Planning permission granted, paving the way for MandM Direct to move into former Debenhams unit in Hereford.

Carney Sweeney planning consultants submitted a planning application on behalf of MandM Direct for a variation of use at the former Debenhams unit at the Old Market Shopping Centre in Hereford by changing the upper floor space into offices earlier this year.

MandM Direct previously said that if the plans were approved that they would move from their current head office in Leominster to the shopping centre in a bid to attract staff.

Herefordshire Council has now given the green light for these changes, which will also see new windows overlooking Newmarket Street and a new doorway. The featured escalator inside will be removed altogether.

FREE Staff Parking: 119 parking spaces allocated to staff to park for free on weekdays.

Planning application P221678/O

Hereford & Worcester Fire and Rescue Service and West Mercia Police attended a fire on the field behind Vernon's Williams Close in Newton Farm, Hereford last night.

There have been a number of similar incidents which Hereford Cops (SNT) are monitoring and all have been very dangerous.

If you have any information regarding this, please contact 101.

A government minister has rejected the council's bid to gain special protection for the polluted River Wye.

Herefordshire councillors voted to back bringing in a water protection zone (WPZ), which would place tighter restrictions on pollution sources.

But Rebecca Pow said it would lead to extra regulatory burdens compared "to businesses in other areas".

The river has had excessive algae growth often caused by high phosphate levels in the water.

In January, a full meeting of councillors voted unanimously to back bringing in a WPZ for the Wye catchment, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

It is a measure which would place tighter restrictions on farms and other pollution sources, but which only a government minister can implement.

Council leader David Hitchiner then wrote to Ms Pow, minister for nature recovery and the domestic environment, urging her to bring in the measure, given that "existing regulatory arrangements are insufficient" to deal with the pollution problem.

He said farmers in the county "on the leading edge of farming innovation… would have little to fear from a WPZ as they are doing the right thing anyway".

Ms Pow met Mr Hitchiner and other senior figures at the river shortly afterwards, but she warned at the time that such a zone "would be another tier of regulation".

Now in a letter, which has been published among papers for Wednesday's Wye Catchment Nutrient Management Board meeting, the minister has written back to say a WPZ "would impose new and distinct regulatory obligations on the farmers and businesses within the catchment".

This "would lead to additional regulatory burdens in comparison to businesses in other areas of the country", she said.

The council has been invited to comment by the BBC.

Herefordshire Council has attempted to gain special protection for the River Wye, which is seen here (below) from Symonds Yat Rock.

Source | BBC

TV’s Time Team star Sir Tony Robinson has shown his support for our campaign to bring the hoard home to Herefordshire.

As well as playing Baldrick in the television series Blackadder, and presenting Around the World by Train, Sir Tony is an amateur historian and archaeologist with a keen interest in Anglo Saxon England.

Learning about our campaign to bring the hoard home to Herefordshire, Sir Tony says:

“I’ve always been fascinated by Alfred the Great and his battles alongside his Mercian allies against the great Viking Army. The Herefordshire Hoard offers a fantastic insight into this world and even gives us solid evidence about a previously unrecognised alliance between Alfred and the King of Mercia. It’s a hoard of national importance and should certainly have pride of place in Hereford Museum.”

Sir Tony’s support is backed up by Herefordshire’s Lord-Lieutenant’s. Edward Harley, OBE, says:

"I am delighted to offer support to this very significant campaign to bring the Herefordshire Hoard back to the county.

“The hoard is the single most important archaeological find from the county in half a century, and is of national significance, rewriting our understanding of history at a time when the English nation was forming from a number of separate kingdoms into a unified country.

“The beauty and rarity of the objects alone are culturally valuable and the hoard tells us so much about society during the Anglo-Saxon and Viking period. The fundraising campaign to acquire this treasure, to give the people of the county and the whole country, the chance to see it publicly displayed in our beautiful city of Hereford, is an aspiration I wholeheartedly support."

