Vision for Cathedral & River Wye Quarter Exciting But Critical Changes Needed To Plan Write Mike Truelove

[Hereford Voice]

CEO Mike Truelove on behalf of the Hereford Business Improvement District writes;

It is not that businesses are ungrateful for the recently unveiled vision for Broad, Bridge and King Street – in fact, the hospitality sector (in particular) are delighted that there could be extended paving for a café culture.

As for more trees in the ground, what’s not to like? However, what truly worries many is that if you are a retailer, pharmacist, sandwich shop, florist, or estate agent, how are their customers going to pop in to grab items and then go if the parking is down the road? Yes, you may well argue (justifiably in some cases) that people ought to park in larger car parks and not on the street, but that ignores those who struggle to walk far and those who, dare I say it, pop into these shops because it is convenient. Take away the parking and you remove a major reason to shop here which equates to shop closures. Suddenly, once popular streets become a hotchpotch of empty units; it is as simple as that.

If we are serious about improving the area, everyone needs to be taken on the journey and not leave behind those who have been there for (in some instances over 100 years) and have evolved around the ability to park outside. There must be a compromise.

It would also be useful if there was a parallel or even leading plan to improve parking and transport in the city. Where is the vision for new multi-story car parks? Further, High Town and St Peter Street have been discussed for the last 6 years with millions ready to use from the LEP and match-funded by Herefordshire Council. If projects that have funding cannot be implemented, what hope do we have for Broad Street?

One last final point, it is critical that the whole of the city centre is looked at as part of a masterplan – we need streets that flow into each other with a common theme or 'brand' (think of those ugly stainless steel benches in Eign Gate that were recently taken down). Either way, I encourage you to air your views whilst the online consultation is open 👉 https://lnkd.in/eVjNqcE6

[Steve Major]

Personally I think there are far too many disabled bays, never seen anything like it. Reduce the amount of those bays for starters because people with blue badges can more or less park anywhere anyway.

[twowheelsgood]

Shockingly mediocre scheme, clearly done by people who've never been to Hereford, or been made aware of things like the May Fair. Why are there two major consultants working on this (one of whom specialise in motorways and airports, with no record at all of sensitive historic centre townscapes)? Cost to us?!! Visuals must have been done by the work experience lad/ladess on a Friday afternoon. Why do we keep paying for this sort of rubbish. There's already a very good and adopted townscape document - stick to it, make a decision, do it. 

[Mick]

Try reducing the amount of disable bays. Need parking in the city centre ideally sideways on if the roads are wide enough. 

[twowheelsgood]

I don't believe more than half the driving population carry blue badges, but that increasingly seem to be the provision - look at the current railway station parking, where half was made over to disabled some while ago, and is set to be 4 out of just 7 spaces remaining under Cllr Harringtons crazy 'transport hub' (with very little transport allowed in it).