Dear Sir,
The letter in Newton News (week ending 9th August) about building on the Cobblers Hall Wetland reminded me of a meeting for local residents held by Sedgefield Borough Council in 2005.
It was to establish a group of “Friends of The Moor Local Nature Reserve” to keep their eyes on the proposed facilities for this designated Local Nature Reserve (LNR).
We were given a glossy leaflet showing a plan of the reserve with fencing and viewing platforms.
The idea was to use the run-off from the new housing area in a ‘SUDS’ or ‘sustainable urban drainage scheme’.  This was to involve an underground storage chamber for any rapid run-off from the housing roads and paved areas which would slowly release its water to the wetland, keeping it healthy by preventing it from  flooding and drying out.
The planning permission was granted by SBC in August 2006, but the housing got delayed. SBC were taken over by Durham County Council and The Moor hasn’t been improved. In fact the Wetland seems to be drying out as it becomes more overgrown.
There is no longer any open water, the moorhen is no longer seen and the skylarks no longer use the field where the housing is to go. I don’t know any details of the latest proposals in terms of drainage, the ‘SUDS’ and the future of the LNR.  Hopefully DCC and the Developers have a plan!
Graham Stevens,
Ashtree Close