Hereford Voice

Absolutely

Beattie Ave was reopened to all traffic again earlier this week after parts of the first phase are near completion. The road was closed to traffic on the 15th June 2020 for eight months whilst residential development and highway modification works are completed by Harper Group. The construction of 71 bungalows and houses with associated parking, private amenity, access and alterations to highway including new houses and bungalows as part of the redevelopment.

A planning application to replace very tired 48 sheet billboard on the A465 Belmont Road Hereford with a new modern electrical billboard has been refused by city planners. Showcase Outdoor Limited made the application in September 2020 - Application P204376/A Existing Billboards Planners would prefer to leave the tired twin boards in place above with the paper constantly hanging off, rather than replace them with a single modern version, similar to the one pictured below" New Modern Electronic Billboard Refusal Notice THE COUNTY OF HEREFORDSHIRE DISTRICT COUNCIL hereby gives notice in pursuance of the above Act and Regulations that CONSENT has been REFUSED for the display of the advertisements described above for the following reasons: The proposed signage is clearly designed to attract the attention of road users travelling south down the A465 by virtue of its sitting, orientation and scale; at this point in the public highway drivers need to take more care as the south bound carriageway has a signalised junction and splits into two lanes. The application is considered to detrimentally impact the safe operation of the public highway and thus would negatively impact public safety, it is therefore contrary to policy MT1 of the Herefordshire Local Plan – Core Strategy, Paragraph 132 of the National Planning Policy Framework and the provisions of the Planning Practise Guidance. The proposed signage is considered to harm the visual amenity of the area as it would be an entirely alien addition to the locale by virtue of the scale, illumination, changing imagery the negative impacts of which are exacerbated by the prominent nature of the proposed advertisement; thus harming the general characteristics of the locality. Therefore the application is considered to be contrary to Policies SD1, SS6 and LD1 of the Herefordshire Local Plan – Core Strategy, Paragraph 132 of the National Planning Policy Framework and the provisions of the Planning Practice Guidance

It has been confirmed yesterday (22nd March) by a local vet that a dog has sadly died from contracting Alabama Rot after walking in Eastnor Deer Park. Photo courtesy of Eastnor Castle Eastnor Castle said in a statement:

If you want to 'Pose With Perry' click this link to launch the app. Once Perry is there you can adjust his size and pose for your video or photo ready to share with everyone #herefordvoice #hereford #herefordshire #posewithperry

Following extensive works to the B4224 road from Fiddler's Green to Fownhope Herefordshire following which was severely damaged by Storm Dennis in early 2020. The B4224 was dealt a double blow by the storm, which caused a 6.5 metre wide landslip and a separate partial collapse of a 100-metre long retaining wall. Balfour Beatty explain that work at the landslip site is now accelerating, and to help explain the stages they need to go through to reach completion, they have put together some information below. 👇 The road is scheduled to reopen this Friday to all traffic.

Hereford & Worcester Fire and Rescue Service with crews from Hereford Fire Station and Leominster Fire Station both attended a controlled burning Sutton St, Nicholas area, the fire had spread to surrounding trees, approx 5m by 5m and was well alight on our arrival. Crews extinguished using hose reel jets. Photo courtesy of Leominster Fire Service #herefordvoice #herefordnews #herefordshire

Giveaway | WIN - Bose Sport Earbuds! Worth Over £170!! To be in with a chance of winning this fantastic pair of Bose Sport Earbuds courtesy of our friends over at Riverside Training Hereford - Simply follow these 3 steps.. 👇 1. FOLLOW Riverside Equals on Instagram 2. TAG a friend on our Facebook Page who you think deserves to win 3. COMMENT on our Facebook Page - Tell us the name of your favourite song or music that you will be listening to first, if you win? A winner will be chosen at random from all valid entries received by Saturday 27th March 2021. (Entrants MUST be over 18 years old) T&C's Details on the Bose Sport Earbuds #hvcomps #hfdvcomps #HerefordVoice #hereford

Check out our Facebook page for more details this evening for a chance to win another fabulous giveaway #herefordvoice #hereford #herefordshire #hvcomps

25 electric bikes will be whizzing their way across West Mercia following investment from the PCC. In a bid to make police more visible and accessible to communities and reduce the impact of policing on our environment, Police and Crime Commissioner John Campion allocated £25,000 to fund electric bikes for policing teams across West Mercia*. The bikes will enable officers to police harder to reach areas, such as town centres, alleyways and river and canal paths. The bikes will also help improve police visibility as they tackle community concerns like anti-social behaviour and drug use.PCC John Campion said:

