Hereford Fire Station Planning Application

[dippyhippy]

Yes GridKnocker - this number is not really a true reflection of the strength of feeling against this. It's the same with the petition - 349 signatures, but will only count as one objection. This anomaly should be highlighted.

[Cambo]

62 representations now on the PA 53 objections latest today, 350 signed on the online petition plus others on a form numbers on that unknown @ present.

I've had a response from Jessie Norman's office he has a new caseworker Tom Kennedy, Andrew Atkinson no longer works there?? But no reply as yet only to inform me of new casework hopefully the new guy will push things along & we will get a positive response soon?

[megilleland]

From: James Hughes (The Victorian Society) [mailto:james@victoriansociety.org.uk] 

Sent: 17 October 2014 18:27

To: Thomas, Edward

Cc: ross.brazier@english-heritage.org.uk; Lowe, Sarah; Ancient Monuments Society; herefordcivicsociety@hotmail.co.uk

 

Subject: P142554/F

 

Dear Mr Thomas

 

Our ref: 2014/10/008

 

RE: Former Hereford and District Working Boys Home and Industrial School, Bath Street, Hereford (1876, George Haddon, 1886, William Chick, 1895 and 1902, G. H. Godsell); application for the demolition of the buildings and the erection of a new fire station

 

Thank you for consulting the Victorian Society on this application. We object to the proposal to demolish what is a building of significant local interest and importance, and to erect what would be a highly unsympathetic and harmful addition to the Conservation Area. We thoroughly endorse the views expressed by English Heritage in their letter of 29 September. This is a damaging and unjustified scheme that fails to comply with national legislation. It should be refused consent.

 

I would be grateful if you could notify me of your decision in due course.

 

Yours sincerely

 

James Hughes

[Denise Lloyd]

Nicely put

[Denise Lloyd]

Unable to copy link Hereford & Worcester Fire Service have won an award of £4.2m NO please do not get excited this is for Worcester Fire Station relocation.  In short they are moving but more notably in their move they are allowing enough space for Police and Ambulance Stations.

 

This surely should carry even more weight to the relocation of the Hereford Fire Station.  Did Hereford and Worcester Fire Service apply for an award for Hereford if not WHY NOT? 

[megilleland]

Denise here is the story:

 

Tuesday 21 October 2014 in Worcestershire News by Robert Hale

 

Fire service gets £4 million from government to move HQ, merge Wyre Forest fire stations

 

HEREFORD and Worcester Fire and Rescue Service has just been given over £4 million from the government to move its headquarters and merge three fire stations.

 

£1.89 million from the government's Transformation Fund is earmarked for relocating the fire service head office from Charles Hastings Way, near the hospital, to the police HQ at Hindlip Hall.

 

And another £2.38 million will also merge its fire stations in the Wyre Forest - KIdderminster, Bewdley and Stourport - on to one site. No indication is given as to where the merged station may be located, but it is described as a "new fire station".

 

Cllr Derek Prodger, chairman of the fire authority, said: "Both of these proposals will be subject to approval by the fire authority and an initial report will be brought as soon as possible.

 

"Once detailed proposals have been worked up, there will also need to be consultation with staff, representative bodies and in respect of the Wyre Forest proposal, widespread public consultation before any final decisions are taken.

 

"I have no doubt there will be concerns expressed among local communities at the thought of closing and relocating fire stations in the Wyre Forest and we will therefore need to provide the necessary reassurance to the public as part of any consultation exercise."

 

Cllr Richard Udall, another member of the fire authority, said: "I am pleased that we have been successful in making these grant applications.

 

"It is not often that the fire service in Hereford and Worcester can gain anything from this government. We have been starved of resources for the past four years, putting the service and the public at risk."

 

“Moving the headquarters to Hindlip would free up some resources which could protect the service in the years ahead. We no longer need our current headquarters; we are under-occupying the site. I just hope we can come to an arrangement with the police that will meet our needsâ€.

 

“Combining the fire stations in the Wyre Forest onto one site is not about service reduction, it is about making the service more efficient. However, we need to test the proposals to ensure that no community is left at risk.

 

"I am not interested in reducing the fire service, any changes which improve efficiency must be safe. If we don’t gain those assurances, we will not be supporting the changes."

 

Interesting comments to article.