Upcoming events

The Herefordshire Hoard roadshow storms into Leominster Community Centre on Saturday 2 July. Be there between 11-3pm to see costumed re-enactors who have some old tales to tell about life as a Viking.

The next time to see items from the Herefordshire Hoard at the Museum Resource and Learning Centre is between 10.30-3.30pm on Wednesday 6 July. There is no need to book onto this free event – simply turn up at Hereford’s Friars Street venue to feast your eyes on the treasure.

Meanwhile, an illustrated lecture by Herefordshire archaeologist, Peter Reavill, takes place at the same venue between 10-12pm, Thursday 21 July.

For details of other events, and to keep up-to-date with all hoard-related news, visit the official website.

I have taken an abandoned ASDA trolley off my street and placed it in my garden. Children have been using it to get on the garage roofs.

To get the trolley picked up I started by going to the Herefordshire Council Website - report an abandoned shopping trolley. To report an abandoned trolley, please identify the retailer it belongs to, then call the relevant collection service below. 

In this case a company called Trolleywise deal with ASDA trolleys. So I sent a report to Tolleywise only to receive an email saying that:

Good morning Martin,

Thank you for your email.

Unfortunately we are not contracted to collect ASDA trolleys anymore. You need to contact your local store for organising the collection.

Kind regards,
Trolleywise team

Before I rang the store I called Herefordshire Council to tell them the information on their website was not up to date, and that maybe the other supermarkets contracted to Trolleywise were in the same situation. The lady at the council also said contact ASDA direct to recover the trolley. 

When I rang ASDA T: 01432 346300 this is what you hear:

Thank you for calling ASDA Hereford. To keep improving our service we may record or monitor your calls.

If a customer press 1 
If a colleague press 2
If a supplier or contractor press 3

press 1 and you get this:

Due to unprecedented demand we cannot connect your call to our store. Please visit our website.
This takes you to the Trolleywise section on the website which states:

Have you found an Asda trolley in your community that has been taken from our store? Let us know exactly where it is and we’ll come and collect it and return it back to Asda.

Ha Ha technology overpowers humanity again. It is impossible to speak to a human being when resolving problems nowadays.

Oh I have just taken another abandoned trolley off the street. I now have got two trolleys in my garden.
I better report this to the council ! ! ! !

I have a better idea - the local scrap dealer comes round the street every Sunday so if the the trolleys are not picked up by then he can have them.

To commemorate the 40th Anniversary of the Falklands War and to celebrate Armed Forces Week, the Mayor of Hereford Mark Dykes was invited by Rear Admiral Wilcox to host a lunch for forces veterans at Hereford Town Hall.

The 40th Anniversary of Falklands was particularly special to the City of Hereford, as during the conflict the City adopted the HMS Antelope, a frigate of the Royal Navy that was sunk by Argentine aircraft. 255 men died during the Falklands War, with 28 of those having their roots in Herefordshire.

On Sunday 19th June, Hereford was honoured to receive both the Captain and the crew of HMS Antelope, along with many other armed forces veterans, including members of the SAS. Of those in attendance was also General Sir Michael Rose KCB, CBE, DSO, QGM, and many other high-ranking personnel.

The Mayor of Hereford Mark Dykes, also an armed forces veteran, was delighted to have been presented with a shield from the SAS 22 Regiment, which will be displayed in Hereford Town Hall.

The HMS Antelope, adopted by the City of Hereford, was sunk by Argentine ordinance explosives. Attacked by aircraft, the Antelope was struck by bombs which failed to explode, and though attempts were made to disarm these devices, the bomb ultimately exploded and the order was given to abandon the vessel. Two servicemen perished due to the attack, while the remaining 41 survived.

It was an honour to commemorate the brave efforts of those who have served our Country and celebrate those who still serve. We also remember the fallen, who fell in the line of duty and paid the ultimate sacrifice. Lest we forget.

The Royal British Legion have created a message board for those wishing to pay a tribute and honour the lives and sacrifices made at https://www.britishlegion.org.uk/get-involved/ways-to-give/poppy-press/your-falklands-messages

If you need support or someone to talk to locally, please contact Herefordshire Veteran Support Centre (https://herefordshire-vsc.org) on 01432 260656 or the Herefordshire Mental Health 24 hour helpline on 0808 196 9127.

