Alleygates in County Durham

Gating of private and public alleyways has been undertaken for a number of years, particularly in the inner city areas where burglary and anti-social behaviour are most prevalent. Where alleygates have been the appropriate solution to a problem, the reduction in crime as a result of alleygates has been significant.

In addition to prevention of burglary, gates stop alleyways being used for all kinds of anti-social behaviour such as fly-tipping, littering, drug and alcohol misuse etc. The effect of gating has meant that alleys became safe places for children to play and were reclaimed by the adjoining owners and enhanced with the introduction of planters and other amenity items.

Alleygates are not always the most appropriate or cost-effective method to preventing a crime or anti-social behaviour problem and some environments such as large open plan estates with many thoroughfares do not lend themselves as effectively to alleygating schemes as the rear of terraced properties. Gating of any thoroughfare will require an appropriate alternative route.

Safer communities are important to the people of County Durham and to Durham County Council. Since 1 April 2006 new legislation has enabled the County Council to gate a highway in order to prevent crime or anti-social behaviour from occurring.

Durham County Council will consider all applications for alleygate schemes on public highways where residents are experiencing crime and/or anti-social behaviour problems. Alleygates will remove the opportunity for the crime and anti-social behaviour to be committed in the alley. However, it should be remembered that alleygates will not tackle the root cause of crime and anti-social behaviour in the community and they are not the only solution. You should therefore consider these key questions before you apply:

• Do you have evidence that the alley itself is causing the crime and/or anti-social behaviour problem or making it worse?
• Have you considered or tried other crime prevention methods to try and solve the problems?
• Do you have the support of your local Community Safety Partnership for the scheme?

We have produced a step-by-step guide to help applicants through the gating process. Our Alleygating Guide contains all relevant information regarding the legal installation of alleygates at the entrance of public owned alleyways and provides all the necessary contact details for all appropriate groups. You can obtain a hard copy of the guidance document and the application form from Community Safety or download the attached document. You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader to view this information.

A guide to Alleygating in County Durham.pdf (16 pages, 212kb)

For further information please contact:

Community Safety
Durham County Council
Rivergreen Centre
Aykley Heads
Durham City
DH1 5TS

Tel: 0191 3708757 or 3708739

Email: community.safety@durham.gov.uk

Feedback: Community Safety

Summary of Guidance Document

At a Glance Guide to Alleygating

Approval for alleygate schemes will be dependent upon Durham County Council following procedures laid down by government, which are designed to ensure all relevant interests are considered. You should be mindful that this will mean a scheme could take at least a year to implement from start to finish.

• Contact Community Safety for an informal discussion or for further information on the scheme. They will provide your alley gating pack including application forms and alleygating guide.
• Consult with your neighbours, in writing, using the forms included in your pack. You should aim for full agreement to the scheme from residents bordering the alley. Allowance will be made for empty properties, but residents should endeavour to contact the owners of all properties. Durham County Council will also need to consult with members of the public and interested parties, who may object to the application.
• Arrange a formal meeting with neighbours and set up an Alleygate Committee to take overall responsibility for the scheme.
• Secure funding for the scheme, remembering the advertising costs, maintenance costs etc.
• Complete all application forms and submit to the Community Safety Team of the County Council. Remember to include all the relevant information with your application and that you have the support of your local Community Safety Partnership.
• Should your application be successful the Highway Maintenance section will contact you to discuss your choice of gate design. The County Council will then engage the contractor to measure up, fabricate and install the gates.
• Durham County Council will arrange for the distribution of the keys prior to installation of the gates.
• Organise a clean up of the alley and implement measures to improve the appearance of the alley.

Current Orders

Relating to 52-60 Dere Avenue Bishop Auckland: Documentation in connection with the Order can be viewed at Durham County Council Offices, Director of Environment, County Hall Durham during normal office hours.