[Cambo]

Apparently the fire service should have no problem relocating to Hindlip as the police have moved most of there services to Warwickshire, so I have been informed?!

[Cambo]

I've had a reply from Jessie Normans office slightly disappointing I must say as he cannot get involve with planning applications?! Not sure why that is?

 

 

Dear Michael,

 

I will have them sent to the Chief Executive's Office today. I am aware that there is a lot of opposition to this move, however Jesse cannot get involved with planning matters. We are however happy to pass on concerns from constituents to the Council.

 

If there is anything else we can help you with please get in touch.

 

Many thanks

 

Archie Macleod

Office of Jesse Norman MP

Hereford & South Herefordshire

[dippyhippy]

Is that cannot get involved....or, will not get involved...????

[Aylestone Voice]

Not much point really - Jesse is not on the Planning Committee and it will be them making the decision.

[dippyhippy]

It would still be good to have him voice an opinion on it, and support his many constituents who DO care deeply about this!

[Cambo]

Not much point really - Jesse is not on the Planning Committee and it will be them making the decision.

Maybe so but it doesn't stop him from having a opinion & being a MP he should have one with issues concerning the county regardless of whether or not it's already going through the planning process I feel?!

 

It would be interesting to see wot his reaction would be if someone was to email him regarding another PA which was already going through the process?…Just a thought

[Cambo]

Also if that is the case why did he not say earlier rather than leave it for over one month before letting me know that was the case?????

I originally sent him a email on the 7th of September

[Denise Lloyd]

Cambo - when we at Kingstone asked for his help on our problem Jess would not get involved.  However after 15 months of waiting for a decision Jess started to get interested and wrote to the Council on our behalf then the PA was passed with 28 conditions.  So personally I would leave him out of the equation.  Why not try Bill Wiggin. 

[Cambo]

Would Bill Wiggin get involved considering that this is Jessie's patch though Denise?....but then again wot harm could it do to try Bill I guess it's worth a shot?!

[Denise Lloyd]

Well quite and there is an election coming up = you know point scoring and all that ......................

[Cambo]

Yes I'm surprise Jessie not wanting to get involve considering there is election & that he knows there's is a lot of objection to this so will email Bill Wiggin & see wot his response is?

[Denise Lloyd]

 

 

"Proposed fire station

 

The consultation date has passed 

and now we await the date of the 

planning committee; where we will be 

speaking against this application for a 

large garage in a most inappropriate 

location, with complete disreg"

 

I've taken this from the Civic Society Autumn magazine.  Perhaps whoever is speaking on behalf of Voice should contact JB.  With such a short time to speak it is better not to have too many duplications and there should be a flow from one speaker to the next.  Phone number 01981 580002 avoid using my name please!

[megilleland]

ANNALS OF A CLERICAL FAMILY 

BEING SOME ACCOUNT OF THE FAMILY AND DESCENDANTS OF WILLIAM VENN, VICAR OF OTTERTON, DEVON, 1600-1621 

By JOHN VENN, F.R.S., F.S.A. 

FELLOW AND PRESIDENT OF GONVILLE AND CAIUS COLLEGE, CAMBRIDGE 

Published 1904

 

To read about John Venn of Hereford and his contribution and works to tackling poverty in Hereford go to page 193 to 208. An interesting read about John Venn and his time in Hereford. Should be esssential reading for every councillor, especially those on the Planning Committee. It starts off in the following manner:

 

"Mr. Venn stayed about three years at Pinner. In 1833 Mr. Simeon offered him the vicarage of St. Peter's, Hereford, the advowson of which he had recently bought for his trust. Hereford was then such an out-of-the-way place that many people regarded it as lying in Wales. At most of the London coaching offices the people knew nothing about the means of getting there, till some one suggested that there was a conveyance called " the old fish cart," which went there through Worcester. It took, as it turned out, some thirty hours to effect the journey". 

 

In fact the whole document concerning the Venn family history is fascinating, even covering regicide page 223 (a person who kills a king or is responsible for his death, especially one of the judges who condemned Charles I of England to death).

 

 

[Denise Lloyd]

I have just sent an email to the Ancient Monuments Society regarding this - I will post the reply if I get one

[Cambo]

I have just had bbc H&W on phone saying HWFRS are now not going to build fire station on bath street just trying to get it confirmed if this is true then congratulation everyone on a hard fought VICTORY!!!!

