Breaking News | Some South Wye Residents Furious at Plans to Turn Three Counties Hotel into Lidl Supermarket.

[Hereford Voice]

Hereford Voice have learned that plans are about to be submitted to turn the Three Counties Hotel on the notorious Belmont Road in Hereford into a Lidl Supermarket.

The A465 is possibly the worst main road into the city with daily congestion, adding another supermarket here would just make this road even worse.

There are often huge queues of traffic waiting to enter the McDonalds Drive-Thru regularly blocking the road in both directions.

On the plans below there is also another Drive-Thru earmarked which could possibly be a coffee Drive-Thru near to to the Brook.

Local residents have already started a petition in an attempt to block this going ahead.

[Victor Wright]

What a pathetic idea, traffic is terrible as it is

[Alex]

This would be a complete nightmare 

[Hereford Voice]

Update | The application for planning by Lidl is correct and will appear on the Council website portal within the next 10 days or so. The hotel is still operating and fulfilling current and future bookings as normal. 

[M. Preece]

I will sign the petition, we need to stop this going ahead, I live right at the back of this hotel and it is beautifully quite in our road. We do not need another bloody supermarket! 

[megilleland]

I bet Tesco won't be pleased.

[twowheelsgood]

Where will the Council hold their meetings now? They've block booked the hotel for the last 18 months or so at some considerable expense, despite owning numerous other buildings they could use for no cost, not the least their own £multi-million HQ in Plough Lane. As for the application, the Council will be happy to take the money, so it's likely a done deal.

[Cambo]

Are they going to demolition the building? As looking at the google earth photo it doesn’t match the layout of the drawing.

[twowheelsgood]

Yes, complete demolition by the look of it. Very sustainable. 

[Paul Jones]

This is a disgrace and I sincerely hope that the council planners refuse this immediately. 

[megilleland]

Transport is the biggest source of air and noise pollution in the UK. Surface transport for example is responsible for around a quarter of UK emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) – a major contributor to climate change, and traffic noise blights many neighbourhoods. Air quality in the UK is slowly improving, but many areas still fail to meet national air quality objectives and European limit values for some pollutants – particularly particles and nitrogen dioxide. In town centres and alongside busy roads, motor vehicles are responsible for most local pollution and most environmental noise.

Tesco has 430 car spaces, plus cars visiting Tesco petrol station off the main road. Together with the congestion caused at McDonalds queueing on Belmont Road Road I think any of our council's green credentials will be completely wiped out by this Lidl development with parking for another 118 cars. Also there would be 5 junctions in half a mile where traffic would have to wait to turn left or right between the Tesco roundabout and The Oval and add to further backlogs on Belmont Road. What are the benefits to local residents living in the area and motorists trying to get in and out of the city?

[ragwert]

16 minutes ago, megilleland said:

Transport is the biggest source of air and noise pollution in the UK. Surface transport for example is responsible for around a quarter of UK emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) – a major contributor to climate change, and traffic noise blights many neighbourhoods. Air quality in the UK is slowly improving, but many areas still fail to meet national air quality objectives and European limit values for some pollutants – particularly particles and nitrogen dioxide. In town centres and alongside busy roads, motor vehicles are responsible for most local pollution and most environmental noise.

Tesco has 430 car spaces, plus cars visiting Tesco petrol station off the main road. Together with the congestion caused at McDonalds queueing on Belmont Road Road I think any of our council's green credentials will be completely wiped out by this Lidl development with parking for another 118 cars. Also there would be 5 junctions in half a mile where traffic would have to wait to turn left or right between the Tesco roundabout and The Oval and add to further backlogs on Belmont Road. What are the benefits to local residents living in the area and motorists trying to get in and out of the city?

Commercial transport air pollution accounts for around 85% so I'm wondering why we need to spend hundreds of thousands on air monitoring systems in Hereford.
Call me cynical but I think its a ploy by Herefordshire Council to implement some sort of money making clean air scheme where you will pay to go into certain parts of Hereford.

[Peter Thomas-Cruttwell]

I've heard it all now. This has to be the most stupid idea in years! The traffic in Hereford, especially on Belmont and Ross Roads are a nightmare on a good day, turning this lovely hotel with its pretty gardens into yet another supermarket is ridiculous and should be strongly apposed! I will be writing a letter of objection.

