Parish Council News
Parish Council meetings are held at Toft Hill and Etherley Community Centre
PLEASE NOTE THAT THE NEXT PARISH COUNCIL MEETING WILL BE HELD ON
THURSDAY 18TH JANAURY 2024 AT 7.00P.M.
Please go to the Parish Council/Agendas/Minutes/Finance for details
Latest updates received by the Parish Council from Durham County Council
Re-Routing of the A68 At Toft Hill
The Parish Council has received numerous enquiries regarding progress with the work to re-route the A68 at Toft Hill and asking when the work will begin.
Recently Durham County Council confirmed that a Public Consultation period would begin early December but dates are yet to be confirmed. Although a date was provided by Durham County Council for publication in our Christmas 2023 newsletter this was changed after going to print. We apologise that the newsletter provided incorrect information and await further details from Durham County Council. The County Council has confirmed that residents will be provided with more details on the format of the consultation.
As mentioned in the newsletter Members of the Parish Council are disappointed that we have not been provided with any further information to share with residents as this point in time.
(IUpdated 2nd December 2023)
The latest copy of Durham County News can be accessed on line using following link:
Levelling Up Fund
County Council Statement
The County Council was awarded £20 million in the first round of the Level Up Fund which will help in delivering a heritage corridor masterplan focussed on the visitor attraction Locomotion in Shildon and the Stockton and Darlington Railway Line.
It will also allow the re-routing of the A68 at Toft Hill, creating a new 1.6-kilometre bypass away from the village centre to help to improve journey times, reduce traffic and improve road safety through the village.
Whorlton Bridge, the UK's oldest road suspension bridge in Teesdale, will also benefit. The bridge has been closed to all users since December 2020, but with funding now in place to support the necessary works, it is planned to reopen in summer 2023. A visitor centre will be developed as part of the works, allowing users to celebrate the bridge's transport heritage.
The link below gives access to the full 'Levelling up Statement' released by Durham County Council in December 2021