent the burn by allowing a more diverse understorey of vegetation to develop, but also make the footpath network more appealing.
The concrete base, sides and Cascading Weir at Newbridge Banks
of the watercourse should be removed where possible to re-create
a watercourse that appears more natural. A fish pass should be
included in any plans for development to the cascading weir,
including any potential Hydro-electric scheme. Chapters 3 and 7
address this in more detail.
Opportunities for some wetland areas may exist in the Bottoms and
these should be explored further as these may assist in alleviating
incidence of flooding downstream. The effects of selective planting
of native reedbeds and other aquatic plants in these areas would
be threefold; providing storage space for flood water in high flow;
providing filtration of harmful pollutants; and providing ecosystem
enhancements and encouraging biodiversity including wading birds
and invertebrates.
4.8.3 Reach C Opening up views to the Chester Burn from the B6313 by selected felling of trees close to the watercourse would allow more light and be beneficial to the ecosystem by allowing a more diverse understorey to develop. It would also raise the visibility and thus profile of the burn. The creation of wetland areas in the reach upstream of the viaduct would be difficult due to land ownership however it may be possible to create some small areas that would be beneficial to alleviate incidences of flooding downstream. The open spaces on both sides of the Chester Burn after the culverted section could be utilised as wetland storage areas that would be helpful to store flood water, filter pollutants and increase biodiversity. Further biodiversity could be added with the addition of appropriate tree and shrub planting in these areas.
Image 45: Footpaths and biodiversity within Reach A
70
BIODIVERSITY & LANDSCAPE SUMMARY
The catchment is primarily rural
The Twizell Burn and Cong Burn flow through National Character Areas 14 (Tyne
and Wear Lowlands) and 16 (Durham Coalfield Pennine Fringe)
The land use varies from upland grazing to mixed arable farming
Within the catchment there are 12 BAP priority habitats and a number of priority
species within the study area, including Brown Trout, Great Crested Newt, Otter,
Dingy Skipper and Badger.
Within the study area there are 2 designated LNRs at Chapman’s Well and South
Stanley Woods
There is a Site of Specific Scientific Interest at Greencroft and Langley Moor
There is an isolated population of Brown Trout at Kate’s Gill that show visible signs of
becoming a distinct population (being predominantly dark in colour opposed to the
usual mottled colour with darker spots).
There are a number of issues regarding land use and biodiversity, chiefly water
quality and management of the riparian habitat.
Opportunities exist to improve management of the extensive allotment network in the
catchment and to run education campaigns
The catchment would benefit from a programme to eradicate invasive species (Giant
Hogweed, Japanese Knotweed and Himalayan Balsam) and to raise community
awareness so that new sightings are promptly reported.
There are a large number of opportunities that would enhance biodiversity, wildlife
linkages and landscape quality in the study area, such as felling of non-native species
to encourage a more diverse understorey of vegetation. Many of these opportunities
tie in with those identified in other chapters and are all addressed in more detail in
Chapter 9.
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Image 46: Twizell Burn Reflections
72
Scale: 1:26,000
±
73
74
Scale: 1:26,000
±
75
76
Image 47: Alma Woods access near Grange Villa
77
5.1 Characteristics and Issues The study area is within a rural catchment and public open space is plentiful, however many of these areas suffer from issues such as lack of maintenance and antisocial behaviour. While the study area is predominantly rural and both Stanley and Chester-le-Street are comparatively small conurbations with several areas of amenity green space, the quality of a number of these areas is poor, with many being run down, under-used and there is also scope to improve linkages between different areas. Amenity green space should be visually diverse and welcoming, offering a wide range of services such as sports and play facilities, as well as opportunities to experience wildlife and to interact with the surrounding natural environment. Many of the woodlands have previously been improved by a range of projects, interpretation boards, sculpture, bridges and other access features, particularly in Stanley (Reach A) and below the Middles/Craghead (Reaches A and B), where community groups and Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) such as the Friends of Stanley Wood, Groundwork and Community Forest have been active for a number of years. However many of these improvements are ageing and could do with replacing mainly due to vandalism, for example the signage and interpretation has been vandalised from South Moor Memorial Park in Stanley, all the way downstream. (insert photos). There is a conspicuous lack of any picnic area facilities along the burn, likely due to the prevalence of antisocial behaviour. The majority of the sites within the catchment, such as South
Moor Memorial Park (Reach A) and Riverside Park (Reach C)
are well maintained and provide excellent amenity green space.
However, a number of the sites, such as large areas of the
woodland and the heath/reed beds at Chapman’s well suffer
from a lack of maintenance. The woodlands from Stanley
downstream suffer varying degrees of antisocial behaviour and
vandalism. These issues are discussed further in the below
sections.
Largely due to the legacy of the mining industry and the nature
of the settlements that grew up around it, there are a large
proportion of allotment sites across the area. There are 21
allotment sites in the Twizell catchment alone, providing a
significant amount of recreational space for the local people. The
allotment sites, which are managed by Durham County Council,
are generally well used.
There are a number of public transport links between Stanley and Chester-le-Street, the surrounding villages and larger
5. Access and recreation
Image 47: Alma Woods access near Grange Villa
78
conurbations of Newcastle, Gateshead, Durham and Sunderland.
Rights of way and cycle networks around Twizell Burn provide connectivity to local open spaces and the wider countryside. Part of the Coast to Coast Cycle Way (National Route 7) skirts Reaches B and C. Local Transport Plans and Rights of Way Improvement Plans detail the priorities for improvements to the networks particularly relating to gaps in the network, together with issues of quality and awareness raising. The demands and needs of particular users e.g. people with disabilities, cyclists and horse riders need to be better understood and incorporated into future strategy development including local transport plans, rights of way improvement plans, parks and open spaces/leisure strategies, and future revisions of this GI strategy.
Access to the burn itself is plentiful, there are a number of footpaths along the length of the main channel, many of which are formalised and interlinked. However the condition of these footpaths varies and in many locations informal footpaths are in place. Because of the steep sided nature of the river bank many access ways include steps, thus making disabled access to most locations problematic. Many of the paths are also bare ground or have not been maintained resulting in water-logging and further deterioration of the access. Anti-social behaviour is one of the key issues facing access and recreation within the amenity green space along the burn. Under the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 the Community Safety Partnership (the Safe Durham Partnership) must have a strategy for reducing crime and disorder, substance misuse, behaviour adversely affecting the environment, anti-social behaviour (ASB) and reducing reoffending. The priorities of the Safe Durham Partnership include tackling anti-social behaviour and alcohol and substance misuse harm and reduction both of which are issues reported by the community and demonstrated by the prevalence of vandalism and littering along the burn corridor. Access and recreation improvements were one of the largest
areas of interest established at the community consultation
exercise. Of the 39 people surveyed as part of the process, 89%
reported they would like to see improvements to access and
recreation, 94% said they would utilise improved access to the
burn and surrounding areas and 61% said they would like to
learn more about access and recreation. Of the 14 people who
stated they would like to volunteer, 54% would like to get
involved with practical access improvements and 23% would like
to become a volunteer warden.
All amenity green space is detailed on map 5 and the following
sections detail the access and recreation characteristics of each
reach
5.1.1 Reach A
At the source of the burn is Chapman’s Well Local Nature
Reserve and Morrow Edge Heath, from a small notice board next
to the area to the south of the Morrison Busty Depot there is very
little information or maps in evidence on site. The whole area is
Image 48: Good access in Stanley Wood
79
criss-crossed with well used public and permissive footpaths and
intrusive power lines. The area is a restored former coal mine,
spoil heap and open cast mine and there are a number of
conspicuous vents, pipes monitoring stations across the site.
South Moor Wood has had some investment over recent years
with new footbridges with artist designed adornments and there
are other sculptural elements within the wood. The wood
appears well managed and there was very little evidence of litter
or fly tipping. Interpretation boards in this area were intact and
had not been vandalised, however they displayed signs of wear
and tear. Well used footpaths are evident through the woodland
from Quaking Houses and in a west-east direction following the
course of the burn into South Moor Memorial Park which is a
public park located at the eastern end of this reach. The park
consists of a war memorial and numerous play facilities. The
park is well managed and provides quality amenity green space
for the local community. The burn is culverted from South Moor
Memorial Park, land use above the culvert consists of South
Moor Juniors AFC football pitches, other municipal football
pitches and finally agricultural fields. The municipal pitches have
rusted goals and there are feint lines but the ground appears to
be subject to water logging and there is little evidence that they
are used much.
The burn exits the culvert at Middles Wood where the course of
the burn is very close to houses in South Stanley. A public
footpath extends along the rear boundaries of these properties
through Middles Wood along higher ground above the burn.
Signage and interpretation is worn and has experienced
vandalism in Middles Wood. A number of small fly tipping sites
and littering was observed in this area at the time of the
walkover. A small tributary joins the main channel of the burn
from a culvert under the B6313, this flows from South Moor Golf
Course to the south west, through Kate’s Rigg. Fish passage
from Kate’s Rigg is limited due to the culvert however fish are
present upstream and this area is used by residents for fishing.
From the B6313 (Durham Road) there is access to South
Stanley Nature Reserve and vehicular access to the
Hussledown Sewage Works. A number of informal footpaths
criss-cross through Stanley Wood and South Stanley Nature
Reserve but there are two public footpaths one that follows the
track starting at the B6313 before crossing Stanley Burn south of
the sewage works and continues in a southerly direction to the
east side of The Middles. Interpretation boards in this area also
displayed signs of vandalism and there was evidence of litter,
drug use and waste dumping all along this stretch of the burn.
Another footpath skirts the edge of South Stanley and continues
south across Stanley Burn to The Middles. From the narrow
footbridge that takes the public footpath across the burn and
leads walkers to The Middles the valley sides become steep
again. Approximately 500 metres from the footbridge is another
Image 49: Footbridge through Stanley Burn Wood
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low narrow bridge that allows another public footpath to cross the
burn. This path starts at Craghead Lane and continues
northwards eventually reaching West Pelton.
Key amenity green space sites in this reach are:
Chapman's Well LNR
South Moor Wood
South Moor Memorial Park
Middles Wood
South Stanley Nature Reserve/Stanley Wood
South Moor Golf Course & Kate’s Gill
There are 9 allotment sites in the Stanley area, these are:
Stanley Bloemfontein
Quaking houses
Quaking houses Forth street
Quaking houses second street
North Gardens
South Moor Allotments
South Moor Oliver Street
South Court
Kate’s Rigg
5.1.2 Reach B
A number of conspicuous informal footpaths are present in
Twizell Wood on the north side of the burn to the north of
Craghead, however none of these are formalised. Fox and
Parrot Wood which is located to the south of the burn corridor, is
a Woodland Trust managed site, and is criss-crossed with
footpaths that can be accessed from the B6313 at Craghead.
However there is no link to the Twizell Woods from the west
side, where the valley is steep. There is access to the woods
and burn from the east side of Fox and Parrot Wood which joins
a pathway on the north side of the burn that continues to
Newbridge Banks where the road crosses the burn over the
cascading weir. The same (albeit informal) pathway can be
followed back east-west on the north side of the burn to join the
paths that lead to Craghead Lane and The Middles. At
Newbridge Banks and the cascading weir, Grange Plantation
can be accessed by crossing the road. A few footpaths cross this
area; one in a north-south direction; the Tyne Wear Trail; one
adjacent B6313 Bluehouse Bank to the south of Twizell
Plantation and one that follows Twizell Burn. An informal
footpath follows near to the burn threading between stands of
trees.
A bridleway crosses the burn and links Grange Terrace with
Newfield along a steep switch back section of path. Between
this footpath and another public footpath that crosses the burn
further downstream and links Whitehill to Pelton Fell the valley
sides become steep with dense vegetation.
To the south of the burn was the site of Pelton Colliery (1835 to
Image 50: Footpath and steps in Stanley Burn
Wood
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1965) and spoil heaps and these areas above the steeper valley
slopes are accessible as part informal/part formal park managed
by Durham County Council.
Public access to the areas adjacent the Twizell Burn is limited at
the southern end of this area due to riparian land being in private
ownership. The narrow strip of land on the north bank between
Twizell Burn and Burnt House Bank and Fell Road
accommodates allotments, haulage premises, car dealers and
other industrial units and there is evidence of pollution and fly
tipping along the steep bankside at the rear of these premises.
Part of the Coast to Coast Cycle way (National Route 7) runs through the eastern side of the catchment, north of Pelton, Stella Gill and Chester-le-Street, which also links to some un-titled local routes which link the many small settlements in the area.
Key amenity green space sites in this reach are:
Twizell Wood
Fox and Parrot Wood
Grange Plantation
Pelton Colliery Wood/Park
Coast to Coast Cycle Way
There are 8 allotment sites in the rural mid-section, these are:
Craghead Providence Terrace
Craghead Poultry
Craghead Allotments
Craghead, The Middles Low Ousterley
Craghead Fawcett Hill and Ousterley Terrace
Craghead Fawcett Hill and Edwards Street
Craghead Lambton Terrace
Pelton Fell Village
5.1.3 Reach C The Chester Burn follows a meandering course from Pelton Fell to the Chester Burn Viaduct that carries the East Coast railway line. The burn is canalised before the culvert and is not visible from the footpath. It is bridged three times by the B6313 which itself winds into Chester-Le-Street and has a tarmaced pavement for pedestrians. Just before the viaduct the watercourse is culverted for 500 metres emerging 300 metres from the confluence with the River Wear. Downstream of the culvert exit, the burn is contained within a concrete channel until the A167 bridge. Flood alleviation walls and banks are prominent in this area. A discreet footpath link at the side of the burn links under the A167 bridge to the Riverside Park Area. From the bridge, Chester Burn flows in a deeper channel into Riverside Park with the sewage works located immediately to the north. Riverside Park is a pleasant public open space consisting mainly of amenity grassland and with a footpath network that continues both north and south along the River Wear.