An innovative new clinical area at Hereford County Hospital which opened its doors this morning promises to provide same-day-care for emergency patients who would otherwise end up being admitted. The Same Day Emergency Care (SDEC) area is located next to the Emergency Department at the hospital and will transform the way non-elective patients (those who aren’t scheduled for treatment) are assessed and cared for. “The dedicated SDEC facility will mean that patients presenting at the hospital with certain conditions can be rapidly assessed, diagnosed and treated without being admitted to a ward, and, if clinically safe to do so, will return home the same day their care is provided,” said James Bartlett, Consultant Acute Physician. “In a nutshell, this new facility will help us to ensure patients are in the right emergency/urgent care setting very quickly which will mean a better experience for patients and a more efficient flow of patients at the hospital.” The new facility has been created thanks to a £2 million government grant on the back of rising numbers of people turning up putting more pressure on the Emergency Department. The key benefit the facility brings is the ability to “stream” patients as soon as they turn up at the Emergency Department. This means getting patients to the most appropriate place for their treatment straight away following a rapid clinical evaluation. The hospital has successfully trialled a temporary version of the facility in recent months using staff borrowed from other areas. On the back of this, plans were drawn up at the end of last year and the submission of a successful a bid for the money submitted to the Department of Health and Social Care. The new facility has been created in an area previously occupied by the Emergency Department admin team and hospital site team who have moved out and into Portacabins near the Emergency Department entrance. The area now houses five extra clinic rooms and three cubical spaces. Some of the money is also being used to reconfigure the Emergency Department itself and within the next few weeks, a separate clinical space for children will be opened within the ED. “This is a proven model which will allow us to take huge strides forward in the way we deliver care to non-elective patients and improve our patients’ experiences. “It’s taken a huge amount of effort in a very short space of time and I’d like to thank our staff, our PFI partner, Sodexo, and the contractors who have had to work in difficult circumstances allowing all our services to run as normal during the construction period while also in the middle of a pandemic,” added James.

The A49 is CLOSED near Moreton-on-Lugg between Hereford and Leominster due to an RTC involving multiple vehicles. Emergency services are in attendance but the road will remain closed until recovery arrives. Please avoid the area if possible.

Today, Tuesday 16 March, our Chief Constable, Anthony Bangham, has announced his decision to retire in September of this year after 30 years in policing. Mr Bangham joined West Mercia Police in 1991 as a Police Constable in Redditch. He has worked his way through the ranks, spending the last five years as Chief Constable.He said: Police and Crime Commissioner John Campion said:

Waste found dumped in two locations in and around Bromyard had been taken away from Poundstretcher refurbishment Herefordshire Council has won an Enforcement case against two friends who were found guilty of fly tipping two loads of waste which were found dumped on Bromyard downs and in a layby near to Acton Green crossroads. John Hodgkins (40) of Redstone Lane, Stourport-On-Severn and Isaac Janes (48) of 78 Layman Walk, Stourport-On-Severn both pleaded guilty to two counts of fly tipping at Hereford Magistrates’ Court on 9 March 2021. The pair received fines and costs totalling £1072.00 each. At the hearing, the court heard how in October 2019, Hodgkins and Janes had been paid £400 to take away refurbishment waste from the former Poundstretcher store on Eign Gate, Hereford. The waste was later found dumped in two large piles on Bromyard downs and in a layby just off the Acton Green crossroads. Although no evidence was found in the fly tipping, officers from Herefordshire Council’s Community Protection Team were able to obtain CCTV and ANPR images to trace the offenders. David Hough, Herefordshire Council’s Trading Standards Service Manager, said: The Community Protection Team will investigate unlawful waste disposal and fly tipping cases that are reported via the Herefordshire Council website or by calling 01432 261761.

Hereford & Worcester Fire and Rescue Service were called to a house fire near Bromyard Downs just before midnight last night. Firefighters from Bromyard, Leominster and Malvern were in attendance and tackled the house fire using hose reels, main jets and Breathing Apparatus to extinguish this fire. #herefordvoice #herefordshirenews #herefordnews

Four men have been charged with drugs related offences after a series of warrants were carried out in Leominster and Kington, Herefordshire. Five warrants were executed last week and five people were arrested. Of the five people arrested, the men named below were charged with the listed offences and then remanded into police custody. Keith Hill – aged 46 of Ridgemoor Road, Leominster was charged with: Conspiring to supply a class A controlled drug - crack cocaine Conspiring to supply a class A controlled drug - heroin Possessing a weapon for the discharge of a noxious liquid / gas / electrical incapacitation device / thing Possessing with intent to supply a controlled drug of Class A - cocaine Acquiring / use / possess criminal property Possession with intent to supply a controlled drug of Class A – heroin Possession with intent to supply a controlled drug of Class A - crack cocaine Lewis Plant – aged 22 of West Street, Leominster was charged with: Conspiring to supply a class A controlled drug - crack cocaine Possession with intent to supply a controlled drug of Class A - crack cocaine Possession a controlled drug of Class B - cannabis / cannabis resin Conspiring to supply a class A controlled drug - heroin Timothy Stanley – aged 36 of Coningsby Road, Leominster was charged with: Conspiring to supply a class A controlled drug - crack cocaine Conspiring to supply a class A controlled drug - heroin Possession with intent to supply a controlled drug of Class A - crack cocaine Possession with intent to supply a controlled drug of Class A - heroin Bradley Reader – aged 19 of Tan y Bryn, Valley, Holyhead, Gwynedd, was charged with: Possession with intent to supply a controlled drug of Class A - heroin Acquiring / use / possess criminal property Conspiring to supply a class A controlled drug - crack cocaine Conspiring to supply a class A controlled drug - heroin Possession with intent to supply a controlled drug of Class A - crack cocaine All four men were due to appear in court today (Monday 15 March). A fifth man, aged 43 of Presteigne, was arrested on suspicion of being concerned in the supply of controlled drugs and was released under investigation.