Source | Hereford City Council

Originally this was our 2022 April fools prank on our Facebook page, nut we had a huge response! So seriously would you like to see something like this come to Hereford?

They had an event in Gloucester city centre a few years ago, see here 👉 https://bit.ly/3J0DMHB

Let us know your thoughts..

Here are some photographs that we have taken to highlight just how bad and BIG these weeds have become along the Belmont Road (A465) in Hereford.

The weed on the traffic lights junction just before the Asda garage is that big it is now more of a bush but clearly blocks the view for motorists and has now become more of a hazard.

The Belmont Road as we all know, is one of the busiest roads into Hereford and this is what people visiting our city first see...

At Hereford Voice we constantly focus on being 'Positive' about our beautiful city however, it becomes more challenging for us when weeds like this remain completely untouched for years with no sign of them being removed.

There are plenty of overgrown weeds throughout the city, so come on Herefordshire Council can we please have more pride in our lovely city of Hereford..

On the seventh anniversary of his death detectives investigating the murder of Christian Bagley are making a direct appeal to a potential witness, an Audi driver, to contact the investigation team.

Christian, who was 30 years old, was stabbed as he walked under the Hunderton Bridge in Hereford on Father’s Day, Sunday 21st June 2015. 
At the time a murder investigation was launched and so far several people have been arrested and released without charge but officers have not given up the search for his killer.

As enquiries continue, officers are keen to speak to the driver of a dark-toned Audi A4 Avant B8 model, manufactured between 2008 and 2016. The vehicle was seen driving between Sainsbury’s and ASDA between 10.37pm and 10:50pm on the night of Christian’s murder.

Senior Investigating Officer, Detective Chief Inspector Leighton Harding, who is leading the investigation, said: “It has been seven years since Christian was fatally stabbed in Hereford and during this time we have continued to investigate his murder.

“However, despite our investigation making significant progress and several people arrested, to date, no-one has yet been brought to justice for his murder. I am absolutely committed to ensuring Christian’s family find out what happened to him on that fateful night and to bring those responsible for his murder to justice, which is why I’m making a further direct appeal today.

“We have viewed hours and hours of CCTV footage and have identified a vehicle that was seen travelling between Sainsbury’s and ASDA stores in Hereford between 10:37pm and 10:50pm on the night of Christian’s murder. The vehicle is believed to be a dark-toned Audi A4 Avant B8 model, manufactured between 2008 and 2016.

“At 10:37pm the vehicle travels along Eign Street from the direction of the A49 Victoria Street towards Sainsbury’s at Barton Place. The vehicle leaves shortly after and is seen again driving on and off the forecourt of nearby Shell Service Station at Whitecross Road. The vehicle travels back along Eign Street towards the A49 Victoria Street and is next seen again at 10:47pm pulling up on the main car park at ASDA, Belmont Road.

“The male driver got out of the car and approached the entrance of the store, which was closed at that time. He is believed to have seen another person walking near to the store, who he may have spoken to briefly before returning to the vehicle and leaving.

“I want the driver of this vehicle to contact us or Crimestoppers as he may have significant information that could assist the investigation. I would like to offer my assurances to the driver that I do not in any way believe they were involved in Christian’s murder but may be a key witness and have information that can help with our investigation.

“I recognise that the passage of time presents difficulties for people being able to remember where they were and what they were doing, however, I hope that by releasing details of the Audi, CCTV footage of the movements and description of the driver’s activities at ASDA will help trigger their memory and cause them to contact the investigation team”.

To coincide with the anniversary of Christian’s murder Crimestoppers are offering a £20,000 reward.

DCI Harding added: “I know there will be people with information about Christian’s murder and understand they may not want to speak to police. If you have information about Christian’s murder please pass this on to Crimestoppers.

“Crimestoppers is an independent charity, separate from police, and is 100% anonymous. Police will never know the identity of anyone who contacts Crimestoppers. 