Image 51: Existing informal path network through
Stanley Woods
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Key amenity green space sites in this area are: Riverside Park There are 4 allotment sites in the Chester-le-Street, these are: Stella Gill Chester-le-Street Appledore Garden Chester-le Street Spa Cottage Allotments Chester-le-Street Newcastle Bank
5.2 Opportunities
Sustainable travel should be considered along with any access and recreation developments. There are a number of national, regional and local transport policies, supporting the use of sustainable travel plans that should be read in conjunction with this report in order to reduce car travel and encourage sustainable forms of travel. These include:
The Future of Transport White Paper; Planning and Policy Guidance 1: Sustainable
Development; Planning and Policy Guidance 13: Transport; Regional Spatial Strategy for the North East; Local Transport Plan 3 (LTP3) County Durham Green Infrastructure Strategy. 2012.
The County Durham LTP3 sets out both a transport strategy and delivery plan for a 10 year period, including 6 main goals as follows:
A stronger economy through regeneration Reduced carbon output Safer and healthier travel Better accessibility to services to improve quality of life A healthy natural environment and to; maintain the transport asset. Setting the policy context and giving consideration to other relevant policy documents gives the access opportunities identified below the best chance of delivery by lending weight to funding bids and identifying potential opportunities for partnership working. The following policies and plans should also be considered regarding access improvements: Planning Policy Guidance Note 17 (PPG17): Planning for
Open space, Sport and Recreation Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) 2005 Paths for People – Rights of Way Improvement Plan for
County Durham (ROWIP2)
Much of the land immediately adjacent to the burn is owned by Durham County Council. The Paths for People (ROWIP2) is a vital mechanism for delivering on LTP3 objectives and the plan’s shared aims. In particular, walking and cycling are identified as a common intervention benefiting all 6 LTP3 goals. ROWIP2 achieve these objectives through providing or improving walking and cycling routes/facilities and prioritising management of Public Rights of Way (PROW) in/around major settlements and
Image 5: Alma Woods
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key routes8 .
The County Durham Local Access Forum who are a statutory body, made up of experts that advise the council on land access issues, should also be consulted with regards to access improvements.
There are several opportunities to provide access and recreation improvements in and around the burn. Existing rights of way and cycle routes have the potential to link to local open spaces and the wider catchments of both the Twizell and Cong Burn. The main opportunity is the improvement of footpaths, interpretation and the possible introduction of picnic areas, along the woodland network. There are a number of informal paths, which could be formalised and linked to the existing footpath network. Local Transport Plans and Rights of Way Improvement Plans detail the priorities for improvements to the networks. The demands for needs of particular users, e.g. people with disabilities, cyclists and horse riders need to be incorporated into future strategy development.
As discussed in previous chapters, there is the potential to develop a large scale partnership programme (the Greening Twizell Partnership) of projects using the varying range of expertise of the partnership group to bring together and deliver on a wide range of GI projects. A heritage trail and woodland ranger post could be developed as part of this. As it is possible to walk almost the entire length of the burn at present, (with the exception of a few culverted stretches and a small amount of private land) the existing footpaths, and informal footpaths could all be linked together via a heritage trail which could form a large part of the Greening Twizell Partnership.
Access and recreation opportunities could be completed as individual projects or as part of the Greening Twizell Partnership All opportunities are discussed further in Chapter 9.
5.2.1 Reach A Access to Chapman’s Well and along the Burn Corridor to Quaking houses could be improved, informal paths criss-cross this area and these could be formalised and directional signage could be installed, especially at the circular footpath at Langley Moor Plantation. Deculverting of the 50m stretch at Quaking Houses could further enhance both the biodiversity (aquatic and riparian) and amenity value of the area, interpretation of the ecological and historical features of the area could also be included here. More information and interpretation could be installed at Chapman’s Well in order to educate visitors about the biodiversity of the area, including the presence of the Dingy Skipper, a rare butterfly. Interpretation could also address the rich industrial history of the site. Interpretation throughout South Moor Wood, Middles Wood, Stanley Wood and South Stanley Nature Reserve could be updated and vandal-proofed.
Image 53: River channel and footpath through Alma
Woods
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Fly tipping in these areas could be addressed by linking to
existing local authority fly tipping initiative or as part of a wider
ranger post.
5.2.2 Reach B Interpretation of the Twizell Burn Drift Mine and directional
signage could be improved along with additional footpaths to
create circular walks through the woodland alongside the burn
and connecting to Fox and Parrot Wood and the Tyne and Wear
Trail. There are accessible areas of the woodland sufficiently far
away from residential properties that picnic tables could be
considered.
A new footpath link approximately 500 metres long, formalising
existing informal routes, could be created on the north bank of
the burn and this would help link communities along the valley
and provide a circular walk from The Middles to Craghead.
Interpretation information could also be incorporated here.
5.2.3 Reach C Re-naturalising some of the channel may be possible in this
area, depending on the constraints of the flood alleviation
scheme (discussed further in chapters 3 and 4).
The main opportunities in this reach are Chester-le-Street and its
links to the Greening Twizell Partnership, more specifically a
heritage walk, which could include much of the Chester-le-Street
Conservation Area, with special attention paid to, and
interpretation placed on the buildings and sites of specific
historical interest, such as the Roman fort, railway viaduct and
churches (see Chapter 6 for more information).
Image 54: Benches in Reach B
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ACCESS AND RECREATION SUMMARY
There are a number of national, regional and local policies driving development of
access and recreation.
There are a variety of amenity green space sites in the catchment from well managed
parks to woodland trails, fishing areas and allotments.
There are 12 existing key sites of amenity green space in the study area.
There are 21 allotment sites in the catchment, most of these are in Reaches A and B.
Many of the woodland areas mainly in Reach A and some in reach B have been
previously developed and have interpretation information in place, much of which is in
a state of disrepair.
Antisocial behaviour is a key issue in the catchment but this is a priority for reduction
under the Safe Durham Partnership.
Access and recreation was one of the area’s most of interest to the local communities
with 94% of those surveys stating that they would utilise improved access to the burn
and surrounding areas.
There are many opportunities to improve access and recreation in the area, in
particular via the proposed Greening Twizell Partnership , subject to funding and on-
going maintenance costs
There are opportunities to deliver improvements through S106 associated with
current and proposed housing generation work (Middles & New Kyo). Durham County
Council are a significant partner of the proposed Greening Twizell Partnership and
this represents a clear opportunity for funding.
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Scale: 1:26,000
±
87
88
Image 55: Historical infrastructure in the Twizell habitat in Reach A
89
6.1 Characteristics Both the Durham Coalfield Pennine fringe and the Tyne and
Wear Lowlands have been continually inhabited for millennia,
with tree-felling and expansion of agriculture since the bronze
and iron ages4,5. Because of the strategic location of the area,
there was a great deal of Roman activity in the area, including
the construction of forts, one of which remains at Chester-le-
Street.
The Anglo-Saxon period under the kingdom of Northumbria saw
the development of small villages with the distribution of different
farming types roughly similar to how it remains today – grazing
of sheep in the uplands and mixed and arable agriculture in the
lowlands to the east. Chester-le-Street was of large Christian
importance, founded by the Lindisfarne Monks. The Prince
Bishops of Durham held substantial estates which included deer
parks and coal mining. Coal mining was the main industry in the
area until the 1980s and has had a significant impact both pre
and post closure of the mines.
Of the 39 people surveyed as part of the community consultation
exercise, 49% reported they would like to see improvements to
culture and heritage, 52% said they would utilise improvements
to interpretation information around history and culture sites and
67% said they would like to learn more about history and culture.
6.1.1 Coal Mining
Coal mining in the area can be tracked back to as early as the
12th century4,5 and the legacy of coal mining has had a significant
impact of the area, especially in the study area.
Coal mining expanded in the 16th century and coal was exported
to the South and into Europe. Waggonways and later railways
were developed to transport the coal. Many towns and villages,
with their characteristic brick and slate terraces, including
Stanley, grew up around the coal and subsequent Steel works.
Large numbers of country houses were also built within their own
designated parkland in the 18th and 19th century4,5 demonstrating
the industrial prosperity in the area.
The coal and steel industries declined in the area from the 1930s
and both industries in the area were essentially defunct by the
1980s and much of the supporting infrastructure was lost ,
including closure of many of the local railway lines.
Despite the absence of the coal industry in the are at present,
mining is still very much a part of the local culture and identity,
6. History and cultural heritage
Image 55: Historical infrastructure in the Twizell habitat in Reach A
90
many of the settlements still have a marching band who
participate in the Annual Durham Miners Gala. Allotments are
also a frequent sight in the area, many of which were owned
previously by the National Coal Board.
Much work has been done in the area to reclaim and reuse old
mining sites for agriculture or amenity, this is evident in the study
area, including several areas around Stanley, Craghead and
Grange Villa.
Historical and heritage sites of interest, including mining sites,
throughout the catchment are detailed on map 6. The following
are the main historical colliery sites:
Morrison Busty Colliery West Stanley Colliery Stanley, Craghead or Holmside Colliery Stanley Hedley Colliery East Stanley Colliery Pelton Colliery
6.1.2 Roman Heritage
Because of the strategic location of the area this gave rise to the
construction of several Roman Forts, one of these still remains
at Chester-le-Street. Concangium Roman Fort largely lies
beneath what is now Park View Comprehensive School and the
Church of St Mary and St Cuthbert in the centre of the town (see
map 6). Watling Street in the town is also a Roman Road.
6.1.3 Chester Le Street Conservation Area
Much of the centre of Chester-le-Street, including a substantial
section along the study area is now a designated conservation
area, the area was designated in 2013 because:
The significant Roman Archaeology associated with the early roman occupation of the area and development of the fort with associated settlement
The Christian importance of the settlement, with the town including a cathedral and important relics in the Anglo-Saxon period, and being the site of the first translation of the Latin Gospels into Old English.
The prominence of significant listed structures, the Church of St Mary and St Cuthbert (Grade I Listed) and the viaduct over the Chester Burn (Grade II Listed).
Important open spaces that run into the town centre from
both the west and east14.
6.1.4 Listed Buildings
Aside from the Church of St Mary and St Cuthbert and the
Viaduct as mentioned in the above section, there are some 18
further Grade II listed sites (see map 6) within the Twizell and
Cong Burn catchments, these are:
United Reformed Church, Chester-le-Street (Low Chare) Queens Head Hotel Chester-le-Street (Front St) Brewery House at the market place Chester-le-Street
Image 56: Artificial channelling at the site of a
closed brick works west of Newbridge Banks
91
Pelton House, east of Station Lane, Pelton Church of the Holy Trinity, Pelton, north side of front st Newfield Farmstead at Newfield Farm, Newfield Pair of Farm Labourers Cottages At Newfield Farm,
Newfield Church of St Paul at West Pelton West Edmondsley Farm House, Holmside, approx. 75m
east of Wardles Burn and 280m south of Cong burn – Beech Grove Farmhouse, adjacent to Beechgrove Wood
(Little Burn/Cong) Little Holmside, Holmside Hall, east of Holmside Hall Road Barn to north east of Holmside hall farmhouse Holmside hall farm calf shed and wall attached Holmside hall farmhouse with wall attached War Memorial at Craghead Middles Farmhouse South of TB at Holy Hill Former Miners Hall and Institute at South Moor Church of St George at South Moor
6.1.5 Historical Landfill Sites
In addition to the industrial heritage from the previous mining and
steel working industries, there are a number of landfill sites,
many of which opened prior to the introduction of many
important pieces of environmental legislation such as the 1972
Deposit of Poisonous wastes act and the 1999 Landfill Directive.
There are (or have been) some 21 recorded landfill sites in the
catchments (see Map 6), these are:
No Place Tip, No Place Land West of Stanley, between New Kyo and South Moor New Kyo, New Kyo Handenhold Waste Disposal Site (closed 1979), north of
Grange Villa Area D South of Quaking Houses North of Wagtail Lane Area D West of Grange Villa Area A, South of No Place Area B East Farm Edmondsley Hett Hills Waste Disposal Site, Hett Hills (closed 1992) Pelton Grange Farm (closed 1994) Holmside Tip, Holmside (closed 1985) Burnhope Waste Disposal Site, East of Burnhope (closed
1977) Twizell Hall Farm Area F South of High Handenhold, West Pelton/High
Handenhold Area E, West of West Pelton Land South of Newfield Area E HolyHill Area C, South of Grange Villa Pelton Fell Brick Works Quarry, Pelton Fell
6.1.6 19th
Century Railway
There is a section of disused railway in the study area, reflecting
the former infrastructure needed in support of the coal and steel
industries. The railway runs roughly parallel to the Twizell Burn
from the north of Stanley until Pelton Fell. Disused railways
92
have great amenity value as footpaths and bridleways, as well
historic and biological interest. They often demonstrate
successional ecosystems which are of scientific interest and
educational value. Old stations, viaducts and workings sites can
also be viewed, these could be linked with a wider heritage trail
as discussed below and in chapter 9. Because of the railway’s
proximity to Tanfield Railway and the Causey Arch in the west
and the listed viaduct at Chester-le-Street in the east herein
provides an opportunity to link with other heritage sites outside of
the immediate study area/catchment.