[Hereford Voice]

Following on from our breaking news article a few weeks ago the application is finally on the council portal HERE

 

Quote

Hybrid application for demolition of existing hotel and associated structures and erection of Class E foodstore with associated access, parking, servicing, drainage and landscaping (full permission sought) and erection of drive-thru unit with associated internal access and circulation (outline permission sought).

 

[Victor Wright]

On 17/03/2022 at 08:09, megilleland said:

Transport is the biggest source of air and noise pollution in the UK. Surface transport for example is responsible for around a quarter of UK emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) – a major contributor to climate change, and traffic noise blights many neighbourhoods. Air quality in the UK is slowly improving, but many areas still fail to meet national air quality objectives and European limit values for some pollutants – particularly particles and nitrogen dioxide. In town centres and alongside busy roads, motor vehicles are responsible for most local pollution and most environmental noise.

Tesco has 430 car spaces, plus cars visiting Tesco petrol station off the main road. Together with the congestion caused at McDonalds queueing on Belmont Road Road I think any of our council's green credentials will be completely wiped out by this Lidl development with parking for another 118 cars. Also there would be 5 junctions in half a mile where traffic would have to wait to turn left or right between the Tesco roundabout and The Oval and add to further backlogs on Belmont Road. What are the benefits to local residents living in the area and motorists trying to get in and out of the city?

You are 100% right here, anyone living in south wye should object to this ludicrous application. The traffic on Belmont Rd and around McDonalds together with all the anti social behaviour at night is a complete and utter nightmare for people and planners should refuse planning for this supermarket idea. 

[Steve Major]

NO! 

[ragwert]

Lets hope this absurd idea gets thrown out.

[Hereford Voice]

You see this is what happens once these supermarket are established, they want to move the goalposts for unrestricted deliveries - See planning application HERE 

 

[megilleland]

Lidl plots major UK expansion as it offers public £22,500 finders fee for new sites

Tom Hill - Daily Express - 26 April 2022

(extract)

Lidl has set the target of reaching 1,100 stores across the UK by 2025 and is investing £1.3 billion across 2021 and 2022. It now however wants to involve the public in finding its newest sites with a finders fee offered to those who can identify previously unknown sites which meet the firm's requirements. Richard Taylor, Chief Development Officer at Lidl GB, said: "We work with some of the best people in the industry to identify new sites, but we also know how engaged our future and existing customers are and we want to build on this. Our finder's fees are, therefore, available to absolutely anyone that can identify a viable option for a new store that we're not already aware of, and we welcome any suitable suggestions that will help up us to meet our ambitious target of 1,100 stores by the end of 2025."

I wonder who got the £22,500 finders fee for the application in Belmont road.

Notice in this article Lidl state "among its requirements Lidl is looking for prominent locations with strong pedestrian and traffic flow with a size of 18,000 to 26,500 square feet and space for 100 plus car parking spaces".

Belmont Road sounds ideal then.

[Hereford Voice]

1 hour ago, megilleland said:

Lidl plots major UK expansion as it offers public £22,500 finders fee for new sites

Tom Hill - Daily Express - 26 April 2022

(extract)

Lidl has set the target of reaching 1,100 stores across the UK by 2025 and is investing £1.3 billion across 2021 and 2022. It now however wants to involve the public in finding its newest sites with a finders fee offered to those who can identify previously unknown sites which meet the firm's requirements. Richard Taylor, Chief Development Officer at Lidl GB, said: "We work with some of the best people in the industry to identify new sites, but we also know how engaged our future and existing customers are and we want to build on this. Our finder's fees are, therefore, available to absolutely anyone that can identify a viable option for a new store that we're not already aware of, and we welcome any suitable suggestions that will help up us to meet our ambitious target of 1,100 stores by the end of 2025."

I wonder who got the £22,500 finders fee for the application in Belmont road.

Notice in this article Lidl state "among its requirements Lidl is looking for prominent locations with strong pedestrian and traffic flow with a size of 18,000 to 26,500 square feet and space for 100 plus car parking spaces".

Belmont Road sounds ideal then.

This fits their agenda but the worst road in Hereford. Lidl need to look for an alternative location, maybe Rotherwas..

[megilleland]

I have been told there will be a special meeting to discuss this application at Belmont Parish Council, Kindle Centre on the Thursday 5th May 2022 at 7.30pm. I hope it will be well attended.