ABOUT £9million is to be invested in upgrading sewage facilities in the Gaunless Valley.
The work will ensure that effluent released into the river Gaunless from three Northumbrian Water sewage plants meets stringent new Environment Agency standards.
Plans have already been submitted to Durham County Council for permission to upgrade Ramshaw Sewage Treatment Works.
The application asks for consent to erect a motor control centre kiosk at the site
The water company states: “The kiosk has been designed to be fit for purpose, but is as small as possible whilst meeting operational needs on site. The materials and finishes used for the kiosk have been designed to help it ensure that it blends into the surroundings causing minimal visual intrusion.
“The proposed kiosk would be constructed on an area of grassland within the sewage treatment works site which is of low ecological value.”
Along with the control centre, the water company has plans for a new ferric sulphate and sodium hydroxide storage and dosing plant, new chemical storage bunds, emergency shower and eye baths and a new filter recirculation system.
Depending on planning permission, Northumbrian Water said the work is scheduled to start this year and would take about 18 months to complete.
Meanwhile, project manager for Northumbrian Water Dean Thompson confirmed investment will also be made at the sewage treatment works at Butterknowle and Cockfield.
He said: “The proposed work would involve the upgrade of various assets and processes at our sites. This will ensure treatment meets the latest regulations and returns water back into the environment at the highest standards possible.
“We are working closely with customers to ensure they are kept fully informed about our improvement work and to ensure any disruption is kept to a minimum.
“A further drop-in event will be held in the next few months where customers will get a chance to talk with our project team about any concerns or questions they may have.”
Under the new National Environmental Programme sewage treatment plants plant must achieve a national average phosphorous consent of 1mg/l and iron of 4mg/l.
![A COUNTY councillor is backing a campaign to get a pedestrian crossing in Staindrop. Frustrated parish councillors in the village summoned their county council representative Cllr George Richardson to their latest meeting to discuss several issues, including the call for a safe way to cross the A688. Earlier this year their request for a crossing was turned down by the county council’s highways officers. Parish council chairman Jonothan Raper described the reasons for the refusal as “spurious” and called on Cllr Richardson to support their campaign. He added: “One of the arguments they made was there is no clear line of desire when they studied the village – well this isn’t a clear line of desire because there isn’t a crossing, people cross whenever they can. “When the lollipop person was there, one of the things I noticed was people would walk all the way down to the lollipop person to cross the road to go to the shop or to go to the school.” He added a problem of parking at the primary school is exacerbated because people are too afraid to walk their children across the road. Cllr Richardson said he had supported previous attempts for a crossing point with the first being made about 15 years ago. He added: “We went fairly well down the road with that and they looked into it. The only recommended place was where the bus stop is and to get the visibility splays, people on the other side of the road would lose their parking. “That didn’t go down well so it just died a death.” Cllr Raper said he suspected the real reason for the officers’ refusal was the cost of installing a crossing. He added that much of the cost could be recovered from savings made on not having to employ a lollipop patrol. Cllr Raper said: “A lollipop person only provides a benefit of crossing for three hours of the day. You are getting 21 extra hours of crossing time [with a pedestrian crossing].” Cllr Richardson said he would raise the issue with the county council’s cabinet member for highways, Cllr John Shuttleworth.](https://teesdalemercury.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/georgeR-120x86.jpg)