6.1.7 South Moor Memorial Park
There is a first world war memorial in South Moor Memorial
Park, Stanley, which was named for the structure. The park is
well maintained throughout by the Town Council but the burn
itself has been artificially canalised from the entrance to the park
from the adjacent woodland to the culvert under newacres road
and playing fields opposite the park. The park and the
canalisation are discussed further in chapters 2 and 5.
6.2 Issues
6.2.1 Contaminated Land and Leachate
Contaminated land from old mines, industrial workings and land
fill sites is a largely unquantified issue along the study area.
There are a number of old mine workings and landfill sites in the
vicinity that drain directly into the burn. Run off from the historical
workings in areas of the study area is visually evident, with iron
ochres (see image 65) visible in several areas, especially
Stanley Woods and in addition less visible but more harmful
heavy metals such as lead and zinc are often present in effluent
from mine workings.
There are also 21 landfill sites in the catchment. Leachate from
landfill can contain harmful substances, especially from older
landfills, where a membrane was not installed, allowing leachate
to permeate freely into surrounding soils and groundwater.
Leachate from landfill sites can include dissolved organic matter,
sulphate, chloride, iron, aluminium, zinc, ammonia, heavy metals
and halogenated hydrocarbons such as PCBs and dioxins. Many
of these substances can cause harmful environmental and
health effects. Water quality issues are discussed more widely
in Chapter 2.
6.2.2 Development Pressure
While the majority of the catchment is rural and the largest
conurbations are the comparatively small towns of Stanley and
Chester-le-Street, development pressure, especially for new
housing is both an issue and an opportunity when planning for
Green Infrastructure. There are some 31,400 new houses
Image 57: Chapman’s Well at the site of a closed
colliery
Image 58 Iron Ochre leachate in to Twizell Burn
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proposed to be built by 2030 as proposed in the County
Durham Plan9 which is currently being reviewed. 6 sites for
development are currently planned within the catchment
and a number of developments are also currently being
constructed.
There is a huge opportunity to incorporate GI within new
development, primarily recreation and sustainable urban
drainage, but these GI measures must be implemented
sensitively and linked with the existing infrastructure and
green corridors in an appropriate and sustainable way.
6.2.3 Historic Modifications to the Channel
Historic modifications to the burn as a result of historical
industry have had significant implications for the channel
and riparian habitat. The burn in the lower reaches has
suffered large scale straightening away from its original
course; the burn is directed through a number of weirs
along the engineered channel including a large, heavily
engineered cascading weir at Newbridge Banks.
Modifications to the channel are discussed in more depth
in Chapter 3.
6.3 Opportunities
Many of the historical and cultural assets are
underdeveloped with little interpretation and poor
accessibility, these aspects could be developed and
improved as part of a wider heritage and environmental
project encompassing not only the immediate study area
but the catchments as a whole.
There is opportunity to develop a large scale heritage trail
in the area as part of the wider opportunity to develop a
catchment wide programme of projects via the existing
partnership group. Development of a heritage trail would
involve a comprehensive study of the historical and cultural
assets within both the Twizell and Cong Catchments as
well as well as access and recreation (Chapter 5) and land
use & biodiversity (Chapter 4).
A smaller heritage trail is proposed in the South Moor area
which could extend in to the headwaters near Chapmen’s
Well. The proposed route is designed to recognise the
links between the industrial history of the area, sacrifices
made during World War One, stimulate increased footfall
and improve knowledge about local heritage. This could
act to stimulate a wider trail as mentioned above. More
information can be found in Appendix 4
Opportunities to improve the historical and cultural areas
within the catchment, including a summary of project
suggestions and potential funders are included in Chapter
9 of this report.
Image 59: Gas monitoring station near Chapmen’s
Well from historic mine workings and landfill
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HISTORY & CULTURAL HERITAGE SUMMARY
The area has been inhabited since the Neolithic period Chester-le-Street developed around a Roman fort and later a church Farming developed and has retained an east-west split of upland grazing and mixed
arable Coal mining in the area can be traced as far back as the 12
th century
There are a number of historical mining and associated industrial sites in the
catchment Stanley and its surrounds, with its characteristic brick and slate terraced houses grew
up around the coal mining industry Coal mining and associated steel works have had a huge impact on not only the
landscape but the culture and identity of the local people. Participation in the Durham Miners Gala and prevalence of allotments in the area demonstrate this.
There are 20 listed buildings in both of the catchments Chester-le-Street town centre was designated a Conservation Area in 2013 There are 21 landfill sites (both current and historic) in the catchment area Issues include, contaminated land and leachate, development pressure, historic
modifications and lack of infrastructure surrounding areas of historical and cultural interest.
Opportunities exist to use the area’s heritage to improve the natural and built
environment as well as engage communities.
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Image 60: Iron Ochre leachate in to Twizell Burn
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Scale: 1:26,000
±
97
98
Image 61: Cascading Weir south of Grange Villa (Newbridge Banks)
99
7.1 Overview A suite of national and European government legislation and policies have been introduced in the past 10 years, helping to shape and influence policy decisions regarding climate change, sustainability and energy generation. Policies include: EU Renewable Energy Directive; Climate Change Act 2008; The UK Renewable Energy Strategy; The UK Renewable Energy Roadmap; Strategic Energy Technology Plan; Planning our electric future: a White Paper for secure,
affordable and low carbon electricity; The Carbon Plan ‘Delivering our low carbon future December
2011’. In addition, a number of regional and County Durham wide strategies have been developed, including: The EU Mayors Covenant; The County Durham Low Carbon Strategy and Sustainable
Energy Action Plan (2010); The County Durham Plan ‘Towards a Strategy for Low
Carbon Energy in County (2011); Sustainable Community Strategy for County Durham 2010 –
2030 and Council Plan 2011-14; County Durham Core Evidence Base - Technical Paper No.
13: Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. The Environment and Sustainable Communities Overview and Scrutiny Committee (Durham County Council) published the Development of Renewable Energy Technologies in County Durham Scrutiny Review in 201210. The Review built upon the above regional and County Durham wide strategies, supporting the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and increasing the amount of renewable energy infrastructure in use to generate energy. Furthermore, the Review notes that County Durham has an opportunity to enhance the range of energy generation technologies used in order to move away from reliance on fossil fuel based energy generation. Government schemes such as Feed-in-Tariffs (FITs), the Renewable Heat Incentive and the Green Deal are designed to promote the uptake and installation of small scale low carbon and renewable energy technologies.
7.2 Constraints
At present little energy generation infrastructure was observed within the catchment during the walkovers, especially in the immediate river corridor of the study area. Constraints to energy generation in the immediate Twizell Burn corridor may be due to:
7. Energy Generation
100
Financial restrictions: costs involved for larger scale
schemes may have proved prohibitive;
Building stock: The building stock and levels of insulation
may influence the suitability of some heat-generating
technologies, as will building and roof orientation, with
shading and access limiting the suitability of solar
technologies;
Lack of knowledge: residents, landlords and local land
owners may not be sufficiently aware of potential energy
generation schemes and potential costs, how they can be
installed and used and what the benefits are;
Lack of technical expertise or experience: stakeholders
and applicants may not be aware of local, regional and
national policies and how to access funds;
Limited application guidance: - a lack of available advice
and guidance can deter potential applicants and investors
from pursuing opportunities;
Lack of deliverable local skills / experience of installation;
skills gaps may exist that could prove to be prohibitive to
driving infrastructure projects forward via local support and
project management of energy generation schemes;
Environmental impact: environmental and heritage features
may choose to be preserved at the cost of new energy
generation schemes, though it is noted that any such
projects should include costs to manage and re-naturalise
any land impacted.
The Durham County Council Interim Sustainability Appraisal
Report (2011) relating to the Core Strategy Policy Directions
Consultation Paper forms part of the Core Strategy Policy
Directions Interim Sustainability Appraisal Report (“The Report”)11. The Report notes that many constraints, particularly in relation
to non-domestic and wind installations, are due to environmental
impacts and wishing to avoid negative impacts on local
environments and wider access & infrastructure disruption.
7.2.1 Reach A
The Twizell Burn itself is very shallow, narrow and with a very
low flow rate throughout this Reach, which indicates that any
source of hydro-electric energy generation would not be
possible. Access to woodland for biomass development and
management was also restricted in many areas, with access via
footpaths only. Many buildings would appear to be suitable for
building mounted solar and heat-pump technologies, but would
need assessing on a building by building basis.
7.2.2 Reach B
Upstream of Newbridge Banks / Grange Villa, the flow rate is
relatively slow, owing mainly to long profile gradient topography.
Channel modifications and impounding weirs also impact on flow
rate. Low flow would prove prohibitive to hydro-electric
production schemes. However, the cascading weir and channel
Image 62: Cascading Weir south of Grange Villa
101
modifications west of Newbridge Banks may offer an opportunity
for energy generation.
It was noted by the Development of Renewable Energy
Technologies in County Durham Scrutiny Review that in 2010,
only 7 sites on the River Wear catchment as a whole were
deemed viable sites for potential hydro-electric power
generation, with a combined cost of nearly £5.5m. Financial
support for hydro-electric schemes is therefore clearly a major
constraint. At the time of publication in 2012 it was noted that
only one hydro-electric installer within County Durham is
Microgeneration Certificate Scheme (MCS) registered;
registration is required to ensure that technology would be
eligible to access Feed In Tariff benefits.
Elsewhere in this Reach, similar constraints are experienced for
land and woodland management for biomass production. Many
buildings appeared to be suitable for building mounted
technologies, again with buildings needing to be further
assessed individually.
7.2.3 Reach C
Whilst the flow rate and width of Twizell Burn generally has
increased throughout Reach C, there were no noticeable
opportunities for in-channel energy generation schemes as the
flow rates and river channel characteristics were still prohibitive
to energy generation. Additionally, due to difficult access and
culverted/bridged sections of this Reach, physical infrastructure
barriers appear to be significant constraints of energy production
opportunities. In the wider reach, buildings appear to be suitable,
though again need further feasibility work.
7.3 Opportunities
Overall, one key opportunity was identified in Reach B, with
general opportunities available elsewhere, dependant on more
detailed feasibility studies, associated projects and calculations.
Energy generation opportunities could be completed as
individual projects or as part of the Greening Twizell Partnership.
All opportunities are discussed further in Chapter 9.
7.3.1 Reach A
No key opportunities were identified in the channel itself in this
reach, though opportunities exist in the wider Reach for building
mounted solar and heat-pump technologies, this could tie in with
existing Durham County Council/housing association schemes
such as the implementation of solar photovoltaic generation at
Quaking Houses. Durham County Council would be ideally
placed to incorporate such schemes within their first and second
study areas for the South Moor Surface Water Management
Image 63: Existing informal path network through
Stanley Woods and slow flow rate
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Scheme or areas of previous generation, such as Craghead.
There is also an opportunity to improve access to woodland and
other green spaces, and to utilise improved management in
these areas to grow biomass fuel which could be used to provide
a local fuel source for biomass boilers within local communities.
7.3.2 Reach B
One key opportunity was identified for in-channel energy
generation, notably located at the current cascading weir (a
heavily engineered impoundment structure) immediately east of
Newbridge Banks, south of Grange Villa, where there is a
significant head and flow of water with a sudden drop of
approximately 20m over a 145m stretch.
This stretch of the Twizell Burn has been heavily modified and
artificially channelled due to a combination of historical mining
activities and brick works, and later the re-development of land
following the removal of the railway viaduct that once crossed
Twizell Burn east of Newbridge Banks.
There is a significant head of water falling via the cascading weir
at Newbridge Banks which offers considerable gravitational
potential energy in the watercourse which could be harnessed to
turn a turbine to generate electricity. In addition, due to the
difference in height either side of Newbridge Banks, the flow rate
increases over this short section which could allow for a
hydroelectric scheme to be developed at this location.
Hydro-electric power is recognised by The Environment and
Sustainable Communities Overview and Scrutiny Committee as
an under-utilised resource within County Durham, despite being
a reliable and predictable source of energy. Furthermore, the
County Durham Evidence Base, Technical Paper 1311, states
that there is potential to increase hydroelectricity generation in
County Durham, though factors such as the distance to
electricity substations and potential impacts on bio and geo-
diversity need to be carefully considered.
Benefits of small scale hydro-electricity include:
Slow rate of change: the output power varies only
gradually from day to day (not from minute to minute);
24 hour generation i.e. operational at night unlike some
renewable technologies;
It is a long-lasting and robust technology; systems can
readily be engineered to last for 50 years or more;
Well-designed schemes can be environmentally benign;
small scale hydro-electric installations, in most cases, “run-
of-river”; in other words any impoundment is quite small,
often installed at an existing weir and little or no water is
stored. 12
Hydro-electric generation schemes can directly benefit local
communities by providing a supply of electricity. In the study
area, Grange Villa (Reach B) is the closest community to the site
Image 64: Cascading Weir infrastructure
103
identified as potentially viable for a hydro-electric installation.
Engaging the local community could allow for greater buy-in and
acceptance of any major infrastructure works, and potentially
provide each household with the opportunity to use renewable
energy and to reduce their energy bills.