“If the information provided to Crimestoppers leads to the arrest and conviction of Christian’s killer you could be eligible for a £20,000 reward.”

To provide information to the police, dial 101 quoting incident 717s of 21 June 2015. Alternatively, you can submit information online via the Police Major Incident Public Reporting Site, otherwise known as the MIPP (access here: Public Reporting Site). This is a direct line into detectives investigating the murder.

West Mercia Police are calling for help after a body was found in the River Wye, near to Greyfriars Avenue in Hereford on Saturday morning.

The body has been identified as 69-year-old Christopher Cooper. He was last seen near The Black Lion pub on Bridge Street at around 9pm on Friday.

He was 5’10” - 6’0” tall, slim build, short brown greying hair and was wearing a navy jumper, black jeans, black trainers & baseball cap.

Anyone who saw Christopher from 9pm on Friday - 10am on Saturday is asked to contact Hereford Cops via 101 quoting incident 220i of 18 June.

This is the first of three new moss filters being installed in the Hereford.

Moss is one of nature’s best air filters. Moss has the natural ability to absorb and metabolise fine dust and particles, helping to naturally clean the air we breathe. Moss also stores and evaporates large amounts of moisture which cools the air.

Also known as ‘city trees’ the moss filters each take up about the same amount of space as one tree, however due to the enormous surface area of moss the moss filter is more efficient at filtering and cooling the air around it.

The innovative moss filters have been funded jointly by the council and Marches LEP as part of the ongoing £6m Hereford City Centre Improvement project, which is enhancing the City Centre environment thanks to investment to encourage people to spend more time in the City when they visit, helping to boost the local economy.

Moss mats clean about 80% of fine dust and particles from the air, and using ventilation technology filters breathing air for up to 7,000 people per hour.

The moss filters will be located in busy traffic areas in the City where they will use specially selected mosses to help naturally absorb pollution from the air. The first is being installed at Eign Gate.

The moss filters contain integrated smart sensors which provide performance and condition information, so the impact on the local air quality will be available for all to see on the council’s website.

Cllr John Harrington, Cabinet member infrastructure and transport, said:

“I am really pleased that we are bringing moss filters to Hereford. This innovative technology provides us with another small but significant step towards cleaner area in the City, which is important for everyone.”

“We are working hard in a number of ways to reduce emissions from vehicles in our beautiful, historic City with the aim of cleaner, healthier air for visitors but that takes time. Nature is lending us a helping hand towards this in the meantime. In London in Waltham Forest and in the City of Cork in Ireland, these moss towers have already been working hard filtering the low hanging pollution we have to deal with every day.

“Moss works differently to trees. Like trees, moss is great at converting carbon dioxide into oxygen, however moss also actually absorbs pollution particles from the air – metabolising and converting them into natural and harmless biomass. The particles it cannot use are bound in the sediment of the moss. And with their excellent moisture storing ability, the moss filters also work more efficiently to cool the air around them.

“I understand one moss filter captures carbon dioxide equivalent to 28 beech trees and cools the air around it like three mature winter lime trees. While trees are also playing an important role in our efforts to improve air quality across the City, the moss filters provide a boost in busy traffic areas where there is higher pollution but little space.”

The first moss filters are being installed in the same week as Clean Air Day, the UK’s largest air pollution campaign, which this year is on Thursday 16 June.

Air pollution causes heart and lung disease and results in over 36,000 people in the UK dying each year. Clean air is essential for our health, and clean air measures are good for our wellbeing as well as being good for the planet.

For more about Clean Air Day, see www.actionforcleanair.org.uk

I met up with Keith Marston yesterday morning to discuss how we can move forward with our Duck Pond Project.

We have agreed our next clean up day will be on Sunday 24th October from 0900-1400.

I think we need to have a good general clean up, remove any litter and objects from within the Pond, where it's safe to do so.

There is plenty of weeding and the clearance of overgrowth from the immediate area around the main part of the Pond and surrounding gardens as well as the other end near to the Fosse.