Here is another one in Eign Street - P210551/F

This will certainly brighten up the city and it is a fabulous idea. 😁

Friends of Castle Green are now able to begin the much needed renovations to The Pavilion after securing funding for the repairs. Hereford City Council are granting £7,000 towards the project, which will enable the community group to begin the first phase of improvements to the building. Paddy Nugent, Friends of Castle Green Director said; More details here #herefordvoice #herefordnews #positivehereford

A big thank you to Belmont Rural parish Council for fixing the bridge last week and installing a handrail today to help people using the steps. An excellent job!! Well done to the parish handyman Colin Warne and the Chairman,Adrian Bridges for all your hard work.

2447852877.mp4 Here is the official trailer!

The local environment in a part of Hereford has received a boost thanks to the completion of an investment scheme by not for profit water company Welsh Water. Welsh Water has invested almost £307,000 in a project which will improve the sewerage network in the Three Elms area. Until now, some properties in the area had not been able to connect to the main sewerage network and instead had to rely on septic tanks which regularly failed. This in turn posed a pollution risk to the surrounding environment. The failures of the tanks also breached the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs’ (DEFRA) general binding rules which govern how septic tanks should operate. To address the situation, the company designed and installed a new sewer system to replace a septic tank system. The new sewer system will enable the properties to connect to the main sewerage network which in turn will benefit the local environment. Chris Jones, Head of Wastewater Programme Delivery at Welsh Water said: “We’re very proud to have been able to complete this project on schedule to protect the environment during the challenging circumstances surrounding the pandemic. The construction team managed to adhere to all of the government social distance guidelines and received some excellent written feedback from residents in the area. We appreciate that our work can be inconvenient, so we really did appreciate the cooperation shown to us by the local residents while we worked in their community.” The company has also partnered with Herefordshire Community Foundation as part of its increased support to local communities during the COVID-19 pandemic. It’s increased its Community Fund threefold to £300,000 and has given over £100,000 to Trussell Trust foodbanks since the pandemic started.

Hereford & Worcester Fire and Rescue Service crews from Worcester, Tenbury, Evesham and Malvern using specialist equipment attended a very large fire yesterday evening in the open involving undergrowth and scrub at Bringsty Common, Herefordshire.

We reported yesterday that Malvern Copswere out on bike and foot patrols on the Malvern Hills following barbed wire being hung across several tracks on the hills. Below are more disgusting photographs showing this evidence of such a vile act! Photographs courtesy of Malvern Police Last August we also reported similar incidents where nails had deliberately put into pieces of wood on bike trails in the Forest of Dean in this article Why would people do this? Anyone with any information please call 101 and quote log ref: 0622_i_07032021 #herefordvoice #herefordnews #herefordshire

A stunning, floral display is being organised by Hereford Business Improvement District to welcome back shoppers into Hereford in May, with member businesses being offered 2 free hanging baskets each. Hereford BID Handy Team watering hanging baskets in Church Street Rhiannon Burns, Marketing and Projects Manager, explained, As part of their yearly Floral City service, available exclusively to Hereford BID members, businesses will be able to claim two free hanging baskets to add colour and decoration to their frontages. This all-inclusive offer provides free installation, maintenance (watering, feeding, deadheading) and removal at the end of the season. Rhiannon added, The Floral City service has proved popular in previous years, with many businesses taking up the offering to brighten up storefronts. Sadly, due to the first lockdown and subsequent restrictions, the Hereford BID were unable to provide this service last year but the team are looking forward to being able bring it back for 2021. If you are a Hereford BID member and would like to take up this offer, visit www.herefordbid.co.uk to find more information and an order form. Alternatively, contact info@herefordbid.co.uk. Hereford BID is a non-profit private company (limited) funded by 500 businesses in the city centre. The organisation has 3 core strands underpinning its business plan, a document based on feedback from its member businesses on what they want to see happen, these are: i) High Profile Hereford - Marketing and Events ii) The Hereford Experience – Safe and Clean iii) Business Voice – Lobbying & Support. The company is run by up to 15 board directors who are also levy paying members.