Owners of derelict church hit with Durham County Council's highest ever fine
Purvis Construction NE Ltd, based on Silkworth Road in Sunderland, owns the grade II listed St Aidan's Church in Blackhill.
The company was taken to court for the second time by Durham County Council in relation to the now-closed church's condition.
St Aidan's Church, Blackhill, County Durham (Image: NE NEWS) Magistrates heard how the company failed to start or complete any work to address the state of disrepair the church was found to be in.
This week, the court chose to impose a financial penalty of £500 for each day that has passed since the first prosecution, which is the maximum amount allowed.
In total, this amounted to £124,800 - the council's highest ever financial penalty.
But, since the company failed to attend court, it has now been hit with more costs, and is now facing a £134,800 fine in relation to the church.
In November 2023, the council served the company a Section 215 maintenance notice requiring them to carry out repairs to the building's roof, clear pipes, replace windows and cut back plants on the property.
Damage to the roof of St Aidan's Church, Blackhill, County Durham (Image: NE NEWS)
Damage to the roof of St Aidan's Church, Blackhill, County Durham (Image: NE NEWS) The company failed to respond to the notice within the 16 weeks given to act, resulting in them being taken to court by the council and, after failing to turn up, being ordered to pay £10,000.
A year later, in December 2024, the church had fallen into such a state of disrepair that it was no longer wind or watertight and was having a 'negative impact on the appearance of the surrounding area', which led the council to prosecute Purvis for the first time.
Overgrown plants and damage to St Aidan's Church, Blackhill, County Durham (Image: NE NEWS) Councillor Lyndsey Fox, the council's cabinet member for economy and partnerships, said: 'St Aidan's occupies a prime place in Blackhill and its listed status and the fact it is within the local conservation area add to its importance locally.
'Regrettably, over time it has been allowed to fall into a state of disrepair and that has upset a lot of people living in the area who regard the old church as an important part of their heritage.
'We share their concerns and that is why we served an enforcement notice compelling the owner to carry out work.
'More than a year and a half later and despite the company being ordered to pay £10,000 following our first prosecution, no work has been started or completed.
Read more
Woman hit with £600 fine after dumping bath and rubbish outside homeMan fined for being drunk and disorderly in Durham city centre - at 8.15amCowboy builder faces jail after leaving County Durham family £62k out of pocket
'We are really pleased that the court has taken this latest prosecution so seriously and has meted out what amounts to our highest ever financial penalty.
'We hope that penalty might serve as food for thought for any property owners who might not look after important heritage assets as well as they could.'
Despite being continually made aware of their convictions, the company has to date failed to start or finish any of the works required.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
01-08-2025
- Yahoo
Owners of derelict church hit with Durham County Council's highest ever fine
The owners of a listed church has been hit with Durham County Council's highest ever penalty of almost £125,000 for failure to carry out repairs. Purvis Construction NE Ltd, based on Silkworth Road in Sunderland, owns the grade II listed St Aidan's Church in Blackhill. The company was taken to court for the second time by Durham County Council in relation to the now-closed church's condition. St Aidan's Church, Blackhill, County Durham (Image: NE NEWS) Magistrates heard how the company failed to start or complete any work to address the state of disrepair the church was found to be in. This week, the court chose to impose a financial penalty of £500 for each day that has passed since the first prosecution, which is the maximum amount allowed. In total, this amounted to £124,800 - the council's highest ever financial penalty. But, since the company failed to attend court, it has now been hit with more costs, and is now facing a £134,800 fine in relation to the church. In November 2023, the council served the company a Section 215 maintenance notice requiring them to carry out repairs to the building's roof, clear pipes, replace windows and cut back plants on the property. Damage to the roof of St Aidan's Church, Blackhill, County Durham (Image: NE NEWS) Damage to the roof of St Aidan's Church, Blackhill, County Durham (Image: NE NEWS) The company failed to respond to the notice within the 16 weeks given to act, resulting in them being taken to court by the council and, after failing to turn up, being ordered to pay £10,000. A year later, in December 2024, the church had fallen into such a state of disrepair that it was no longer wind or watertight and was having a 'negative impact on the appearance of the surrounding area', which led the council to prosecute Purvis for the first time. Overgrown plants and damage to St Aidan's Church, Blackhill, County Durham (Image: NE NEWS) Councillor Lyndsey Fox, the council's cabinet member for economy and partnerships, said: 'St Aidan's occupies a prime place in Blackhill and its listed status and the fact it is within the local conservation area add to its importance locally. 'Regrettably, over time it has been allowed to fall into a state of disrepair and that has upset a lot of people living in the area who regard the old church as an important part of their heritage. 'We share their concerns and that is why we served an enforcement notice compelling the owner to carry out work. 'More than a year and a half later and despite the company being ordered to pay £10,000 following our first prosecution, no work has been started or completed. Read more Woman hit with £600 fine after dumping bath and rubbish outside homeMan fined for being drunk and disorderly in Durham city centre - at 8.15amCowboy builder faces jail after leaving County Durham family £62k out of pocket 'We are really pleased that the court has taken this latest prosecution so seriously and has meted out what amounts to our highest ever financial penalty. 'We hope that penalty might serve as food for thought for any property owners who might not look after important heritage assets as well as they could.' Despite being continually made aware of their convictions, the company has to date failed to start or finish any of the works required.