An in-depth feasibility study and Environmental Impact Assessment would be required to assess the impact and benefits of a hydroelectric scheme on the Twizell Burn and communities. A feasibility study should include a review of:
Northern Powergrid infrastructure and availability of
resources to connect to the national grid;
Flow rates from the Twizell Burn and data compiled by the
Environment Agency’s hydrology department to determine
capacity for power generation;
Review of the original purpose and function of the existing
cascading weir structure and to appreciate current
maintenance requirements and costs;
Review historical maps to trace the original river course, to
consider whether the original course could be restored
should diversion be required as part of the hydro scheme;
Review past site surveys undertaken by the Environment
Agency, in association with the River Restoration Centre in
2013;
Opportunities to improve fish passage;
Licencing requirements under the Water Framework
Directive as informed by the Environment Agency for
proposed works to modify the cascading weirs/develop
hydro scheme.
Detailed costs benefit analysis to identify the financial and
wider social return of investment, alongside potential
funding sources.
It is noted that a hydro scheme project may have the potential to generate revenue to fund wider opportunities identified within other themes of this masterplan. The site could for example support wider schemes including bringing to life the industrial heritage of the area; felling of the conifer plantation and proposals for re-planting and improved access paths. All of which present opportunities for enhancing biodiversity (Chapter 4) and recreation (Chapter 5).
Other opportunities in this area are similar to those noted in Reach A, with building mounted technologies requiring case by case reviews, and opportunities to develop improved woodland management schemes to link in with biomass fuel production through the removal of plantations (non-native species) or growing crops like Willow and Misocanthus (Elephant Grass).
7.3.3 Reach C As per Reach A, the main opportunities identified would require additional studies on a case by case basis and centre around the
Image 65: Slow flow rate and shallow channel in
Reach B
104
use of solar and heat pump technologies supporting individual buildings. Biomass boilers could be installed as well, though there are less areas suitable for woodland management and biomass fuel production as the Reach is mainly urbanised through Chester-le-Street. Durham County Council would be ideally placed to incorporate small scale renewables in line with any regeneration schemes of their housing stock in this area.
Image 66 Cascading Weir at Grange Villa (Newbridge Banks)
105
ENERGY GENERATION SUMMARY
European, National, Regional and Local policies exist to support energy generation in
communities
Many opportunities exist for small scale (domestic or single building) or community
scale renewable and low-carbon technologies in the wider catchment;
One significant hydro-electric opportunity is identified in the Twizell Burn, near to
Grange Villa in Reach B.
Opportunities to link existing and proposed land and woodland management schemes
to biomass heating schemes, ideally within the catchment, or the wider region;
Major energy generation schemes would require significant feasibility studies, funding
and community support as well as environmental impact assessments;
Opportunities exist to link energy generation projects with other proposed schemes,
such as improved access, environmental and heritage interpretation, re-naturalisation
of the water course and riparian habitat and land management. Larger projects could
be developed to incorporate several options and draw down on multiple funding
streams.
106
Scale: 1:26,000
±
107
108
Image 67: Cong Burn at Chester-Le-Street
109
The Cong Burn is outside of the study area for the purposes of the
Green Infrastructure Plan, however the following chapter gives an
outline of the characteristics, issues and opportunities of the burn
from its source to the confluence with the Twizell at Chester-Le-
Street.
8.1 Characteristics and Issues
The Cong Burn rises in Burnhope and flows for 14.6km before its
confluence with the Twizell at Chester-le-Street where it becomes
Chester Burn, which is within the study area of this masterplan and
is contained within the other chapters.
8.2 Water Quality
Drainage from this catchment has the potential to affect the water
quality and subsequent ecological condition of the water
environment in the downstream study areas. This waterbody is not
designated as artificial or heavily modified, and has poor ecological
status according to the 2013 WFD classification. The following key
element requires to be addressed in order to meet good ecological
status:
Biological quality: fish - (poor).
The Cong Burn has greatly improved in recent years, its overall
status under the Water Framework Directive is Moderate. There
have been several reports from the Environment Agency and local
organisations that the fish population is showing signs of improving
and Sea Trout have recently returned to the burn, and now have
over 20 spawning sites.
In the catchment of the Cong Burn, there are 8 CSOs and
approximately 9 farm steads, there were no distinct surface water
drainage features or surface water discharges reported to be of
concern.
A number of water quality issues were reported as part of the
consultation exercise:
Major Iron Ochre has been observed flushing into burn from
river bank downstream of Holmside, this is most likely due to
historical mine workings in the area and whilst not toxic,
other substances including heavy metals may be present in
this run off.
Gulley suckers have previously been emptied into water
course - concrete sluice upstream of railway
8. Cong Burn Overview
110
At Daisy Hill there is an opportunity to increase access and
signage interpretation. Fish pass education/interpretation/
accessibility project. Improvement of riparian habitat. Physical
modification to obstructions, creation of fish pass and there is
potential for hydro power.
8.3 Surface Water Management
The Cong Burn drains from a wider catchment area than the
Twizell Burn and thus has a greater volume of water than the
Twizell which inevitably contributes to the flooding issues
downstream on the Chester Burn.
8.4 Landscape and Biodiversity
The Cong Burn stretches across two Landscape Character Areas
(LCAs) number 16 The Durham Coalfield Pennine Fringe and
number 14 the Tyne and Wear lowlands. The characteristics of
these LCAs are discussed in more detail in Chapter 6. As with the
Twizell land use surrounding the Cong ranges from grazing in the
west to mixed arable in the east.
Apart from Chester-le-Street, which is included in the in-depth
study area, there are no major conurbations in the Cong Burn
Catchment. The burn flows through or past the villages of
Burnhope, Edmondsley, Waldridge and Pelton Fell before its
confluence with the Twizell.
There are a number of local wildlife sites and a designated nature
reserve along the Cong Burn corridor. There are also a number of
significant species, such as Badger setts which are present in
several areas throughout the catchment. Notable species located
in the catchment include:
Otters
2 sites of Great crested newts
2 Badger Setts
4 sites of Dingy Skipper Butterflies
A number of small BAP ponds and wetland mires
There are also a number of veteran trees within the catchment, these are:
Beech, at Burnhope Pond
6 x Alder in Cong Burn Woods
7 x Ash at Cong Burn Woods
1 x Silver Birch at Cong Burn Woods
There are 2 Local Nature Reserves (LNRs) at Cong Burn Wood
and Sacriston Wood and Waldridge Fell is a Special Site of
Scientific Interest (SSSI). Waldridge fell is the largest area of
lowland heath in County Durham and the only valley mire. There is
potential for increased visitor pressure on Waldridge Fell and other
111
SSSIs as a result of new housing developments in the area.
A range of grassland heathland and woodland habitats are
located throughout the catchment.
The Environment Agency and Chester-le-Street Angling club
have recently altered a weir and culverts to allow for fish to
move up and downstream more freely and as mentioned above,
this has resulted in an increase in spawning sites for Sea Trout
with more than 20 sites have now been identified.
Water quality in Cong Burn has improved immensely due to
recent interventions. The WFD status has improved with fish
now found upstream and trout are found at 3 times the previous
levels in the past year. Further improvements to Cong Burn and
the riparian habitat could contribute to improvement status and
ensure the sustainability of past improvements. Appropriate
responsibilities need to be assigned and maintenance regimes
where applicable further improvements to burn and riparian
habitat to contribute to improvement status and ensure
sustainability of improvements
8.5 Access and recreation
The Cong Burn Catchment is primarily rural so the areas of
amenity green space are not subject to the levels of anti-social
behaviour and vandalism as the Twizell Burn corridor. There are
few conurbations in the catchment, the main ones being the
villages of Burnhope and Edmondsley so there is less demand
for amenity green space. The main areas of amenity green
space are:
Hag Wood
Wardle’s Wood
Mill Wood
Edmondsley Wood
Waldridge Fell/ Waldridge Country Park
Edmondsley Garden Centre/Daisy Hill
Waldridge Fell in particular is a well-used amenity green space
with a number of access routes and pathways including one all-
weather footpath for the disabled. The site can be accessed via
Waldridge Road between Chester-le-Street and Edmondsley.
There are some opportunities for Waldridge Fell and Daisy Hill
as outlined in the below opportunities section
8.6 History and Culture
There are 14 sites identified by Durham County Council as
important heritage features in the Cong Burn catchment these
are:
Whitehill Hall and Icehouse
112
Beech Grove farm house (Grade II listed)
Tribley – medieval deserted settlement
West Edmondsley farmhouse
Barn To North East Of Holmside Hall Farmhouse (Grade II
listed)
Holmside Hall Farm Calf Shed And Wall Attached (Grade II
Listed)
Holmside Hall Farmhouse With Wall Attached (Grade II
Listed)
Little Holmside – House at Burnhope (Grade II listed)
Garden of remembrance War Memorial – Burnhope
Waldridge Village Hall
Edmondsley bridge
West Edmondsley Farmhouse (Grade II Listed)
Roman Metal Working site at Waldridge
Church of St John the Evangelist at Burnhope
8.7 Historic landfill Sites
There are no former colliery sites that fall within the catchment
boundaries however there are a number of landfill sites in the area,
many of which opened prior to the introduction of many important
pieces of environmental legislation such as the 1972 Deposit of
Poisonous wastes act and the 1999 Landfill Directive:
Hett Hills Waste Disposal Site
Burnhope Waste Disposal Site
Holmside Tip
Area B East Farm, Edmondsley
8.8 Energy Generation
No specific sites for the generation of energy have been identified in detail on the Cong Burn. Consultation identified the potential for a small scheme and fish pass at Daisy Hill. There may be opportunities for small scale micro-hydro generation here or on the Burn but identifying these would require a more in depth feasibility study. There are catchment wide opportunities for biomass/land management and solar photovoltaic generation, Chapter 7 explores these opportunities in more detail.
8.9 Opportunities
As discussed in previous chapters, there is the potential to develop a large scale partnership programme (the Greening Twizell Partnership) of projects using the varying range of expertise of the partnership group to bring together and deliver on a wide range of GI projects. This is particularly pertinent with regards to Waldridge Fell and Daisy Hill which could be linked in with a wider heritage trail, and include improvement of habitat and a fish pass and hydroelectric generation at Daisy Hill. Opportunities for a master planning exercise to look at how sites are accessed and to create new areas for recreation to disperse visitor pressure across a
113
CONG BURN SUMMARY
The Cong Burn from source to confluence with the Twizell is outside of the study
area
The Cong Burn has a greater water shed than the Twizell and thus effects the water
quality and surface water management (flooding) down stream
There are a number of veteran trees in the catchment
There are 4 BAP significant species and a number of BAP ponds in the area
There are 6 key areas of amenity green space in the catchment
Waldridge Fell is a well-used lowland health
There are 4 landfill sites in the catchment
There are 14 key sites of historical interest in the catchment
The key opportunity is tying in the amenity green space, in particular Waldridge Fell
SSSI with the wider Greening Twizell Partnership.
number of sites. This is an issue that the Durham Heartland Heaths project has discussed as a potential next phase.
Potential investigation of the iron ochre leachate could tie in to a potential research project into quantifying the effects of mine run off on water quality.
The full range of opportunities are discussed in Chapter 9.
114
Scale: 1:20,000
±
115
116
Scale: 1:20,000
±
117
118
Image 68: Twizell Burn in Twizell Wood
119
A large number of opportunities to enhance and develop small scale
or large scale Green Infrastructure improvements throughout the
catchment have been identified. The opportunities in table 1 below
have been identified through a combination of walkovers,
partnership and community in-put, advice from landscape architects
and the project board. It is recognised that the opportunities vary
greatly in scale, cost and impact on the GI within the Twizell Burn
catchment area and may not be feasible to act upon alone.
As such, a number of the proposed projects have been combined
into seven key projects which have been identified as a high priority,
details of these high priority projects can be found below in table 2.
One of these key projects is the Greening Twizell Partnership. This
partnership will enable a collaborative approach to addressing need
in the area by providing and accessing resources to develop the
opportunities into deliverable schemes.
The Greening Twizell partnership would look to develop a cohesive
programme of activities including watercourse improvements, flood
alleviation measures, improved and new access, natural play
facilities, woodland, wetland and habitat restoration. The area would
also benefit from better signage and interpretation to enhance the
educational and visitor experience, highlighting ecological,
landscape features and historical sites. In addition, the projects all
have scope to incorporate educational and community activities as
well as the use of community volunteers which would further
enhance the sense of ownership over the river corridor, improve
awareness of the improvements being made and install a sense of
pride within the community which could lead to supporting and
maintaining the legacy of any work that is undertaken. The
Greening Twizell Partnership will look to identify funding for the
projects working in partnership with funders and other stakeholders.
An initial range of funding streams has been identified that could
support Green infrastructure improvements, these include, but are
not restricted to;
The Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF);
North East Local Enterprise Partnership (NELEP)
The Big Lottery Fund;
New Environmental Land Management Scheme/Country
Stewardship Fund;
Community Infrastructure Levy;
European Regional Development Fund (ERDF);
North Pennines Leader (EU Funding);
Biffa Award;
Area Action Partnerships (AAPs) and Community Chests;
WFD Grant in Aid (Environment Agency);
9. Opportunities
120
Rural Community Energy Fund (DEFRA);
Ashden Awards for Sustainable Energy;
Catchment Partnership Approach Fund (CPAF)
Charitable Trusts
Many other sources of funding are available too, including
loans and grants as well as funds that support particular
elements such as feasibility studies. Furthermore, financial
benefits may include Feed-in-tariffs, Renewable Heat
Incentives and possibly Enhanced Capital Allowances.
Outline costs for the schemes have been identified using
recognised unit costs for the proposed projects. It has been
agreed via the partnership that information will not be included
within the GI masterplan as more detailed costing work will be
required and that over time these costs will vary depending on
scope and scale of the project.
