Saving The Working Boys Home *UPDATE*

[Cambo]

“The transfer deal with HWFRS is the best option for the Bath Street site, as it will not only provide the city with a modern fire and rescue facility, but will also provide land for the delivery of other council priorities on the site of the current fire station on St Owen Street.

Do they think another car park is a council priority??…Bloody car park madness strikes again…there trying to destroy us all with it???!!!!

[dippyhippy]

I think the big plan is to bulldoze High Town, including the Black and White house, and turn it into one enormous surface level car park. This will benefit the thousands of extra shoppers that the council have assured us will travel many miles to visit their beloved OLM development.

 

Of course, in reality, a few will turn up. Laugh at the salt covered walls, grimace at the state of our roads, and despair when they realise there are no toilets.

 

They will not return.

 

Not even for a Nando's.....after all, they probably have one of those in their home town!

And a supermarket....

And a Debenhams...

And a cinema...!!

 

Why would they return??

[Biomech]

and despair when they realise there are no toilets.

 

 

 

There are no public toilets in the OLM?

[Denise Lloyd]

And don't forget the traffic they have to endure before they even get to the spectacular new shopping centre - wow  

[twowheelsgood]

There are no public toilets in the OLM?

 

The OLM is private - why should there be? The council could have insisted on them as part of the deal but … I'm sure Waitrose do a nicer class of toilet.

[SON OF GRIDKNOCKER]

Official Church of England announcement (you read it first on The Voice):-

 

Hear ye, hear ye.  The Sacred (and severly salt-stained) Sepulcre of St Rose of the Long Wait will be officially consecrated by the Chief Priest, His Holiness The Jarvis of All Jarvises on Thursday 1 May @ 10.00am.  Divine communion service, comprising Guatamalan mango slices (instead of Holy wafers), available from Aisle 97 @ £14.99 per pack; and JL Nut Brown Cream Sherry (instead of Holy wine), available from the Wine Counter @ £14.99 a bottle, to be dispensed by The Blessed Roger of Pembridge.

[Guest smartieno1]

I am sure that this decision could be challenged by way of a judicial review:

 http://www.richardbuxton.co.uk/v3.0/node/51

http://www.leighday.co.uk/LeighDay/media/LeighDay/documents/JR-Quicky-and-Easy-Guide.pdf?ext=.pdf

I am in receipt of Income Support and would be willing to apply for legal aid to deal with this issue if you want to discuss moving it forward 

[Guest smartieno1]

I think this firm of Solicitors would be worth approaching if someone can gather together the necessary paperwork:

 http://www.publicinterestlawyers.co.uk

[dippyhippy]

Many thanks for that offer Smartieno1.

 

A decision on our battle plan will be made soon!

[Biomech]

They appear very big those Bath street offices

[dippyhippy]

It's a pretty big site Biomech - about twice the side of the Fire Station site!

 

According to the article in this weeks Journal , this land swap "ensures the council gets the market value equivalent for the site."

 

Hmmmm.....

Council Maths at work again.....!!

[Ubique]

Perhaps , and only perhaps ,if the Council are telling the truth in their press release and are looking for land to build Social Housing ( and in their wisdom ! They have decided that the Working Boys Home must be knocked down ) surely , if that area of land is twice the area of the Fire Station site common sense would suggest that they can build more Social Housing homes on this site than the Fire Station site .

Before someone says that I am talking as if I know nothing about building homes they are right, but I have attended the university of life which included A Grade in common sense!

[twowheelsgood]

The Council don't build social housing (one in a long list of don't's). They will offer it to a 'preferred partner' and beaver away at a secret deal 'to preserve commercial confidentiality'. They still refuse to disclose any information about the Merton Meadows housing which may, or may not, be developed by Sanctuary at some point. The Council say no deal has been done, yet Hereford Futiles claim all manner of the opposite and Sanctuary keep a safe distance.

[Ubique]

From the HCC recent Press Release .......reads as if they do "deliver of other Council Priorities such as Affordable Housing "

Good to read that the posters on this site know better - I trust what most of the posters write .

 

 

The Bath Street offices in Hereford, which are surplus to requirement following the relocation of staff to other locations, will be transferred to HWFRS via a land swap. This not only ensures that the council receives the market value equivalent for the site and isn’t left with a costly vacant property, but also provides land at the former fire station site for the delivery of other council priorities, such as affordable housing.