Yahoo
15-07-2025
- Yahoo
County Durham takeaway accused of employing illegal workers faces review
A Chinese takeaway accused of employing illegal workers will face a licensing review. The future of New Red Lantern, Chester-le-Street, will be considered by Durham County Council at a meeting next week. Immigration officers raided the Front Street premises on February 8 and arrested two people after discovering they worked there illegally. A total of eight illegal workers have been encountered during three visits between 2019 and 2025, according to the Home Office. 'Immigration Enforcement has serious concerns that repeated breaches of the prevention of crime and disorder objective are taking place at the premises, due to a failure to conduct right to work checks on staff,' a report said. The behaviour of an unnamed member of staff, who obstructed and assaulted an officer, was labelled 'completely unacceptable'. Staff are also accused of refusing to cooperate with officers' investigations and shouting warnings to workers to evade detection. Following the latest raid, the Home Office has requested that the premises licence be revoked. The report added: 'This premises has repeatedly been found using illegal workers. It is considered that this shows a failure to uphold the licensing objectives. 'The first visit should have served as an opportunity to improve their business practices; however, this was not the case. The assault on an immigration officer is also a serious aggravating factor in this case.' Licence holder Song Min He said they rented the takeaway to another company in 2022 due to illness. The business has already been fined £28,000 for employing workers illegally, with another potential penalty under consideration. Reform UK reveals 5 key priorities for the future of County Durham Council plans tougher HMO rules to balance County Durham communities Plea to reverse decision to close County Durham hospital treatment centre overnight Responding to the licence review, Song Min He said: 'I know that it is wrong to employ people who are not allowed to work in this country. As I am now slowly recovering, I have taken steps to terminate the contract with Dhax Limited. 'I have agreed with a new tenant. I have emphasised to them that they must not employ illegal workers.' The council's licensing committee is due to decide on Tuesday (July 22).
Yahoo
05-06-2025
- Yahoo
Improvements to key A167 junctions in Newton Aycliffe now complete
Three key junctions along the A167 in Newton Aycliffe have been improved and are now fully open. The upgrades at Rushyford Roundabout, Central Avenue, and Ricknall Lane aim to boost road capacity, to support the planned 1,435-home development at the Copelaw site. The work, partially delivered by Durham County Council, was funded with £7.135 million from the Homes England Housing Infrastructure Fund. (Image: DCC) As a result, the site, located to the east of Newton Aycliffe, is more accessible for future development. The Copelaw site, surrounded by farmland, was allocated in the County Durham Plan in 2020. Developed in partnership with the Church Commissioners for England, it is set to include 92 extra care apartments, a local centre, and a primary school. (Image: DCC) The site will also feature pedestrian and cycle routes, as well as open spaces and landscaping. Councillor Lyndsey Fox, Durham County Council's member for economy and partnership, said: "It's fantastic to see work finally completed on these improvements to the A167, and progress being made toward facilitating this major housing development. "Improved road capacity at these junctions will go a long way towards reducing congestion and improving safety, while also paving the way for improved connections to the Copelaw development and surrounding areas. (Image: DCC) "I want to thank all road users and residents for their patience while this work was being carried out." Pauline Schaffer, director of infrastructure funding for Homes England, added: "Funding from the Housing Infrastructure Fund has enabled the council to make vital improvements to the A167 in Newton Aycliffe. (Image: DCC) Read more: Plans to build homes on site of former County Durham nursing home withdrawn North East water company to pay out £15.7 million for failures in sewage network Clubbers get Darlington venue 'bouncing' at floor-filling daytime disco "The completion of these works marks a significant moment for the Copelaw project and an excellent example of how we are helping local authority partners like Durham County Council to create new homes and thriving places people can be proud of." Details on the infrastructure works can be found at The full application is available on the council's planning portal. Planning permission for the site is currently pending determination.
