Hereford Voice

Plans to turn The Broadley's Pub in Hereford into a Co-Op store have today been refused

The Conservative Party has lost overall control of Herefordshire Council. The Tories won 13 seats in total, losing half the amount they previously held. The feeling among many of the Conservative candidates was that the national picture, and in particular the handling of Brexit had badly affected their results. Herefordshire Independent Group Leader Bob Matthews has said it is an "excellent result" that was "better than expected". New Council make-up following results; Independent: 18 Conservative: 13 It's Our County: 8 Green: 7 Lib Dems: 6

Councillors talk about transparency, but would you realise that Dave Greenow is a Conservative candidate for Hagley ward based on his letterhead which says ‘Independently minded’. Nowhere in his letter does he state he is a Conservative and there is a danger that some of the electorate will just see the “independently” word as an inference that he’s an Independent. With Jonathan Lester being in the Hereford Times recently for using images which implied he was involved in certain projects, which was not the case, you would have thought they would have been more careful. Or perhaps they are having their hopes on people thinking they are Independent! Perhaps the Tories are embarrassed about being Tories now

HEREFORD'S Debenhams appears to have escaped a round of closures of the chain's stores. The Hereford store is not on a list of 22 out of 166 branches to shut that was issued this week. But further closures will be confirmed in due course, with the final number depending on future trading performance. The move has put 1,200 jobs at risk across the company. The Hereford store opened in the Old Market shopping development in 2014. Keep supporting these local stores and keep local people in jobs!

Suspect device apparently

A man has now been arrested and the incident is over.

Breaking News: Hostage Situation. We have received 'unconfirmed' reports that a man is holding a male and a female hostage at a property in Poole Close. Armed police are at the scene and this has been an ongoing situation since about 3am. There is also now a fire appliance and crew on site. Police and Balfour Beatty have cordoned off Belmont Road (A465) between Walnut Tree Avenue and Asda and motorists are being diverted to the Ross Road (A49) There is no risk to the wider public. Police have advised the public to avoid the area. Police Statement:

A great view of this iconic building occupied by Laura Ashley as you leave the passage leading to Gilbies Bar, (St Peters Close)

The prefabricated bungalows in Beattie Avenue Hereford will soon just become a pile of rubble once the demolition work begins. Hereford Voice previously reported on plans submitted by Hereford Housing back in March of 2018 in this topic for the proposed demolition of 41 existing (prefab bungalows) in Beattie Avenue Hereford and the subsequent construction of 71 bungalows and houses with associated parking, private amenity, access and alterations to highway.

By reporting a scam, you may prevent others from being scammed Scammers are targeting Herefordshire households by telephone, pretending that residents are due a refund on their Council Tax and asking for bank and card details. Herefordshire Council will always write to customers to advise them of any refund and would never ask for bank or card details over the phone. Fraudsters often use the phone to cold call their way into your home. They trick you by pretending to be from a trusted source, such as the council, your bank, the police, a utility provider or a computer company. Their aim is to get hold of your personal or financial information like bank details and passwords. Scammers can be very persuasive and relentless - if they can get access to your bank cards, or persuade you to transfer money into bank accounts they control, then most of their work is done. The good news is that it’s easy to protect yourself: If you receive an unsolicited call from a company you don’t recognise, hang up Never give out personal or bank details over the telephone Don’t feel pressured to make a decision over the telephone Consider a call blocking device to filter out unwanted calls If you think you have been targeted by a scammer, call Citizens Advice consumer helpline on 03454 04 05 06. Citizens Advice will give you advice on what to do next, and report the scam to Herefordshire Council’s Trading Standards team for investigation.

Good article in the Telegraph from Martin Cassini HERE

Here is another change of use application, this one is for multi-occupancy home. Planning Application P190882/F

Herefordshire Council has approved expenditure to invest £150k in improving car parking across the county. The council operates 43 car parks throughout Herefordshire and as these are well used and important assets in local economies it is vital that they remain fit for our visitors and ensure continued growth countywide. Herefordshire Council, as a member of the British Parking Association, considers factors such as accessibility and car safety as a priority when promoting the use of a car park in a local area. The programme of enhancement works we are carrying out include works to improve signage and accessibility at Maylords car park, particularly for those parking with children – including 12 new parent/child spaces; Improving the car park surface and signage at Merton Meadow car park; Improvements to tackle anti-social behaviour and improve safety at Garrick Multi-Storey Car Park, as well as a new lighting system at the heavily used Plough Lane car parks. Several car parks in locations throughout the county have also been identified as being in need of some minor enhancement, such as surface repairs, line markings or replacement drainage. Chris Jenner, Assistant Director for Technical Services, said:

Over the past few years, we have noticed more and more planning applications to change use from shops to residential flats and accommodation. Again today plans have been submitted here for 145 Eign Street Hereford shops are slowly disappearing and Herefordshire Council are often granting these plans. We will attempt to start highlighting each of these applications to show the scale of this trend from the Council. How plans were passed in Eign Street for this lot previously is beyond comprehension, how is this in keeping with the surrounding area? These buildings bricked up look horrendous!