[megilleland]

Hereford Civic Society

 

Thursday 17 April 2014

Design Review Panels – Is there a need for a Design Review Panel in Herefordshire?  

 

Panels usually consist of a small group of mainly professional people who review planning applications and make recommendations for improvement (if any).  Design Panels are invariably used on larger schemes, such as ESG, where the design would have high public interest.  An illustrated lecture by Architect Angus Jamieson.  

 

Also due to attend is design guru David Tittle from MADE, the Midlands Design Review organisation and a Civic Voice trustee.  

 

All meetings at the Kindle Centre, by ASDA Supermarket, Belmont, Hereford, HR2 7JE. 

7:00pm refreshments for a 7:30pm start.

 

Anyone going tonight?

[twowheelsgood]

I can't but it should be good - Angus is always good entertainment. I don't for one second think that a Design Review Panel would have made much difference to what has been delivered however. There are murmurings from within Planning for the need for a DRP - it would at least allow them abrogate yet more duties to a third party.

[twowheelsgood]

Any hope that these will be saved do you think?

[Denise Lloyd]

I wonder why the Gateway Committee didn't mention the Fire Service move in the 2 sets of Minutes that the public are allowed to read.  They mention a new HQ for the police/the bus station/ a huge doctors surgery/Blueschool Street Council offices/The Oval but alas no mention of this travesty.  It is almost as if it just suddenly appeared.  No doubt the old boy network masterminded this one.  So wrong such a crying shame.  Let us hope HCS will shake them up  a bit.  

[dippyhippy]

Letter from John Bothamley, from HCS in today's HT.

I don't know if this is online yet.

 

I would hope that in the event The Boys Home is demolished, these stones are saved, and relaid somewhere on the site. Perhaps with some inscription on another stone as to the history of the land the new build is sited on.

 

But....it's not quite over yet folks!!

 

There are still a few hoops to be jumped through before all is lost , so let's not give up yet!!

[Ubique]

Yes Dippy , his letter is online.

[dippyhippy]

Thanks Ubique!

Any chance you could add a link for me.....???

[Ubique]

200th post , Dippy , Sorry , I haven't a clue what to do , however I am sure that there will be some willing person who reads this will carry out the operation.

[Denise Lloyd]

No JB's letter of today is not yet on line

[dippyhippy]

Thanks Denise!

 

I cannot get onto HT this evening to look!

It was fine this afternoon....a few hours later, it just refused to finish loading, then it froze and I couldn't do anything!

 

I had to resort to what every technophobe does.....the tried and tested method of turning everything off, then turning it all back on again!!

 

 

Don't worry Ubique.....the letter you have found, must be the one JB sent in the other week! I expect the latest one will be up in a day or two!

[Cambo]

This was on hereford times website…best keep a eye on it?

 

 

ESTATE agents are inviting buyers to bid for a Hereford church.

 

Chandos Methodist Church has been closed since September 2012 after it was deemed surplus to requirements.

 

Estate agent Sunderlands and Thompsons now has the task of finding a buyer for the Whitecross site.

 

It is asking for offers in the region of £120,000, which need to be delivered by noon on May 1.

 

Any prospective purchasers are asked to make enquiries to Herefordshire Council prior to making a bid.

 

The church was built in 1903 on the corner of Chandos Street and Whitehorse Street.

[dippyhippy]

Another beautiful building!!

 

Don't worry, Cambo.....Megilleland has already started another thread about this !!

 

Our eyes are already on it!

 

I am away Monday until Friday, so will catch up with you all when I return!

[Cambo]

Then everything is cool & the gang!… good old megilleland will check it out later!

[megilleland]

twowheelsgood, on 11 Apr 2014 - 09:15 AM, said:

Yes, its here http://tinyurl.com/pygamjv with one from Jean O'Donnell as well

 

Hereford Times: Thursday 10th April 2014 in Letters

 

Preserve our heritage

 

MAY I tell Councillor Bramer, Hereford Times, March 27, that the letter to the Woolhope Club from English Heritage did not rubbish the building that was the former Industrial Boys’ Home as he has done.

 

This was in response to a letter from our secretary requesting that the building be listed.

 

He could not have seen this letter. This unique building was designed by notable local architects: George Haddon and George Godsell. They may not have been known nationally but they contributed many buildings in Herefordshire. Compared with the ill- designed blocks that have arisen on the Old Market site their work is worthy of respect.

