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planted seating areas and interactive play features are all part of a series of improvements coming to Yarm High Street later this year
The work builds upon public consultation and focuses on improving accessibility and pedestrian areas
creating new spaces in the High Street and enhancing links to and along the River Tees
The new areas will separate pedestrian areas and large sections of car parking through seating and planting
as well as improve accessibility to public transport
There will be high-quality spaces for people to sit and enjoy their surroundings
This work builds on and complements the recent restoration works to Yarm Town Hall
A number of references to Yarm's history and heritage is also included and interactive play items and 'play on the way' elements are featured in an area near Central Street
Improvements to True Lovers Walk include resurfacing the existing footpath to repair root damage and the playground at Snaith's Field is set to be upgraded with new surfacing and some new play equipment
The work will focus on six areas on Yarm High Street
plus improvements to River Walkways and Snaith's Field:
The programme is being funded as part of the £20million Levelling Up Fund secured from UK Government in 2021
Cabinet Member for Regeneration and Housing
said: "This is an opportunity to bring about further improvements to the High Street which we believe strikes the right balance in meeting the needs of residents
That's why we've refined the proposals based on what people feel is an appropriate level of change
"There'll be more welcoming places for people to sit and enjoy such a pleasant environment
as well as widening areas of the footpath to help the movement of people and to make it more accessible
"This also includes work that enhance spaces beyond the High Street
with emphasis on improving links to and along the River Tees
Work will be programmed in a manner that minimises disruption to all users as far as possible."
The scheme reflects the findings of two public consultations in 2022 to ensure it complements the High Street
An initial consultation was held to find out views on proposed improvements to the High Street and showed a desire to improve footpaths
provide more planting and seating spaces and improve connections to the river
The findings were used to shape and develop concept designs and were presented for a second consultation later in the year
The proposals ranged from a minimum level of planned improvement through to proposals
which explored additional areas of improvement
but would result in the loss of some car parking spaces on the High Street
The results from the consultation showed that on average, 53 per cent of respondents would be accepting of the loss of some parking spaces, depending on the location and what the space would be used for.
The design and location of the new public spaces was refined
with nine car parking spaces to be removed to accommodate the new public realm
The first phase of work is focused on the River Walkways and will begin on Thursday 8 May for around 10 weeks
The High Street works will follow later in the summer once a final programme is confirmed
The Council will be engaging with directly impacted residents and businesses in the coming weeks to explain how the project will be phased during construction
access to businesses and properties will be maintained at all times
To find out more information about the Yarm High Street improvements and to view the full scheme, visit the Yarm High Street webpage.
Major work to protect and strengthen historic Yarm Viaduct for passengers and freight is nearly complete
Network Rail is securing the Grade II listed structure’s supports – known as piers – by drilling more than 600 piles deep into the ground
The £8.2m investment into the 43-arch Victorian viaduct on the Northallerton to Eaglescliffe line will make future journeys more reliable for passengers and freight
Today (Friday 13 December) Network Rail has released drone photography to show the sheer scale of the structure
alongside video footage of the strengthening work
When Yarm Viaduct was built between 1848 and 1852
the foundations of many of its piers were built into the bedrock
and with some of the foundations being made from timber
With varying degrees of support across the structure
it has caused slight movements at some points along the 690-metre-long viaduct
eventually this can lead to structural issues
and from potentially significant delays to trains in future
Network Rail and its contractor AMCO Giffen have found a 21st century civil engineering solution to strengthen the 19th century railway icon
A series of holes were cut through the bottom of each pier inside which steel beams were pushed horizontally
The steel left on show was then encased in a block of concrete
and down through each block a series of piles were then drilled 13-metres deep
A total of 656 piles - which act like massive nails - were fixed into the bedrock underground
As they're attached to the concrete block above
with the new steel beams encased inside which go through the base of each of the viaduct's piers - the modern and the old are fused together
said: “The Victorians did a great job in building this huge structure high over Yarm
but they did not know the same about the geology deep underground as we do today
leading to some of the foundations not being as strong as the others
“Without this multi-million-pound investment
eventually it could have affected the stability of the historic viaduct and resulted in lengthy delays to passenger and freight trains
Doing this preventative work – all while keeping trains running normally above – secures not only the future of the viaduct for our passengers – but also its future as a much-loved icon for people in the town.”
said: “The Yarm Viaduct is a crucial part of our network and I’d like to thank our colleagues at Network Rail and fellow train operators for their support and hard work throughout this project
“The work to this historic structure will mean we can keep passengers on the move in the future.”
The 172-year-old structure carries trains overhead for practically the whole length of the town
but it is nestled in between Yarm’s narrow terraces so the viaduct’s scale isn’t ever entirely seen from street level.
Being so close to properties meant the team had to come up with a practical solution to avoid disturbing residents over the 14-month programme.
a driven piling method powered by hydraulics was adopted
which hardly makes any vibrations (unlike Hammer piling).
This vastly reduces the noise but is also beneficial for the structure itself – being much gentler for the Victorian viaduct.
For more information on how Network Rail repairs and protects heritage structures you can visit: https://www.networkrail.co.uk/who-we-are/our-history/working-with-railway-heritage/
This work completes in the same year as Railway 200
marking the bi-centenary of the invention of the first passenger railway between Darlington and Stockton in September 1825
For more information on the festivities throughout next year, you can visit https://railway200.co.uk/
to grow and expand the nation's railway network to respond to the tremendous growth and demand the railway has experienced - a doubling of passenger journeys over the past 20 years
It was an afternoon to forget for Prudhoe as they fell to a disappointing defeat against Yarm & Eaglescliffe at Essity Park
Three different goalscorers in Joe Hillerby
Joshua Larkin and Reece McMann gave Yarm a cushioned lead going into the second period
before Sam Lawrence made it four in the 70th minute
Matters then got worse for the YC when midfielder Freddie Marr received a second yellow card with ten minutes to go
After beating Billingham Synthonia 3-1 last Saturday
the home side hoped for another strong performance against their high-flying opponents
the visitors came to Essity Park looking to make ground back in the title race
following recent draws against rivals Horden CW
Hillerby produced a moment of individual quality
firing into the top left corner from range to give the away side the lead
Larkin picked up the ball inside the YC box and coolly placed home into the bottom left corner
with Sam Davison’s effort from the edge of the box fizzing just wide of the right post
Yarm took the game away from the YC via McMann
the right back chopped inside the box onto his left foot
It was almost four for the visitors ten minutes into the second half as Joe Dalton rattled the crossbar from distance
with Alfie Conway failing to convert on the follow up
Good combination play from the away side allowed Lawrence to gather the ball at the edge of the box and rifle home
The YC were then forced to play out the final stages of the match with ten men
as Marr received a second booking for dissent
the side will look to bounce back in their penultimate game of the season
They face Darlington Town away from home next Saturday