[megilleland]

I have just had bbc H&W on phone saying HWFRS are now not going to build fire station on bath street just trying to get it confirmed if this is true then congratulation everyone on a hard fought VICTORY!!!!

 

Let's hope this is the case. Wonder what could have changed their mind - people power?

[Denise Lloyd]

"BBC H and W â€@bbchw  33m33 minutes ago

NEWS; The Fire Service abandons plans for a new fire station at Bath street in Hereford, saving Old Working Boys home from demolition."

 

 

There you go - 2 questions why? and how much has that little exercise cost the tax payer?

[Cambo]

Yippee well done everyone!!!!

I say let's just revel in the glory of victory for know, as it's just such a sweet feeling!!!

& tomorrow Denise we can pick over the carcass of why?! :O))

[Clarkester]

This is, potentially, fantastic news.

But what an effort to get there.

I'm sure something horrific will be pulled out of the hat to tease us with...

[twowheelsgood]

Fantastic news - can't wait to see how Leader Johnson spins this ...

 

The planning application is still showing as current on the Council's website. Hopefully a withdrawn notice will be added shortly.

 

Question is - what will they do with it now?

[Colin James]

 

Plans to build a new fire station at a site in Hereford's conservation area have been withdrawn.

 

English Heritage and history groups objected to the plans for the former Hereford Working Boys Home, Hereford and Worcester Fire Service said.

 

The building on Bath Street is currently occupied by council offices.

 

Chief Fire Officer Mark Yates said after "carefully considering objections it is withdrawing its plans at this present time".

Michael Hayes, from the Hereford Civic Society, who campaigned against the plan, said the fire service had finally "seen sense".

 

'Heart of Hereford'

 

"I hope [the council] will keep the building, maintain it and perhaps build something complimentary to the building that is already there," he said.

 

The home for 90 orphaned and destitute boys opened in 1877 and had its own school and infirmary.

Herefordshire Council had proposed exchanging part of the land in Bath Street for the site of the current fire station in St Owen Street.

 

Mr Yates said the service remains committed to building a new fire station in the heart of Hereford. 

 

A spokesman for English Heritage said it welcomed the news as the building made "a positive contribution to the conservation area".

 

 

 

 

[SON OF GRIDKNOCKER]

RESULT!!! Congrats to the indomitable Cambo Dippy duo!

 

TWG asks 'what will they do with it now?'

 

Fiesty Nicola of BBC Radio H&W (who seems to be remarkably well informed) said last week that in the event of the fire station development not going ahead, she had been told that HC had to offer it to the (proposed) uni first. And that the uni folk have said they will initially use it as their admin base then, at a later date, consider a longer-term use for it as part of the campus.

[John Harrington]

Dippy and Cambo you are superstars (together with megilliland the researcher, Aylestone Voice the voice of reason, Biomech the profane, Denise and all you guys/gals) for caring about something so important and pushing through despite the odds; the immovable (no longer) Cabinet, the pretence that they were listening to concerns whilst marching on and the total disregard for a piece of architectural and social history. This time one man's decision was questioned and finally stopped by a bunch of 'mendacious meddlers' and the world for a moment has some proper order restored. We will pin stars on you all, along with Jon Bottamley and everyone who piped up and chipped in when no local councillors or MP's made any real effort to defeat this.

In years to come, in 20-30 years time, as we drive past this building I hope we all remember these few people who are directly responsible for the Working Boys Club continued existence and place in Hereford's history!

[Aylestone Voice]

Actually I think perhaps that credit must go to the planning officers, and possibly some Councillors (who I don't know?). I am sure that despite the support from the Cabinet in terms of disposal of the site the Fire Service were advised by the professional officers early on that the scheme was rubbish. Of course the public response reinforced that. It would have been interesting to know what the planning officer would have recommended.

Also the Fire Service must have got a hint that the outcome at Planning Committee would not be favourable whatever the recommendation may have been. So somewhere in the background Councillors were standing up. If the deal had been done, so to speak, why would the Fire Service withdraw the application?

All those conspiracy theorists on here talking about done deals may perhaps reflect, as it seems clear that the Council's planning service does operate professionally and is not unduly influenced by the Cabinet.

Nevertheless a good outcome for the townscape of the city