 

This particular building has a sensitive heritage, reflecting a caring society that ensured these orphan boys aged nine to 14 were given training and a future. Rev John Venn was the patron and Sir James Rankin MP was chairman. Their good work meant that it was one of the best industrial schools in the country. Is this not a history of which we should be proud?

 

The Boys’ Home is in a conservation area and demolition requires permission.

 

The nearby residential flats and houses make it unsuitable for a noisy fire station and Bath Street is often jammed up. This could be a desirable development which would enhance Bath Street rather than destroying it.

 

There is a blinkered view of Hereford City that does not see buildings that have acquired value because of their past and need protection so that our history is not lost .

 

We have to watch out for the philistines who would make us into another characterless town out of contempt for the past.

 

JEAN O’DONNELL President the Woolhope Naturalists’ Field Club Broadlands Lane, Hereford

 

also

 

Community fire station

 

THERE has been considerable comment on the letters page recently regarding the proposed land swap in order for Hereford(shire) to have a fire station that is fit for purpose.

 

Personally I am very grateful to the dedicated staff who turn out in all sorts of weather to attend fires, road traffic accidents, emergencies involving livestock and where I would agree with the chairman of the Civic Society that there should be more debate, but the decision to further investigate the proposals was only made on March 26 at a fire authority meeting so it is early days yet.

 

However, a public meeting has been agreed and I look forward to sharing information with anyone who is interested in the future of the fire service , which is not just for the city but the whole of the county.

 

I live in Ledbury Road and Herford fire station has been part of this community for decades and if the relocation to Bath Street is approved it will remain part of that community.

 

Several sites have been looked at over the years and have been rejected for a variety of reasons. The cash-strapped council should not in my opinion increase its level of borrowing so negotiating a land swap not an expensive purchase would benefit the council tax payer.

 

As a true admirer of John Venn the philanthropic benefactor who so generously supported Hereford by providing land including this site for service to the public , I think he would be delighted that the ethos and benefits he brought to the city would continue for generations to come, perhaps by naming the building after him .

 

Lastly, I would like to see a building of which we can all be justly proud, iconic rather than the eyesore development nearing completion less than a mile away.

 

CLLR LLOYD-HAYES Tupsley Ward Member of Hereford and Worcester Fire Authority

[SON OF GRIDKNOCKER]

For my money, 'iconic' - along with that nauseating phrase 'national treasure' - has to be the most over-worked word in the English language. 

 

And now we have a Herefordshire councillor hoping that some architectural genius is going to give her an iconic fire station.

 

In your dreams Marcelle!

[megilleland]

This report The Farrell Review of Architecture and the Built Environment was mentioned at the Hereford Civ‭c Society last week. 

 

"The publication of the Farrell Review is an opportune moment to take stock, consider new thinking and identify areas to address in the challenges facing architecture and the built environment.

 

Good quality places matter, and the Review quite rightly identifies the value of a PLACE (Planning, Landscape, Architecture, Conservation and Engineering) based approach to secure the benefits of good design".

 

It is an interesting report to read - both the report on consultation and the conclusions and recommendations. 

 

3.CULTURAL HERITAGE pps 67 to 75

Our built environment past, present and future

 

Here are some snippets:

 

Our built environment shapes our identity collectively as unique communities and as individuals. As Winston Churchill said, “We shape our buildings, and afterwards our buildings shape us.†It is the everyday places in which we all live that link our culture and identity. 

 

also

 

“The distinction between historical and recent is redundant. All that is past is our history. That which is most ancient is likely to be valued more highly because of its rarity, and because less is recorded. Our recent history may prove to be enormously important to future generations so we should attempt at least to anticipate this.â€

Steven Bee (conversation with Farrell Review team)

 

and

 

“Buildings that aren’t listed should still be addressed in terms of their impact on the public realm. We should be less precious about the backs of buildings and think more about their fronts in terms of their contribution to the streetscape.†

Hank Dittmar (Farrell Review Expert Panel meeting)

 

Some of the worst design impacts over the past fifty years have been from road schemes, with over-engineered junctions and intrusive signage ignoring the context of streets where public life is played out. 

 

Places would be greatly improved if the people who make decisions about our built environment, such as planning committee members and highway engineers, were empowered by training in design literacy. 

 

Newly elected councillors who already receive mandatory training on financial and legal duties should receive placemaking and design training at the same time. In order to achieve this, there needs to be a momentous sea change led by professionals to better inform and educate those who make the all-important decisions.

 

After all, it is in all our interests to ensure that every person responsible for making decisions about the built environment is able to read plans at the very least.