All of the identified issues and opportunities are depicted on
maps 9 through 12 at the end of this chapter. Table 2 below
gives more information about the opportunities, whilst sections
9.1 to 9.7 details the higher priority projects as identified by
the partnership.
121
Tab
le 2
: G
reen In
fra
str
uctu
re o
pp
ort
unitie
s a
cro
ss t
he c
atc
hm
ents
:
Ke
y:
= W
ate
r Q
uality
=
Su
rfa
ce W
ate
r M
an
ag
em
en
t
= B
iod
ivers
ity &
Lan
dscap
e
= A
cces
s a
nd
Recre
ati
on
=
His
tory
& C
ult
ure
=
En
erg
y G
en
era
tio
n
Map
re
fere
nce
O
pp
ort
un
ity
B
en
efi
ts
Po
ten
tial F
un
der
Po
ten
tial
Part
ne
rs
(Po
ssib
le le
ad
in
b
old
)
Pri
ori
ty
O1
G
reenin
g T
wiz
ell
Part
ners
hip
– o
pport
unity t
o lin
k a
ll or
som
e o
f th
e p
roje
cts
deta
iled b
elo
w a
s p
art
of
a c
o-o
rdin
ate
d a
ppro
ach t
o b
ring a
bo
ut vario
us
Gre
en Infr
astr
uctu
re M
easu
res. K
ey o
utp
uts
fro
m the p
art
ners
hip
will
inclu
de:
Wate
r qualit
y im
pro
vem
ents
and f
loo
d a
llevia
tio
n
Herita
ge inte
rpre
tatio
n a
nd a
ccess im
pro
vem
ents
Woodla
nd,
wetlan
d a
nd h
abita
t re
sto
ration
Opport
un
itie
s f
or
com
munity p
art
icip
ation,
en
gag
em
ent and
volu
nte
er-
ing
Sup
port
ing a
n a
nn
ual T
wiz
ell
Week o
f A
ction
Educatio
n p
rogra
mm
es
Furt
her
de
tails
inclu
ded in t
able
3.
HLF
D
CC
T
ow
n C
ouncils
N
EL
EP
E
A
NW
L
ER
DF
/ES
F
Biffa
C
ounty
Durh
am
Com
muni-
ty F
ound
ation
GW
KN
EC
+ a
ll H
O2
B
iom
ass m
anagem
ent fo
r fu
el acro
ss the w
ood
lan
d n
etw
ork
lin
kin
g into
C
ounty
Durh
am
’s p
lans f
or
bio
mass
Rura
l C
om
munity E
nerg
y
Fund (
DE
FR
A)
Countr
ysid
e S
tew
ard
ship
Lead
er
NE
LE
P
DC
C, L
and
ow
ners
M
O3
S
ola
r R
ene
wa
ble
Technolo
gie
s
- S
ola
r T
herm
al and S
ola
r P
V c
ould
be im
-ple
mente
d b
y D
urh
am
County
Cou
ncil/
Housin
g a
ssocia
tio
ns in
are
as f
or
re-
genera
tion
Rura
l C
om
munity E
nerg
y
Fund (
DE
FR
A)
DC
C, H
ousin
g a
s-
socia
tions
L
O4
D
om
estic a
nd b
usin
ess e
ducatio
n c
am
paig
n s
urr
ound
ing d
om
estic w
rong
-connections a
nd d
isposa
l o
f fa
ts, oils
and g
reases (
FO
Gs –
dom
estic a
nd
busin
ess)
to p
revent
blo
ckages in
dra
ina
ge s
yste
ms, dra
inage f
lood
ing
or
exaggera
ted
use o
f C
SO
netw
ork
NW
L
NW
L, E
A,
GW
KN
EC
, D
CC
M
A1
C
hapm
an’s
Well
– W
etland
are
as c
ou
ld b
e e
xte
nd
ed a
nd im
pro
ve
d to a
ct as
eff
icie
nt filter
beds a
nd s
tora
ge a
reas to r
elie
ve incid
en
ce o
f floodin
g d
ow
n-
str
eam
. F
urt
her
investigation o
f dra
ina
ge r
un
off
is r
equired a
s is m
onitori
ng
to e
sta
blis
h th
e c
auses o
f h
igh le
ve
ls o
f am
monia
. A
ny im
pro
vem
ents
should
lo
ok to im
pro
ve h
ab
itats
, access, sig
nag
e a
nd inte
rpre
tatio
n a
nd a
lso t
ake
into
account
the
pre
va
lence
and e
xposed
natu
re o
f so
me o
f th
e m
onitorin
g
equ
ipm
ent on s
ite
HLF
N
EL
Ms/ C
ou
ntr
ysid
e S
tew
-ard
ship
EA
, D
CC
WT
, N
E,
GW
KN
EC
, W
RT
H
122
M
ap
re
fere
nce
O
pp
ort
un
ity
B
en
efi
ts
Po
ten
tial F
un
der
Po
ten
tial
Part
ne
rs
(Po
ssib
le le
ad
in
b
old
)
Pri
ori
ty
A2
Im
pro
ve b
iodiv
ers
ity w
ith
att
enu
ation r
eed b
eds a
nd s
ele
ctive p
lanting.
CP
AF
W
RT
, D
CC
, W
T, N
E
H
A3
P
ollu
tio
n p
reve
ntion w
ork
to m
inim
ise the im
pact of
Morr
ison B
usty
an
d
impro
ved m
ain
ten
ance o
f th
e n
atu
ral e
nvironm
ent an
d a
ccess.
CP
AF
D
CC
, E
A, G
WN
EC
H
A4
W
etland M
ana
gem
ent/cre
ation
, coup
led w
ith m
easure
s to a
ddre
ss the
impact of
conta
min
ate
d lan
d o
n t
he w
ate
rco
urs
e.
CP
AF
WR
T, G
WN
EC
WT
, N
E
H
A5
D
aylig
hting a
nd r
e-n
atu
ralis
atio
n o
f a 5
0m
section o
f culv
ert
at Q
uakin
g
Houses, th
is c
ou
ld a
lso t
ie in w
ith im
pro
vem
ents
to t
he e
xis
tin
g inte
rpre
-ta
tion f
or
the info
rmal circula
r w
alk
at La
ng
ley M
oor
Pla
nta
tio
n
EA
E
A,
DC
C, W
RT
, G
WN
EC
L
A6
O
ngoin
g M
ain
tenance
– im
pro
ve
d m
ain
ten
ance a
nd
cle
ara
nce o
f debris
from
debris g
rate
s w
ithin
th
e B
urn
at
Mem
orial P
ark
.
EA
E
A,
DC
C, W
RT
H
A7
F
easib
ility
stu
dy r
eq
uire
d to
assess p
ossib
ility
and b
en
efits
of
re-
natu
ralis
atio
n o
f w
ate
r cours
e thro
ug
h M
em
orial P
ark
and a
ddre
ss issues
with t
he e
xis
ting C
SO
.
NW
L
WR
T, W
T, N
E, E
A,
GW
NE
C, D
CC
H
A8
F
easib
ility
requ
ired
to d
e-c
ulv
ert
and n
atu
ralis
e w
ate
rcours
e a
nd c
reate
an a
tten
uation w
etlan
d a
rea o
n a
n a
rea o
f curr
ently u
nused s
port
s p
itch-
es. T
his
ma
y b
e a
com
ple
x issue d
ue to
the
la
nd u
se a
nd o
wners
hip
of
the lan
d a
bove th
e c
ours
e o
f th
e b
urn
. H
ow
ever
it w
ould
assis
t flood a
lle-
via
tion a
nd p
rovid
e th
e o
pp
ort
unity f
or
a larg
e w
hole
-scale
pro
ject
inclu
d-
ing w
etlan
ds, pla
ntin
g a
nd n
ew
access o
pport
unitie
s.
AA
P,
Sta
nle
y T
ow
n C
ouncil,
C
om
munity Infr
astr
uctu
re
Levy
WR
T, W
T, N
E, E
A,
GW
NE
C
H
A9
In
sta
llation
of
inte
rpre
tatio
n a
nd w
ay p
oin
t m
ark
ers
at S
outh
Moor
WW
1
mem
orial a
nd f
orm
er
colli
ery
sites. T
his
could
lin
k w
ith a
ny w
ider
herita
ge
trail
and
DC
C p
rop
osals
.
HLF
, D
CC
D
CC
, G
WN
EC
H
A1
0
Pote
ntial to
re
desig
n C
SO
at H
olly
Hill
Gard
ens
NW
L
NW
L
H
A1
1
Wid
er
(Secondary
) S
WM
P s
tud
y a
rea f
or
SU
Ds. A
nu
mber
of
oth
er
SU
Ds
are
as s
uch a
s, C
hapm
an’s
Well
(lin
k to A
1),
Morr
ison B
usty
, S
outh
Mo
or
Road,
Mem
orial P
ark
and p
layin
g f
ield
s (
link to A
8),
Ho
lly H
ill, S
outh
M
oor
Gre
enla
nd p
rim
ary
schoo
l cou
ld b
e c
onsid
ere
d
DC
C,
D
CC
, F
airhurs
t H
A1
2
Investig
ation into
dom
estic m
isconnectio
ns a
ccom
panie
d b
y a
n a
ware
-ness c
am
paig
n to a
ddre
ss the p
roble
m.
NW
L
NW
L
H
A1
3
Impro
vin
g c
ulv
ert
, re
movin
g b
lockages a
nd d
aylig
htin
g u
pstr
eam
to im
-pro
ve
flo
w a
nd a
llow
fis
h t
o m
ove f
reely
at K
ate
s G
ill
EA
, E
A, W
RT
H
123
Map
re
fere
nce
O
pp
ort
un
ity
B
en
efi
ts
Po
ten
tial F
un
der
Po
ten
tial
Part
ne
rs
(Po
ssib
le le
ad
in
b
old
)
Pri
ori
ty
A1
4
Impro
ved m
anagem
ent of
allo
tment are
as a
nd f
ly-t
ipp
ing issues. L
ink to
exis
tin
g a
nti f
ly tip
pin
g s
ch
em
es.
Impro
ved a
ccess/p
ath
wa
ys, upd
ate
s t
o e
xis
ting inte
rpre
tation info
rmation
and g
en
era
l m
ain
tena
nce o
f th
e w
oo
dla
nd c
orr
idor.
EA
, A
AP
E
A,
DC
C, G
WN
EC
, C
om
munity G
roups
H
A1
5
Impro
ved a
ccess/p
ath
wa
ys, upd
ate
s t
o e
xis
ting inte
rpre
tation info
rmation
and g
en
era
l m
ain
tena
nce o
f th
e w
oo
dla
nd c
orr
idor.
Biffa
, H
LF
, A
AP
D
CC
, G
WN
EC
H
B1
C
reation o
f a f
ootp
ath
alo
ng the
nort
h-s
ide o
f th
e r
iver
bank.
Biffa
D
CC
, G
WN
EC
H
B2
F
orm
alis
e e
xis
tin
g p
ath
wa
y f
rom
burn
to C
rag
hea
d, in
clu
din
g a
500m
section o
n t
he n
ort
h s
ide o
f th
e b
urn
nort
h o
f C
raghe
ad to incre
ase c
on-
nectivity w
ith
the
surr
ound
ing w
ood
lan
ds a
nd T
he M
iddle
s a
nd G
range
Vill
a. Im
pro
ve inte
rpre
tation
and d
irection
al sig
nage a
long th
e w
ood
lan
d
corr
idor
in c
onju
nction w
ith t
his
.
Biffa
, H
LF
D
CC
, G
WN
EC
H
B3
Im
pro
ved in
terp
reta
tion a
nd
recre
atio
na
l fa
cili
ties, i.e. p
icnic
ta
ble
s
Biffa
, C
om
munity F
un
ds,
AA
Ps, C
om
munity I
nfr
a-
str
uctu
re L
evy
DC
C, G
WN
EC
H
B4
In
terp
reta
tion o
f T
wiz
ell
Burn
Drift
Min
e a
nd F
ox a
nd P
arr
ot W
ood
HLF
D
CC
, W
T G
WN
EC
H
B5
Im
pro
ve a
ccess b
etw
ee
n F
ox a
nd P
arr
ot W
ood a
nd
rip
arian h
abitat a
nd
pla
nta
tion
.
Biffa
, C
om
munity F
un
ds,
AA
Ps, C
om
munity I
nfr
a-
str
uctu
re L
evy
WT
, D
CC
H
B6
S
ele
cte
d t
hin
nin
g o
f non
-na
tive s
pecie
s in
the
are
a o
f conifer
pla
nta
tion
just nort
h o
f F
ox a
nd P
arr
ot W
ood.
Sita
D
CC
H
B7
Im
pro
ved p
ath
wa
y m
ain
ten
ance a
nd intr
oduction o
f in
terp
reta
tion
info
r-m
ation, lin
k to B
2.
Biffa
, C
om
munity F
un
ds,
AA
Ps
WT
, D
CC
H
B8
F
easib
ility
for
renatu
ralis
ation o
f chan
nel in
th
is s
tretc
h, w
ith w
ider
hab
itat
impro
vem
ents
lin
ked to a
reas o
f sensitiv
e h
ab
itat
an
d s
teep t
opo
gra
ph
y
to th
e s
outh
ba
nk.
AA
Ps,
Com
munity F
un
ds,
Com
munity Infr
astr
uctu
re
Levy
DC
C,
Local com
munitie
s
M
B9
E
xis
tin
g w
et
wo
od
lan
d a
t A
lma w
oods to
be p
reserv
ed,
an
y p
ath
wa
y c
re-
atio
n o
r m
ain
ten
ance s
hou
ld b
e s
ensitiv
e to t
his
hab
ita
t.