Well done to the winner and we wish him all the best, enjoy your winnings!

Keep to the original topic please guys or it will be difficult to locate these topics in the future. This topic is about the Scaffolding at the Town Hall.

The Secretary of State for Transport has confirmed the compulsory purchase and side road orders for the southern link road in Hereford. The southern link road, which will be constructed from the A49 to the A465 and linking to the B4349 Clehonger Road, will provide easier access to the Hereford Enterprise Zone, and looks to reduce congestion on current routes and increase capacity at key junctions, bringing significant improvement especially to the Belmont and Lower Bullingham areas. The construction of the new road will commence later this year when the necessary statutory process are completed and will be complemented by improved walking and cycling routes so that residents can make healthier choices about how they travel. The confirmation of the orders has been received following the outcome of a public inquiry held in late October / early November 2018. Copies of the confirmed orders and associated plans will be available to view from Thursday 21 March 2019 at Blueschool House in Hereford, HR1 2LX. There is the opportunity to appeal the validity of the orders or the decision-making process (not the decision). Any appeal must be submitted by 16 May 2019.

Here are a few photographs taken along the river path opposite the Hereford Rowing Club this evening.

Some residents will see changes to their waste collection day from 18 March There will be changes to the waste collection day or week for many Herefordshire residents from Monday 18 March. Collection times across the county could be affected, so everyone’s bins should be put outside by 6.30am on collection day, or the evening before. Herefordshire Council will write directly to residents who will see a change to their collection day, the majority of which are around the Ross and Ledbury areas. Herefordshire Council has been working with FCC Environment to make collection routes more efficient, and to prevent missed collections. Very few changes to collection routes have been made since 2014 but many new properties have been built across the county since then so changes are needed. Collection areas have been grouped together to ensure that all the waste in that area is collected on one day, rather than over several days. In the long term, this will mean that we reduce vehicle emissions and save fuel. The time saving also means there will be more flexibility to cope with seasonal changes in the amount of waste and recycling being collected, and create more capacity to allow for future housing developments. Residents can check their bin collection days, download a collection calendar and find answers to further questions online at www.herefordshire.gov.uk/bincollection

Yes the post office will close, let's hope that it is not empty for long.

Please keep on topic guys, this topic refers to the scaffolding at the Town Hall. It is still up, we took this photograph only yesterday.

A Hereford woman has won £125,000 on TV's 'Who Wants to be a Millionaire' Katy Chambers, a human resources officer, won £125,000 this week on the show hosted by Jeremy Clarkson.

Hereford's main Post Office in High Town will be operating from inside WHSmith from next month from April 11th. The existing Post Office on St Peter's Street, will close. Plans have already been submitted for new signage here

Travelling around Hereford by bicycle will soon become easier, thanks to the introduction of a bike share scheme in the city Herefordshire Council has partnered with scheme operator Beryl, for a two year contract to provide bike share across Hereford. The scheme will be launched in Summer 2019, with bikes distributed at key destinations across the city. The bikes will be available for hire via the Beryl App, which lets users find a bike and then easily unlock it, simply using their smartphone. The App will be available for download on the Apple app store for iPhone, and the Google Play Store for Android users. Users will be informed of the location of ‘Beryl Bays’, the preferred parking locations to leave the bikes. However, the scheme is designed with flexibility in mind and will allow users to park the bikes elsewhere for an extra charge, provided they are safely within the scheme area. There is no initial or ongoing cost to the council and Beryl will be responsible for supplying the bikes as well as management and maintenance of the service. Beryl is a partner to the London bike share scheme and has experience operating two corporate dockless bike share schemes in London and recently announced a scheme in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole. Beryl is accredited with CoMoUK, which is the agreed standard of best practice for the industry. Marc Willimont, Acting Assistant Director for Regulatory Environment and Waste Herefordshire Council, said: Philip Ellis, chief operating officer at Beryl, added: