Northumberland Bin Collections , Week commencing 21st April

To quote from the Northumberland County Council Website 

"Bank holiday bin collections Easter (21-28 Apr)

Bank holiday bin collections will be one day late during the week beginning Mon 21 April 2014   (Bank Holiday Mon )  "

As a reminder, next week is a "Blue bin week" ( ie Dry recyclable Collection )

Blyth Town Council meetings, week commencing 21st April

There is only one meeting at Blyth Town Council next week

Thursday 24th April, 6:30 at Arms Evertyne House, Planning & Development Committee

The Events Committee that was originally scheduled for Tuesday (22nd ) has been cancelled, as it was held on this Tuesday .... I only found out about it at short notice and the diary of meetings on the council's website did not, at the time of my last weeks post, include the meeting

The effect of the Beeching report in Northumberland

I was talking during the week with a chap in Blyth about the proposals to bring railways back to this area by starting passenger services along the former Blyth and Tyne line.

I really don't think that his suggestion of bringing the Metro to Blyth is a starter, as the overhead lines would need to be installed. But, the use of the line for light DMUs is a distinct possibilty.

He had to reminded that this would not bring the railway back to Blyth, which was served by a short branch now lost, but to Newsham and / or Bebside which would need stations to be rebuilt, even if only short platforms and "bus shelters". And people from Blyth would need to find their way to these stations to then take the train, but that's another argument entirely.

I am hopeful that this plan is possible, and I support the principle even if much of the detail needs to be agreed..

However, his views on how the Beeching report "decimated the railways in Northumberland" left me curious. Overall the report took out much of the then railway mileage, about a third I believe. Many of the stations were uneconomical and much under used.

But in Northumberland I think that the cuts affected this corner of South East Northumberland only. The railway stations in the rest of Northumberland had already been cut.

I'll give details of the lines and years of closure of most of the stations on those lines :-

Allendale Branch     1930

Wansbeck line (Meldon & Scots gap up to Woodburm and Reedsmouth)     1952

Rothbury Branch     1952

Ponteland and Darras Hall Branch     1929

Stations at Heddon on the Wall, North Wylam and Newburn   1958

Border Counties Railway ( Bellingham, Wall, Falstone, up to Kielder ) 1955 and 1956

Amble Branch 1930

Alnwick to Cornhill   1930

So although the Beeching recommendations  did take the Blyth, Bedlington and Newbiggin lines off the railway map , a lot of Northumberland had already lost the railways.

Easter Continental Market ...18th to 20th April

Blyth Town Council , Meetings week beginning 14th April

There are no scheduled meetings at Blyth Town Council this week

Annual Town Meeting

This year's Annual Town Meeting has been arranged for Wednesday 9th April at 6:30 pm

This is not a normal meeting of the Town Council , but follows the format shown on the notice below.

The meeting has been arranged at short notice due to the "purdah period" before the European Elections. Unfortunately I'll not be there as I will be on a family holiday

My apologies about the document. It came to me as a .pdf file. I had to print it, then scan it as a .jpg file to allow it to be posted on this site. It lost resolution in all the tech-gubbins.

Blyth Town Council , Meetings week commencing 31st March 2014

As far as I am aware there is one meeting at BTC next week

Planning and Development Committee, Thursday 3rd April , 6:30 at Arms EverTyne House