AA
Ps, C
om
munity F
unds,
Com
munity Infr
astr
uctu
re
Levy
WT
, D
CC
M
124
M
ap
re
fere
nce
O
pp
ort
un
ity
B
en
efi
ts
Po
ten
tial F
un
der
Po
ten
tial
Part
ne
rs
(Po
ssib
le le
ad
in
b
old
)
Pri
ori
ty
B10
S
mall
pockets
of
wet
woo
dla
nd c
reatio
n a
nd d
evelo
pm
ent to
supp
ort
ex-
istin
g h
abitats
an
d b
iodiv
ers
ity.
Lin
k to B
9
AA
Ps,
Com
munity F
un
ds,
Com
munity Infr
astr
uctu
re
Levy
WT
, D
CC
M
B11
R
esearc
h p
roje
ct to
de
term
ine e
ffects
of
his
torical w
ork
ings a
nd industr
y
on w
ate
r qu
alit
y (
site o
f old
min
e a
nd b
rick w
ork
s –
stu
dy c
ould
be e
x-
tend
ed c
atc
hm
ent
wid
e)
EA
D
urh
am
Univ
ers
ity
M
B12
O
pport
un
ity to
re
-natu
ralis
e the w
ate
rcours
e a
nd/o
r to
develo
p a
hydro
-ele
ctr
ic s
chem
e c
ouple
d w
ith a
fis
h p
ass/lift an
d g
enera
l soft
eng
ine
erin
g
to r
ep
lace/im
pro
ve e
xis
ting s
tructu
res. W
oodla
nd a
nd r
iverb
ank m
ain
te-
nance inclu
din
g s
ele
ctive f
elli
ng o
f tr
ees. L
inks to B
14.
DE
FR
A, A
AP
s,
ER
DF
E
A,
DC
C
H
B13
S
urf
ace w
ate
r ru
n-o
ff im
pro
vem
ent via
SuD
S s
chem
e a
t G
rang
e V
illa
DC
C,
D
CC
L
B14
Im
pro
ved g
enera
l w
oodla
nd a
nd p
ath
wa
y m
anagem
ent, f
orm
alis
ing e
xis
t-in
g p
ath
s a
ccom
panie
d b
y d
irectiona
l sig
na
ge.
Sele
ctive f
elli
ng o
f conifero
us tre
es a
t G
range p
lanta
tion to
be r
epla
ced in
are
as w
ith n
ative
tre
es f
or
banksid
e m
anagem
ent. S
ele
ctive f
elli
ng o
f co-
nifers
adja
cent to
th
e w
ate
rcours
e to a
dd lig
ht
into
th
e c
orr
idor
shou
ld b
e
consid
ere
d. T
his
wo
uld
im
pro
ve
the
bio
div
ers
ity a
dja
cent to
th
e b
urn
but
als
o m
ake the f
ootp
ath
netw
ork
more
appealin
g. O
pp
ort
unitie
s f
or
som
e
wetland a
reas m
ay e
xis
t in
The B
ottom
s w
hic
h s
ho
uld
be e
xp
lore
d f
urt
her
as these m
ay a
ssis
t in
alle
via
ting incid
ence o
f flood
ing d
ow
nstr
eam
.
Biffa
H
LF
C
om
munity F
un
ds,
AA
Ps,
Com
munity Infr
astr
uctu
re
Levy
DC
C, G
WK
NE
C
H
B15
Im
pro
ved litte
r p
ickin
g a
nd a
nti-f
ly tip
pin
g e
duca
tio
n a
nd m
onitorin
g
schem
e. T
his
could
lin
k to a
waste
am
nesty
da
y (
or
da
ys)
where
th
e
council
colle
ct la
rger
item
s o
f w
aste
fro
m h
ouseho
lds t
o p
revent
them
bein
g f
ly t
ippe
d.
DC
C, E
A
GW
KN
EC
, D
CC
, C
om
-m
unity G
roups
H
C1
M
on
itori
ng a
nd m
ain
tena
nce im
pro
vem
ents
to P
elton F
ell
Bri
dge
to a
id
fish m
ovem
ent
DC
C
DC
C/H
igh
wa
y N
etw
ork
M
C2
R
em
oval of
invasiv
e s
pecie
s (
Him
ala
yan B
als
am
) couple
d w
ith n
ative
pla
nting a
nd c
ontinue
d m
ain
ten
ance o
f th
e b
anksid
e h
abitat.
EA
W
RT
, N
E, D
CC
, G
WK
NE
C, E
A
M
C3
Im
pro
ve a
ccess a
nd m
ain
tenance f
or
Environm
ent A
ge
ncy m
onitori
ng
sta
tio
n a
nd r
ecre
ation
alo
ng the
str
etc
h T
he c
reation o
f w
etlan
d a
reas in
the r
each
upstr
eam
of
the v
iad
uct
wou
ld b
e d
ifficult d
ue to lan
d o
wner-
ship
ho
we
ver
it m
ay b
e p
ossib
le to c
reate
som
e s
mall
are
as tha
t w
ould
be b
eneficia
l to
alle
via
te incid
ences o
f floodin
g d
ow
nstr
eam
.
EA
E
A,
DC
C
H
125
Map
re
fere
nce
O
pp
ort
un
ity
B
en
efi
ts
Po
ten
tial F
un
der
Po
ten
tial
Part
ne
rs
(Po
ssib
le le
ad
in
b
old
)
Pri
ori
ty
C4
F
easib
ility
requ
ired
to a
ssess c
ost and b
enefit of
da
ylig
hting t
he c
ulv
ert
th
roug
h C
heste
r-Le
-Str
eet
EA
, D
CC
D
CC
L
C5
T
he o
pen s
paces o
n b
oth
sid
es o
f th
e C
heste
r B
urn
aft
er
the c
ulv
ert
ed
section c
ould
be u
tilis
ed a
s w
etland s
tora
ge
are
as t
hat
would
be h
elp
ful
to s
tore
flo
od w
ate
r a
nd incre
ase b
iod
ivers
ity.
Furt
her
bio
div
ers
ity c
ou
ld
be a
dde
d w
ith t
he a
dd
itio
n o
f appro
pri
ate
tre
e a
nd s
hru
b p
lan
tin
g in th
ese
are
as W
etland o
r po
nd c
reatio
n to
act as a
n a
tten
uation b
asin
. Lin
ks w
ith
wid
er
Flo
od A
llevia
tio
n S
ch
em
e o
n the n
ort
h b
ank a
dja
cent to
se
wag
e
work
s.
EA
, B
iffa
, C
om
munity F
un
ds,
AA
Ps,
Com
munity Infr
astr
uctu
re
Levy
WR
T, G
WK
NE
C
H
C6
W
etland o
r p
on
d c
reation t
o a
ct as a
n a
tten
uation b
asin
. L
inks w
ith w
ider
Flo
od
Alle
via
tion
Sch
em
e s
outh
sid
e a
t R
ivers
ide
Park
. Lin
ks to C
5.
FA
S c
ould
lin
k to c
om
munity f
loo
d a
ware
ness e
ducatio
n s
chem
e w
ith th
e
local com
munitie
s; th
is c
ould
inclu
de th
e p
rovis
ion o
f w
ate
r savin
g tech-
nolo
gie
s.
EA
, B
iffa
, C
om
munity F
un
ds,
AA
Ps,
Com
munity Infr
astr
uctu
re
Levy
WR
T, G
WK
NE
C
H
C7
R
em
oval of
invasiv
e s
pecie
s a
nd g
enera
l access a
nd p
ath
main
ten
ance
adja
cent to
th
e s
ew
age w
ork
s.
EA
, D
CC
E
A,
DC
C, G
WK
NE
C
M
C8
R
em
oval of
invasiv
e s
pecie
s a
nd g
enera
l access a
nd p
ath
main
ten
ance
alo
ng t
he b
anks o
f th
e W
ear/
Riv
ers
ide P
ark
.
EA
E
A,
DC
C, G
WK
NE
C
M
126
9.1 Greening Twizell Partnership
The Greening Twizell Partnership would be representative of stakeholders and the community who are inter-
ested in making a difference in the Twizell catchment area. It is proposed that the partnership should have a
broad representation to ensure that local need is addressed.
The Partnership will work together to translate the opportunities identified within the masterplan into delivera-
ble projects that meet the vision and objectives for the Twizell burn.
Key outputs from the proposed partnership over and above the projects outlined in the subsequent chapters
could include:
Supporting a Community Ranger post with responsibility for the day to day management and mainte-
nance of the Burn Corridor and providing a link between the partnership and the local community.
They would be responsible for co-ordinating a Twizell Burn volunteering programme, community en-
gagement, educational and awareness raising activities to monitor and undertake improvements to the
natural environment.
Developing a Heritage Trail linking existing or new amenity green spaces with historical, cultural and
natural features along the Twizell burn. This could include a variety of trails for walkers, horse riding
and cyclists alongside recreational spaces including natural play facilities and picnic areas. The trail
would bring to life the area’s rich heritage which encompasses a large number of historic sites includ-
ing Roman remains, listed buildings and remnants of the area’s mining/industrial legacy. This would
link in with the proposed heritage trails which are being developed by DCC in the South Moor area.
This could be a catalyst for kick-starting activity and extending trails up and downstream of South Moor
and Memorial Park.
A suite of educational based schemes could encourage the local community to learn more about the
area, including:
- Flood alleviation education scheme for the wider community of Chester-le-Street including wa-
ter efficiency measures
- Working with schools in the area to develop activities linked to the national curriculum – includ-
ing an ‘adopt’ a stretch of burn project, survey work, habitat improvements and learning to fish
schemes.
- Hold a wider campaign and awareness raising schemes with community organisations including
waste awareness and litter clearance days
- Promotional programmes around wrong-connections and reducing the demand on the drainage
network, including the promotion of simple water retention practices such as use of water butts
and plants in gardens/yards.
Image 69: Access network in Memorial Park
127
Image 70: Twizell Burn headwaters near Morrison Busty
128
9.2 Chapman’s Well to Quaking Houses – Attenuation and Biodiversity Im-
provements
This would involve a partnership approach to focus on the upper catchment of Twizell Burn, specifically the
drainage and natural environment from Chapman’s Well, the Morrison Busty Industrial Estate downstream to
Quaking Houses.
The main focus of the scheme will be the attenuation of water through natural filtering to reduce the levels of
contaminants entering the watercourse, notably from run-off from the Morrison Busty Industrial Estate, in-
cluding salt store, and historic landfill beneath Chapman’s Well. This will improve water quality and reduce
the impact of large volumes of rainfall on the Burn (i.e. prevent flash flooding events).
Physical works would include improvements to the existing reed beds, wetlands, heathland, access and in-
terpretation. This would be undertaken with a view to improve management and condition of the natural envi-
ronment of the area to maximise the sites potential to continue to support a wide range of wildlife, as the ar-
ea currently supports waders, birds of prey, waterfowl, butterflies, owls, foxes, deer and stoats..
This project also aims to use Durham University and also encourage local volunteers to get involved to fully
understand in detail diffuse pollution pressures throughout the Stanley Burn system (upper Twizell) and to
secure the headwaters water quality (chemical and biological). Work will also be undertaken to monitor and
understand the high levels of ammonia present to establish the source of this and put in place mitigation
measures.
The Wear Rivers Trust working in partnership will lead on the development and delivery of this scheme
which will be undertaken in phases. Phase 1 to be funded through CPAF will focus on the area around
Chapman’s Well and Morrison Busty with phase 2 at Quaking Houses to improve wetland areas and CSOs
subject to funding being secured and then a further phase at Memorial Park at South Moor to re-naturalise
the watercourse and address issues associated with CSOs.
Image 71: Existing attenuation pond in the Twizell Burn headwaters
129
Image 74: Aerial image of Twizell Burn headwaters. 1:3,000 Scale. All Rights Reserved © Crown Copyright 2007. Ordnance Survey Licence Number
0100041467
Image 72: Woodland at Chapman’s Well Image 73: Twizell Burn at the rear of Morrison Busty
Image 75: Mixed habitat in Chapman’s Well Image 76: Twizell Burn at Chapman’s Well
130
9.3 Memorial Park Improvements
There are a number of opportunities in and around Memorial Park, near South Moor, which could improve
the water quality of the burn, amenity space, the natural environment and access.
Key components of this project could include:
DCC led work to implement Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems (SUDs) in a primary study area as
identified by feasibility work undertaken by Fairhurst. More detailed information about SUDs in the
catchment is included as a separate project.
The continued maintenance and improvements to Memorial Park, especially with regard to the debris
gates, the culvert and access. When debris is trapped in the debris gates and culvert entrances, the
burn which is artificially channelled within Memorial Park, is prone to flooding. Improved maintenance
and removal of the debris as it accumulates would help to reduce the likelihood or impact of flooding.
Existing work is underway to improve the heritage of Memorial park and a further HLF bid is being de-
veloped by DCC to create a heritage trail. These could act as a catalyst for a wider heritage scheme in
the catchment area.
There is evidence that demonstrates that improvements are required to the existing CSO at Memorial
Park as well as the wider network. Work will be required with Northumbrian Water to identify how this
work would fit with their investment plans.
Detailed feasibility work to assess the cost-benefit ratio and impact of denaturalising the Twizell Burn through
Memorial Park and subsequently the culvert running from Memorial Park east to Middles Wood. This could
be a complex, however it is believed that the large culvert may be prohibitive to fish passage, and deculvert-
ing part of this section would allow the creation of an attenuation wetland area and key development for pro-
moting the biodiversity and habitat within the catchment. This would require detailed studies, consultation
and funding to realise this ambition.