As a group we can check the fencing and decide an action plan for a bigger event in the Spring of 2022, but at least we can get things moving in October.

We have already secured funds for aeration pumps and we will also look at purchasing these with a view to having them installed hopefully in the Spring or sometime next year.

A full nature plan is what is required with tree surveys etc so we are looking forward to discussing all of these ideas with Herefordshire Council and Hereford City Council.

There are some local groups who are also keen to get involved such as our Friends of the Castle Green.

I have left a message for George Watkins at the Castle Hotel and I have had a good long chat on the phone tonight with Jim Kenyon to see how we move this forward. Jim has some really good ideas, which we welcome.

So please let us know if you can Join us again folks? We need your help! You all did amazing work with us on this project and we would love to see you all again this time.

Make a note in your diaries!

SUNDAY 24th OCTOBER 2021 - 0900-1400

What's On | 🏴‍☠️ Pirate Themed Wye Float 🏴‍☠️

15% OFF for our Hereford Voice followers

We have teamed up with our lovely friends at Wye Float for another fabulous event this year - 13th August 2022 10:00 till late.

Music

Inflatable River Floats

Live Bands

Pirates

Camping

Families Welcome

Fancy Dress

Food, Drink and much much more..

Tickets www.wyefloat.com

15% OFF using code: Hereford Voice

Tenants will soon have a legal right to keep pets in rented homes, forcing landlords to house four-legged companions in their rental properties.

The new rules included in the 'Renters Reform Bill' white paper published this week, will also abolish so-called “no fault” Section 21 evictions.

Details from the 'Department of Levelling up Housing and Communities' 👇

Fairer private rented sector white paper to ensure improvements to the rights and conditions for millions of renters.

New blueprint for renters reform will end the injustice of unfit homes and help protect renters from rising cost of living

• We will ban section 21 ‘no-fault’ evictions and extend the Decent Homes Standard to the sector
• We will end arbitrary rent review clauses, give tenants stronger powers to challenge poor practice, unjustified rent increases and enable them to be repaid rent for non-decent homes
• It will be illegal for landlords or agents to have blanket bans on renting to families with children or those in receipt of benefits
• We will make it easier for tenants to share their homes with much-loved pets

The fairer private rented sector white paper published today (16 June 2022) will ensure millions of families benefit from living in decent, well looked-after homes as part of the biggest shake up of the private rented sector in 30 years.

The white paper marks a generational shift that will redress the balance between landlords and 4.4 million private rented tenants. It provides new support for cost of living pressures with protections for the most vulnerable, and new measures to tackle arbitrary and unfair rent increases. This is part of a wider reform agenda to improve lives and level up the country, delivering more housing and greater protections for tenants and homeowners.

The majority of tenants enjoy safe and secure rentals, but for the 21% of private renter and households who currently live in unfit homes, this ‘New Deal’ will extend the Decent Homes Standard to the private sector for the first time, levelling up opportunities. This means homes must be free from serious health and safety hazards, and landlords must keep homes in a good state of repair so renters have clean, appropriate and useable facilities.

So-called ‘no fault’ section 21 evictions – that allow landlords to terminate tenancies without giving any reason – will be outlawed. More than a fifth of private renters who moved in 2019 and 2020 did not end their tenancy by choice, including 8% who were asked to leave by their landlord.

Measures published today also include:

• Helping the most vulnerable by outlawing blanket bans on renting to families with children or those in receipt of benefits
• For the first time, ending the use of arbitrary rent review clauses, restricting tribunals from hiking up rent and enabling tenants to be repaid rent for non-decent homes. This will make sure tenants can take their landlord to court to seek repayment of rent if their homes are of unacceptable standard
• Making it easier for tenants to have much-loved pets in their homes by giving all tenants the right to request a pet in their house, which the landlord must consider and cannot unreasonably refuse
• All tenants to be moved onto a single system of periodic tenancies, meaning they can leave poor quality housing without remaining liable for the rent or move more easily when their circumstances change. A tenancy will only end if a tenant ends or a landlord has a valid reason, defined in law
• Doubling notice periods for rent increases and giving tenants stronger powers to challenge them if they are unjustified
• Giving councils stronger powers to tackle the worst offenders, backed by enforcement pilots, and increasing fines for serious offences

In addition, the estimated 2.3 million private landlords will have greater clarity and support through the following measures:

• A new 'Private Renters’ Ombudsman will be created to enable disputes between private renters and landlords to be settled quickly, at low cost, and without going to court
• Ensuring responsible landlords can gain possession of their properties efficiently from anti-social tenants and can sell their properties when they need to
• Introducing a new property portal that will provide a single front door to help landlords to understand, and comply with, their responsibilities as well as giving councils and tenants the information they need to tackle rogue operators

These reforms will help to ease the cost of living pressures renters are facing, saving families from unnecessarily moving from one privately rented home to another hundreds of pounds in moving costs.

We have already taken significant action over the past decade to improve private renting, including reducing the proportion of non-decent private rented homes from 37% to 21%, capping tenancy deposits and banning tenancy fees for tenancy agreements signed after 1 June 2019, and introducing pandemic emergency measures to ban bailiff evictions.

Today’s measures will form part of the Renters Reform Bill as announced in the Queen’s Speech, to be introduced in this parliamentary session. This will deliver on our commitment to give renters a better deal and make the private rented sector fit for the 21st century with safer, more secure and higher quality homes.

Levelling Up and Housing Secretary Michael Gove said:

For too long many private renters have been at the mercy of unscrupulous landlords who fail to repair homes and let families live in damp, unsafe and cold properties, with the threat of unfair ‘no fault’ evictions orders hanging over them.

Our New Deal for renters will help to end this injustice by improving the rights and conditions for millions of renters as we level up across the country and deliver on the people’s priorities.

While the majority of private rented homes are of good quality, offering safe, comfortable accommodation for families, the conditions of more than half a million properties – or 12% of households – pose an imminent risk to tenants’ health and safety, meaning around 1.6 million people are living in dangerously low-quality homes, driving up costs for our health service. 

The sector offers the most expensive, least secure, and lowest quality housing to millions of renters, including 1.3 million households with children and 382,000 households over 65. Rents are also rising at their fastest level for 5 years. This can damage life chances and hold back some of the most deprived parts of the country.

Today’s move marks the latest phase in delivering on the government’s levelling up missions, taking serious steps to halve the number of poor-quality rented homes, across both private and social tenures, by 2030.

Last week the government introduced the Social Housing Regulation Bill which means failing social housing landlords could face unlimited fines and Ofsted-style inspections.

In a major reset of power between tenants and landlords, residents will be able to demand information and rate their landlord as part of new satisfaction measures. Taken together with today’s renters reform white paper, the Bill will form a key part of the government’s mission to level up across the country and deliver on the people’s priorities.

Kevin Hill of Tarbock Road, Speke, Liverpool has been jailed for supplying cocaine and possessing offensive weapons.

The 48-year-old from Liverpool was sentenced yesterday (Monday 13 June) at Worcester Crown Court.

He was sentenced to nine years in prison.

An investigation by West Mercia Police with support from Merseyside Police found that between May 2021 and February 2022 Hill led a Liverpool based group responsible for the distribution of wholesale amounts of cocaine into Herefordshire.

Kevin Hill took over this enterprise from his twin brother, Keith Hill of Ridgemoor Road, Leominster, who is himself serving a nine year jail sentence after being sentenced at Worcester Crown Court in August 2021. Both individuals were at the pinnacle of this offending organisation.

It is conservatively estimated that he distributed in excess of a kilo of cocaine, however in reality the figures involved are likely to be more significant.

The police operation gathered significant mobile phone evidence which implicated Hill on a large scale.

He pleaded guilty and received a reduced sentence.

Initially Hill had said that he was a dog breeder and received payments marked up for the sale of XL Bully dogs, this was easily disproven.