Image 77: Formal entrance to Memorial Park from South Moor Road
131
Image 80: Aerial image of Memorial Park and surrounding area. 1:,1,500 Scale. All Rights Reserved © Crown Copyright 2007. Ordnance Survey
Licence Number 0100041467
Image 81: Twizell Burn entering Memorial Park, prior to heavy
rainfall
Image 82: Twizell Burn entering Memorial Park, after heavy
rainfall
±Image 78: Debris and blockages in Memorial Park Image 79: Debris gathering at culvert entrance in Memorial Park
132
9.4 Access Improvements
There are a range of access improvement opportunities that have been identified through walkovers, land-
scape architect support and community members.
It is recognised that access projects require a combination of capital work and on-going maintenance and
management and therefore will be subject to associated budgetary and maintenance restrictions. Any ac-
cess project, should initially focus on existing routes and pathways to begin with, promoting the network al-
ready in place, with future work, if deemed feasible, to look at extending the access network throughout the
river corridor and between local communities.
Initially priority should be given to the stretch of the Twizell Burn from the B6532 at Stanley Wood/Middles
Wood, through the river corridor past Craghead, Grange Villa and Pelton Fell to Chester-le-Street. Access
improvements would need to be accompanied by improved interpretation and could form parts of the herit-
age trail that is proposed.
The river corridor up stream of Grange Villa is only partially accessible by formal footpaths, and is particularly
hard to access when walking downstream, There are also opportunities to link and improve the existing ripar-
ian habitat focused on Fox and Parrot Wood.
Downstream of Grange Villa, there are far more well used, albeit informal, pathways, which could benefit
greatly from formalisation, signposting and maintenance. Throughout the whole catchment there is a lack of
recreational facilities such as picnic tables or benches which could be installed as part of an access improve-
ment programme to encourage the use of new or improved pathways
Image 83: Existing informal path and fencing barriers at Chapman’s Well
133
Image 84: Informal access near Morrison Busty Image 85: Damaged pathways near the confluence with the Wear
Image 86: Typical pathways through Reaches A & B Image 87: Waterlogged access in Chapman’s Well
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9.5 Newbridge Banks Hydro-power Feasibility and Wider Energy Generation
It is recognised that there is currently a significant amount of artificial channelling of the watercourse immedi-
ately up and down stream of Newbridge Banks, near Grange Villa. There are significant opportunities here to
re-naturalise the water course, improve fish passage and biodiversity, as well as explore the feasibility of a
hydro-electric scheme to provide community energy.
Options exist in this particular stretch due the heavily modified watercourse that has been altered due to min-
ing and brick work industries west of Newbridge Banks, and then through the improvement of the road struc-
ture connecting Grange Villa with communities and transport links south of Twizell Burn. As a result of the
modifications, there is a sudden and significant drop in the Burn after it is culverted underneath Newbridge
Banks, presenting a significant head and flow of water that could suit hydro-electric power generation.
A project along these lines would require significant feasibility work, both for assessing the options and plan-
ning requirements to generate electricity at this part of the Burn, but also for fish passage, potential re-
naturalisation of the channel and for re-developing the land after installing major works. Re-development of
the land could provide additional opportunities for creation of a recreational and community amenity which
would add value to the local biodiversity and community.
A further option could be to assess the feasibility of improving woodland management to create a source of
bio-fuel. Durham County Council are exploring this across the County. Many parts of the river corridor, in-
cluding the areas immediately up and downstream of Newbridge Banks have been planted with conifers and
non-native trees. The feasibility of removing these plantations for use as a bio-fuel would need to be consid-
ered, with appropriate management of the woodland to be planted with fast growing crops such as willow or
mischanthus (elephant grass) which can be harvested and managed on a regular basis allowing the creation
of an ongoing biomass resource.
Image 88: Culvert, artificial channelling and modifications
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Image 90: Aerial image of Newbridge Banks and Grange Villa. 1:2,000 Scale. All Rights Reserved © Crown Copyright 2007. Ordnance Survey
Licence Number 0100041467
Image 89: View east over the step weir structure east of Newbridge banks
Image 91: Access network and non-
native species east of Newbridge Banks
Image 92: Artificial channelling and
step weir structure at Newbridge Banks
Image 93: Artificial channelling and
step weir structure at Newbridge Banks
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9.6 Chester-le-Street River Corridor Improvements
A large section of the watercourse is culverted beneath Chester-Le-Street which immediately impacts on the fish passage and flow rates through an artificial channel. However, a number of opportunities have been identified around Chester-le-Street which can be brought together to improve this stretch of the water course. It is proposed that this project would utilise the existing open floodplain spaces to create a mosaic of wetland storage ponds to the north and south of the Twizell Burn between the culvert beneath Chester-le-Street and the River Wear, as well as the removal of invasive species and improved access. It is recognised that whilst opportunities for improvement were raised by members of the community, within partnership meetings and by a landscape architect conducing a walk-over, there will be a need to undertake detailed research on the cost-benefit analysis of undertaking this work. It is believed that development of land in this area would improve biodiversity and generate a recreation facility which would attract the local community to engage with flood alleviation methods, local biodiversity and eco-systems. It is also noted that the creation of educational and recreational areas, such as a still water fishing would provide a facility to support the local community as well as have a practical role in improving water quality and managing flood risks. Removal of invasive species require regular management to ensure that they do not re-appear or spread. This in itself can be a long term project, though options to ease budgetary constraints can be explored through the use of volunteers.
Image 94: Artificial channelling, access and litter , beneath the A167
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Image 96: Aerial image of Chester-le-Street and confluence of Chester Burn and the River Wear. 1:1000 Scale. All Rights Reserved © Crown
Copyright 2007. Ordnance Survey Licence Number 0100041467
Image 95: Land south of confluence with the River Wear, looking south-east
Image 97: Artificial channelling Image 98: Artificial channelling
Image 99: Flood plain looking north
towards confluence
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9.7 Sustainable Drainage Systems
Durham County Council appointed Fairhurst to undertake an options appraisal of an area of six streets in
South Moor in order to ascertain how to improve surface water management. With the support of the Envi-
ronment Agency and Northumbrian Water, Fairhurst were able to identify a series of Sustainable Drainage
Systems (SuDS) for the primary study area and those which theoretically would benefit a wider secondary
area too. The measures identified for the primary study area include:
Permeable Paving
Stormwater Planters
Rain Gardens
Bio-swales
Tree planting
Within the secondary area and wider catchment, SuDS measures also include:
Green roofs
Filter strips
Filter drains
Geocellular / modular systems
Trench troughs
Swales
Attenuation basins
Bioretention
Retention ponds
Wetlands It is therefore recognised that there is an opportunity to develop the options appraisal report compiled by
Fairhurst into deliverable SuDS schemes. To help implement the options identified, it is proposed that a pro-
ject is developed to advance the level of work already completed and this should be done in a number of
phases, focusing on the primary study area as defined by Fairhurst and DCC, particularly Pine Street where
costs have been identified and plans outlined, then looking at the feasibility of where work could be undertak-
en in the secondary study area and wider catchment.
DCC and the EA are working to develop a centre of excellence within the Twizell Burn focusing on SuDS to
see what measures are most effective in improving surface water management. European Regional Devel-
opment Funding (ERDF) has been identified as a source of funding to take this forward.
Proposed SuDS Design for the Primary Study Area, as proposed by Fairhurst, can be seen in Appendix 3.
Image 100: Pine Street, South Moor—SuDS Primary Study Area
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Image 101: Poplar Street, South Moor—SuDS Primary Study Area
Image 103: Playing fields east of South Moor Road, facing north towards Hussledown Road
Image 102: Aerial image of the primary and secondary study areas (approximation). The primary study area focuses on 6 streets of South Moor.
1:3,500 Scale. All Rights Reserved © Crown Copyright 2007. Ordnance Survey Licence Number 0100041467
Primary Study Area Secondary Study Area
±
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9.8 Next Steps
The GI Masterplan has been developed with the support of a wide range
of partners and community members and for the above projects to be
taken forward it will be essential that a strong partnership is identified to
progress these opportunities. This partnership would work together to
identify a project lead to develop the higher priority project ideas into
fully costed, funded and deliverable projects.
To do this the project leads will need to work with partners to:
Fully scope out the activity to be undertaken and identify any
measures that will be need to de-risk the project including any fea-
sibility work required
Identify roles in relation to development and delivery
Set out linkages to other activity in the area
Consult more widely with the community
Produce fully costed proposals
Source funding and submit applications
Develop comprehensive programmes identify key milestones
Set out projects outputs and outcomes
9.9 Planning Policy
Durham County Council is currently working on the resubmission of their
Local Plan. Once approved, this will provide the overarching strategy for
development in the County. Durham County Council is also looking to
update their open space needs assessment over the summer of 2015.
Once this is undertaken then settlement plans will be produced. The
Twizell Burn GI masterplan will be used as an evidence base to inform
the settlement plans that will be produced for Stanley and Chester-le–
Street. The partners will also continue to work together to identify if
there are any opportunities to access any Community Infrastructure
Levy funding to undertake GI improvements that arises from future
housing and economic development in the catchment area. The County
Durham Plan: Pre-Submission Draft Proposals Map20 highlights areas of
proposed sites.
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OPPORTUNITIES SUMMARY
42 initial opportunities and issues raised
7 key projects based on priority level including:
A Greening Twizell Partnership
Habitiat and surface water management work in the headwaters and Reach A
Improvements to Memorial Park
Access improvements
Renewable energy, fish pass and land management
Surface water management (SuDS)
Flood water attenuation - catchment wide and with a focus at Chester-le-Street
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143
All Rights Reserved © Crown Copyright 2007. Ordnance Survey Licence Number 0100041467
144
145
All Rights Reserved © Crown Copyright 2007. Ordnance Survey Licence Number 0100041467
146
147
All Rights Reserved © Crown Copyright 2007. Ordnance Survey Licence Number 0100041467
148
Image 104: Access alongside Twizell Burn approaching Hussledown Sewage Treatment Works
149
1. Bibliography
2. Community Consultation Report
3. Fairhurst Primary Area Design
4. South Moor Heritage Trail Plan
Appendices
150
1. Bibliography 1. Sustainable Community Strategy—Durham Council
(http://content.durham.gov.uk/PDFRepository/SCS.pdf) Accessed December 2014
2. CABE “The Value of Public Space” Report, March 2014 (https://www.designcouncil.org.uk/sites/default/files/asset/document/the-value-of-public-space.pdf) Accessed November 2014
3. The EU Water Framework Directive - integrated river basin management for Europe (2000). Accessed October 2014 (http://ec.europa.eu/environment/water/water-framework/index_en.html)
4. Natural England Natural Character Area profile 14 Tyne and Wear Lowlands online document http://publications.naturalengland.org.uk/publication/4683608954503168?category=587130 published 26
th September retrieved 1/12/14).
5. (Natural England Natural character area profile 16 Durham Coalfield Pennine Fringe online document http://publications.naturalengland.org.uk/publication/6333292202688512?category=587130 published 11
th July 2013. Retrieved 1/12/14).
6. Environment Agency: Structural modifications of Culverts—Design Guidance (2010) (http://evidence.environment-agency.gov.uk/FCERM/en/SC060065/MeasuresList/M7/M7T1.aspx?pagenum=2) Accessed December 2014
7. Durham Biodiversity Action Partnership - Priority Habitats (http://www.durhambiodiversity.org.uk/biodiversity-action-plan/priority-habitats/) Accessed December 2014
8. Durham County Council Paths For People—Rights of Way Improvement Plan for County Durham 2011-14 (http://www.durham.gov.uk/media/4435/Paths-for-People-2011-2014/pdf) Accessed December 2014
9. Durham County Council Infrastructure Delivery Plans 2013. (http://durhamcc-consult.limehouse.co.uk/portal/planning/ps/idp?pointId=1369903282738#section-1369903282738) Accessed November 2014
10. The Environment and Sustainable Communities Overview and Scrutiny Committee (Durham County Council) published the Development of Renewable Energy Technologies in County Durham Scrutiny Review in 2012(http://www.durham.gov.uk/media/1675/Renewable-Energy-Report/pdf/Renewable_Energy_Report.pdf)
151
11. Durham County Council Core Strategy Interim Sustainability Appraisal Report (http://durhamcc-consult.limehouse.co.uk/portal/planning/cdp_ce/icssa?pointId=s1304410334116) Accessed December 2014
12. County Durham Core Evidence Base—Technical Paper No.13 Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, May 2010 (http://www.durham.gov.uk/media/3361/Technical-paper-No13---Energy-efficiency-and-renewable-energy/pdf/TechPaper13EnergyEfficiencyAndRenewableEnergyV2.pdf) Accessed December 2014
13. The British Hydropower Association—A Guide to UK Mini-Hydro Developments , 2012 (http://www.british-hydro.org/Useful_Information/A%20Guide%20to%20UK%20mini-hydro%20development%20v3.pdf)
14. Durham County Council Heritage, Landscape and Design. Chester-le-Street. December 2013. Conservation Area Appraisal (http://www.durham.gov.uk/media/3548/Chester-Le-Street-Conservation-Area-Character-Appraisal/pdf/ChesterLeStreetConservationAreaCharacterAppraisal.pdf)
15. South Moor Surface Water Management - February 2015 – Fairhurst
16. County Durham Surface Water Management Plan—August 2011 - Aecom
17. Greencroft and Langley Moor SSSI description - as provided by Natural England, May 2015
18. Conservation Objectives and Definitions of Favourable Condition for Designated Features of Interest - Greencroft and Langley Moor SSSI - August 2008 - Natural England
19. A statement of English Nature’s views about the management of Green Croft & Langley Moor Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) - April 2005 - English Nature (Provided by Natural England, May 2015
20. County Durham Plan: Pre-Submission Draft Proposals Map http://spatial.durham.gov.uk/localplan/default.aspx?layerid=6&x=416905.78661&y=552445.80826&scale=5000
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2. Community Consultation Report.