Evidence was gathered that demonstrated Hill had a number of contacts in and around Herefordshire, who were themselves dealers in their own right, this included 23 year old Callum Smith of Princess Avenue, Hereford who was sentenced to six years seven months and 32 year old Nathaniel Singleton of Mortimer Street, Leominster, who was sentenced to 33 months.

On 13 October 2021 Nathaniel Singleton was arrested and found in possession of £24,000 of cocaine. On 19 January 2022 Callum Smith was arrested and found in possession of several hundred pounds worth of cocaine. These drugs were supplied by Kevin Hill.

Detective Sergeant Jamie Bullock said: “People involved in this line of work should be mindful that at no point did we seize drugs or money from Kevin Hill. Those in a similar position should use this sentence as a warning that they could be next.

“Anyone with any concerns about potential drug crime is urged to get in touch. We act on all reports we receive.”

You can call 101 or visit https://www.westmercia.police.uk/tua/tell-us-about/

At approximately 3pm on Friday the 10th of June Hereford Cathedral had a window smashed.

This is the second incident that's happened in 10 days. If anyone has witnessed anything regarding this or if you have any information please contact the Police on 101 quoting this reference-22/57628/22.

Any information will be greatly appreciated. 40508

Are you struggling? Or do you know someone else who is?

Hereford Men’s Mental Health group is a friendly, informal safe space to meet for a chat and a cuppa. Why not join us - there's no pressure, no judgement, no assessments. It's peer support, run by people who have experienced mental ill health themselves. Check out the flyer or visit www.s4il.co.uk/HMMH for details

441161572_Flyer-HerefordMensMentalHealthGroup.pdf

The first piece of artwork is already displayed at the Railway Station end of Hereford College of Arts and NMiTE’s new student accommodation but will be officially launched on 15 June.

From June 2022 to April 2023 German artist Lothar Götz will transform the area around No. 1 Station Approach next to Hereford Railway Station. Götz will make two monumental and vibrant geometric artworks that will be displayed on each end of Hereford College of Arts (HCA) and NMiTE’s new student accommodation. A number of dazzling flags designed by the artist will also be sited by No. 1 Station Approach. The artworks will mark the start of a new cultural gateway to Hereford, welcoming visitors and enriching residents’ experience of the city.

UK-based Götz’s intervention will be the first of four new bold commissions of public artwork at the site over four years. The No. 1 Station Approach installation is one of fourteen projects in Hereford that have been made possible thanks to a successful £22.4million funding bid to the Stronger Towns Fund.

Abigail Appleton Principal of Hereford College of Arts and #StrongerHereford Chair said:

“Public art is a wonderful way to signal and celebrate the present and future creativity of our city. I am thrilled that we are kicking off the delivery of Hereford’s visionary Town Investment Plan with a work of such boldness and vibrancy.”

#StrongerHereford Board member Lauren Rogers said:

“I believe having such eye-catching public art in prominent place – a gateway into city – is inspirational, hopefully sparking creativity and more contemporary public art. Art helps us reflect on who we are and who we want to be. I am incredibly proud that Hereford towns Fund bid has been able to support this work.”

An associated engagement programme will reach out to residents, visitors, students, artists as well as the wider community to stimulate debate and showcase Hereford as a cultural destination.

Anne de Charmant, Artistic Director of Meadow Arts said:

“Having Lothar Götz’s intervention to launch the Cultural Gateway commissions is a great honour and a wonderful opportunity for Hereford.”

Götz’s work, typically large-scale paintings, drawings and installations that respond to existing structures have included commissions for South Bank Centre, London (2014); Leeds Art Gallery (2017) and most recently the Towner Art Gallery in Eastbourne (2019) to much acclaim. He is a master in the use of colours, and it is appropriate that his work, which celebrates the great Modernist tradition of the Bauhaus, the influential 1920-30s German art school, should be displayed on a building that hosts art students.

The artworks will be officially launched on Wednesday 15 June including a talk with the artist at Hereford College of Arts’ College Road Campus. Free tickets can be booked via the Meadow Arts website.