Introduction
This report outlines consultation that has been undertaken by Groundwork NE & Cumbria relating to the development of the Twizell Burn Green Infrastructure Masterplan. Consultation aimed to work with groups, partners and individuals within the area surrounding the Twizell Burn in order to identify and prioritise a number of improvements required within the area in order to improve the watercourse and surrounding areas for local people and wildlife into the future. All recommendations and findings are a direct result of community-led comments and feedback.
Approach
Community consultation took place over a two month period between October and December 2015. The following approaches were used in order to engage people from within the area in the consultation: Public events Communication with local groups and project partners Features within local media An online survey was developed using Survey Monkey for use throughout consultation. This survey formed the basis of all consultation, to ensure that comparable information was gathered. The survey link was disseminated throughout communication with groups and in local press features. Printed copies of the survey were made available for completion at local community venues and at events held throughout the consultation period. The survey was designed specifically to gather current community perceptions of the burn and surroundings, find out how people are using the area and determine what kind of improvements community members would like to see implemented in the future. Further engagement with local stakeholders and partners took place via 3 workshops that took place between October and March which drew upon local knowledge and professional input to identify issues, opportunities and to shape the report to best support future progression.
Consultation Events
In order to consult with local people the following events were carried out as part of the project: Saturday 25th October – Chester-le-Street & District Area Action Partnership event Wednesday 19th November – Brockwell Centre, Pelton Fell Monday 24th November – Louisa Centre, Stanley Thursday 27th November – Quaking Houses Village Hall These public events were publicised throughout existing networks within the local area and through the use of local press, more traditional printed materials and the use of social media where appropriate. Some of the events took place alongside existing community events, in order to maximise footfall. For example the Chester-le-Street event linked with an existing AAP engagement event. Where existing events were not in place, specific drop in events were set up in well used community venues. The timings of these events were arranged to take place at busy times and to link with existing community activities, again in an attempt to maximise footfall.
Engagement with local community groups
In addition to delivery of consultation events, local groups and partners were contacted as part of the
153
consultation process in order to raise awareness of the opportunity to complete the survey within existing networks. These groups included the following:
Cornerstones Centre for the Community, Chester-le-Street Stanley Area Action Partnership Chester-le-Street & District Area Action Partnership and Improved Environment Subgroup South Stanley Partnership South Moor Partnership Quaking Houses Action Group Pelton Fell Community Partnership Durham Wildlife Trust Information was disseminated electronically via community contacts and networks, use of posters and flyers within community venues and through the local press.
Features within local media
Features were included within local printed publications, including the Consett and Stanley Advertiser, the Evening Chronicle and the Northern Echo, throughout the consultation period to highlight the opportunity for people to contribute their opinions via the online survey. The link to the survey and the opportunity for people to get involved was also highlighted throughout the consultation period via local social media pages, including Facebook and Twitter.
Workshops
In order to gain valuable local knowledge from professional organisations and local councillors, a series of workshops were undertaken that provided a forum for issues and opportunities to be discussed and captured as part of the report. 26 organisations were invited to support the workshops to represent input from the local community and users of the Twizell Burn, through to professional organisations working on improving biodiversity, habitat and river restoration, for example. In addition to capturing local and professional knowledge, it was deemed crucial to identify how the report could best be used as a pro-active document once produced. Engagement with partners working in the area was key to determining how the report would be used and therefore how best to record and report on the findings made.
Key Findings
In total, 40 people completed the survey during the consultation period. It is estimated that overall at least 100
local people were spoken to directly, but many of these people were not aware of the Twizell or current
issues and therefore felt unable to complete the survey. The majority of people engaged throughout the
consultation process are estimated to be between 35 and 70 years of age. A smaller proportion of adults
between 25 and 35, and adults over 70 were also involved.
Specific information in relation to the responses can be found in the accompanying Survey Monkey summary document. This report summarises the key findings which can be drawn from analysis of these responses. The key issue that people within the area have highlighted through consultation is around the litter and fly tipping that is evident within the burn.
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Other issues/concerns highlighted include anti-social behaviour (particularly within the wooded areas bordering the burn), flooding, pollution and low quality habitat. Access issues were also identified around certain areas especially when the watercourse floods. It appears from the consultation that has been undertaken that the key aspiration is for the burn to be cleaned up to make an impact in the shorter term and then for support to be made available for this to continue, so the Twizell can remain clean into the future. One respondent identified that lots of volunteers would be needed to keep the Twizell clean. When asked what improvements they would like to see made to the burn, 90% of people stated that they would like to see access improved around the Twizell and 72% stated that they wanted to see improved maintenance of the greenspace within the area. 63% would like to see more conservation work in and around the Twizell with 56% of respondents stating that they would like to see work carried out around flood prevention and reduction and sustainable urban drainage. Over 50% of people spoken to said that they would like to learn more about the Twizell. 63% of people engaged were particularly interested in learning more about local access and recreation and history and culture. 52% stated that they would like to learn more about biodiversity and conservation and how pollution can be prevented. When asked whether they would like to be involved throughout the project, over 40% of people involved gave a positive response. Those who have offered their assistance appear to be most interested in getting involved in practical volunteering to assist with access works, conservation work and litter removal. 23% of people questioned would like to get involved with reporting issues or becoming a volunteer warden.
Recommendations
The following recommendations have all been proposed by members of the community consulted as part of the process: Address litter and fly tipping issues within the area through working with the local authority to tackle
hotspot sites along the burn. Deliver a litter/ fly tipping campaign within the local area, including work within the local community,
with existing local groups and schools. Publicise existing access networks throughout the area to encourage more people to visit the burn and
investigate potential areas where access improvements would be beneficial. Address areas currently prone to flooding and develop solutions that will alleviate flood risk. Work with local communities in order to raise awareness of their impact upon the watercourse,
including work with households, businesses, community organisations and groups. Develop a supported volunteering programme that enables more local people to get involved in helping
to make a difference to the burn and surrounding area. This should include a variety of opportunities to appeal to a wide cross section of the local community.
Work with existing landowners in order to engage volunteers in supporting maintenance of open spaces alongside the burn.
Identify areas for habitat improvement works and engage the local community in development of these areas.
Deliver an engagement programme that encourages more people to explore the local area and enables them to learn more about the Twizell, its importance, what lives here and its history.
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COMMUNITY CONSULTATION SUMMARY
The community would like to see the Twizell and its surroundings improved.
There is a lack of awareness in general about the Twizell within the local community.
Litter and fly tipping are the key issues highlighted.
Anti-social behaviour appears to be a particular issue within the wooded areas
bordering the burn.
Additional areas of concern include flooding, pollution and low quality habitat.
Access to certain parts of the burn is an issue and the majority of people engaged in
consultation would like to see access to the burn improved.
There appears to be a willingness within the community to engage with a project that
seeks to make improvements to the burn and a number of local people appear to be
interested in volunteering to help support improvements.
There is a current lack of understanding of the Twizell Burn and why it is important.
Image 105: Poor and unmaintained habitat and interpretation near Memorial Park
Image 106: Pathways and Silene dioica - Red Campion near the confluence of the Chester Burn with the Wear.
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Community Consultation Survey Questions and Summary of Replies
1. Please tell us what you think the main issues are around the Stanley Burn / Kate’s Gill / Twizell
Burn / Cong Burn in your area
“Rubbish is an issue” / “Full of litter” / “Rubbish” / “Rubbish It's in a terrible state - needs a lot of rubbish cleaning” / “Rubbish dumped and glass. Not a very nice area for walking” / “Rubbish Pollution Issues” / “Rubbish dirty” / “Full of rubbish” / “Dumping area” / “Rubbish is still a problem” / “Quite a lot of rubbish lying around near burns. general litter”
“Rubbish Bottles/cans caving in of banksides Full of old logs/woods Flooding Needs little dams to help preserve the watercourse Stones/rocks need to be removed to the side to improve the flow”
“Rubbish being dumped Broken bottles Fires being started Vandalism” / “Dumping rubbish Access to the Twizell Burn, pollution of streams” / “Access. Over hang. Broken glass. Litter” / “Fly tipping and littering, empty cans, food cartons etc.” / “Litter thrown away and blowing about. Trees an Vegetation Often grow and cover streams. Need lots of helpers to keep clean.”
“Huge issues with industrial pollution at the beginning of the route. Run off from DCC waste transfer site. Issues with reed beds not being maintained and now a sludgy silty mess.”
“Water quality lack of quality riparian habitat anti-social behaviour”
“Motorbikes Old pig sty Rubbish” / “Old pig sty needs removing next to the burn. Litter”
“Access to Cong burn wood at Pelton fell is not easy for must people the public foot path for must of the time is flooded and like a swamp motor bikes use the woods all the time and a lot of people walk around with air rifles this puts a lot of people off using the area”
“The whole stretch of this area is used as a tip is patrolled by anti social people is used as a hiding place of drug stashes as well as a meeting point of druggies. In some areas the walk ways are not suitable for all There is no access for people with disabilities or wheel chair users.”
“Flooding” / “Flooding High water run offs” / “Flooding on Wear”
Image 107: Visualisation of comments from members of the community around Twizell Burn (www.wordle.net)
157
“Pretty clean at the minute Pollution was bad when the waste transfer station was first built - much better now. There is a man hole cover in South Moor that floods when it rains heavy - used (4 years ago) - not sure whether it has been fixed now.”
“No issues at quaking houses with the burn. The drift area has already been concreted over - would have been nice to see some interpretation panels there but too late now”
“Encourage local ownership and pride in the area. Improving access and awareness of history.”
“Pollution needs to be cleaned at check pollution levels. Improve for wildlife. Think the Cong is fairly good. unsure of Twizell”
“Overgrown in the summer. ASB in and mound the area. Assorted litter. Fires”
2. What Improvements would you like to see?
Access & Recreation - 88.9%
Maintenance of green space - 72.2%
Conservation - 63.9%
Preventing and reducing the risk of flooding - 55.6%
SuDS - 55.6%
Cultural and Heritage improvements to existing areas such as war memorials, Roman sites etc. - 50.0%
Community hydro-electricity scheme - 50.0%
Education - 44.4%
3. If improvements were made to the following, would you use them?
Improved access to the burn and surrounding areas including footpaths, disabled access etc. - 93.8%
Improvements to bankside habitat - 65.6%
New parkland / recreation areas - 65.6%
Improvements to important habitats such as Local Nature Reserves and Special Sites of Scientific Interest - 59.4%
Improvement to interpretation and education information of historical and cultural sites - 53.1%
Improvement to interpretation and education information of habitats and biodiversity - 50.0%
Improvement to fisheries for recreation - 28.1%
4. Would you be interested in learning more about the Burn and its tributaries?
51.4% replied ‘Yes’
5. If you answered ‘Yes’ to question 4, what would you like to learn more about?
Access and recreation - 63.1%
History and culture - 63.1%
Biodiversity and conservation - 52.6%
Pollution prevention - 52.6%
SuDS and wrong connections - 36.8%
Fishing - 21.1%
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6. Would you be interested in getting involved in this project?
41.2% indicated they would be interested in getting involved in the project
7. If you answered ‘Yes’ to question 6, please specify the type of project you are interested in
Practical conservation - 61.5%
Practical access improvements - 53.9%
Litter picking and clean up projects - 53.9%
Reporting issues / becoming a volunteer warden - 23.1%
Data collection - 15.4%
8. If you are interested in volunteering, please leave your contact details
15 individuals supplied contact details to be volunteers
Image 108: Example of community engagement flyer
159
Image 109: Twizell Burn / Cong Burn at the confluence with the River Wear
160
4. South Moor Heritage Trail Plan
It is proposed that a Heritage Trail will be designed to
celebrate many of the historical links to the industrial past
around South Moor, as well to recognise the sacrifice the
community made in World War One, especially with members
of the mining community losing their lives at war.
A draft copy of the planned route can be seen opposite and it
is hoped that this would link in to any further heritage or
landscape trails in the area. It is also hoped that this trail
would stimulate improved access and develop an
understanding between the current environment and past
activities within the Twizell Burn catchment.
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3. Fairhurst Primary Area Masterplan
As defined in the Fairhurst South Moor Surface Water
Management, the primary study area encompasses 6 streets
in the South Moor Empty Homes Cluster, which includes
William Street, John Street, Pine Street, Poplar Street, Elm
Street and Maple Street.
SuDS proposed include:
Stormwater Planters
Rain Gardens
Bio-swales
Tree planting
The SuDS plan for the primary study area details the 6 streets
and proposed locations for the SuDS as described above.
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164
Groundwork NE & Cumbria The Greenhouse Amos Drive Greencroft Industrial Park Annfield Plain Co. Durham DH9 7XN Environment Agency North East Area Office Tyneside House Skinnerburn Road Newcastle Business Park Newcastle upon Tyne NE4 7AR Durham County Council County Hall Aykley Heads Durham DH1 5UQ