megilleland

Reported in Herefordshire Journal, August 6th 2008

Agent or Applicant name and address Bryan Smith Associates , 33 The Dell, Westbury-On-Trym Bristol BS9 3UE . (Agent) Hereford Residential Developments Ltd , Hereford Residential Developments Ltd Unit 220 Estate Office Holmer Trading Estate College Road Hereford HR1 1JS . (Applicant) Planning history below. Some very large downloads! Mixed Use development comprising residential (115 units), employment (office, industrial and warehousing), retail and supporting infrastructure including new access off College Road, roads, footpaths, open spaces, landscaping, parking Extant planning permission to extend time limit on application DCCE2007/1655/O (passed on appeal) - Mixed use development comprising residential (115 units), employment (office, industrial and warehousing), retail and supporting infrastructure

I cycle around here every day and had noticed that new plastic window frames have been fitted into all the flats over the past years. When all these flats are demolished during the phased development plan let's hope the frames can be salvaged and used for the good of other people.

From the Herefordshire & Gloucestershire Canal Trust website Route of the Canal into Hereford City Starting from the North, the historic line of the Canal runs parallel to the Sutton St Nicholas Road and crosses under the A4103 Roman Road (where the former Hereford & Worcester County Council built a new bridge for the Canal in 1995). A little further the Aylestone Park Project Site is reached. After a short infilled section, Aylestone Tunnel takes the Canal under the main Newport to Shrewsbury/Worcester railway line. Emerging from the tunnel, the restored canal will need to deviate along a former railway siding from its original line to avoid a large factory, and then to pass around the Hereford Retail Park (where a new footbridge and new road bridge were built to accommodate the future line of the Canal in 2000). The historic line is regained just before the Harper’s Site. Widemarsh Canal bridge is next and, shortly afterwards, the Canal will terminate in a New Hereford Basin. Canal Restoration Wins Planning Appeal for Trading Estate A recent Planning Application for the redevelopment of the Holmer Trading Estate, Hereford, which included plans to restore a further section of the Hereford and Gloucester Canal, including proposals for 115 new homes, together with a small convenience store, in addition to considerable local employment and retail floor space, was turned down by Herefordshire Council. (lack of vision again!!) However, the developers took the Application to an Appeal. As a result, the decision has been reversed. In his summing up of the case, the Planning Inspector said .... “… the likely benefits associated with the re-opening of the Canal would be substantial. It seems to me that this is an important section of the Canal in terms of achieving the Unitary Development Plans long-term restoration aims.†... “Restoration of the length of Canal indicated in the Obligation would add substantially to the significance of the Canal as a feature within the City. In my judgement, the benefit of the scheme to the restoration of the Canal is sufficient to tip the balance in favour of allowing the Appeal....†It seems very clear that the proposed restoration of the Hereford and Gloucester Canal was crucial to the Inspector, and persuaded him, on balance, to grant the Appeal. More information here: Aylestone Park An artist’s impression of how the new Canal Basin at Edgar Street might look. Interesting to discover Hereford's past. Maybe Colin can create a section to highlight the glory of old hereford before the ESG spreads out like a cancer and smothers everything. A good start would be here at Hereford Old Pics. The aim of this site is to give a different look at Old Hereford, with new and old pictures of its people, it's buildings, it's businesses and events from over the years. Something a little different for people to take a look at and talk about.

Ask them if they filled in this form in 2009. WM audit final 1 (2).pdf Developing and using Customer Insight as a Strategic Asset Baseline Audit Tool Part 1 - Council Data Sets Questionnaire Section 2: Turning data into intelligence For data to become useful it needs to acquire a meaning i.e. some form of context-geographical area, gender/age grouping, such that it becomes information e.g. aggregating the numbers of residents in a ward who are female, aged 80+ and who are in receipt of a Bus Pass, could facilitate a decision on whether to increase or decrease the frequency of buses travelling a particular route, thus the data has generated knowledge for decision-makers. This section seeks to develop that understanding. and Section 4: Sharing and using this data set and Q26 Who is this data collected for?

This is nearly two years ago. Did they ever do this - can't see anything on their website?

Locality Manager - Balfour Beatty Will this make any difference to getting our drains unblocked and pot holes filled in? These Locality Managers look as if they are upsurping our elected councillors. See post above.

The Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) receive funding from a number of sources including Home office (Policing Grant and Various other grants), Office for Communities and Local Government (Various Grants) and Precept (Council Tax). The budget requirement of the Police and Crime Commissioner for West Mercia (The Commissioner) of £202.9 million is funded partly through government grants and business rates, and partly by direct precept on West Mercia council tax payers. In 2013/2014, central government funding accounts for 64% of total resources. The Government Grant for Community Safety will be topped up to provide a Community Safety Fund of £2m in 2013/14, from resources held for community safety within the former Police Authority budget, from savings within the Commissioner’s own budget, and from reserves. WEST MERCIA BUDGET 2013/14 MEDIUM TERM FINANCIAL PLAN 2013/14 TO 2017/18 Report of the Treasurer, Director of Finance, Chief Executive and Chief Constable h) That the Chief Executive to the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner for West Mercia be authorised to issue Precepts Notices on the West Mercia billing authorities as follows: £ Bromsgrove District Council 6,037,967.62 Herefordshire Council 11,481,348.10 Malvern Hills District Council 4,973,448.75 Redditch Borough Council 4,251,323.44 Shropshire Council 17,743,259.04 Telford and Wrekin Council 7,723,688.62 Worcester City Council 5,179,663.04 Wychavon District Council 7,781,997.81 Wye Forest District Council 5,382,867.68 TOTAL £70,555,564.10 Financial Resources p48 to p50 and p57 to p58 and Grants available from Bill's Private Fund and West Mercia Commissioner's Grant Scheme

I picked this up a few weeks ago. See this post.

Hello Colin. Travelling around the county delivering the post the roads are in a terrible state. Last week week around Bromyard noticed the council (Balfour Beatty?) have filled a lot of holes with tar and chippings. The chippings have been scattered by passing traffic and lying loose on the road. With all this rain expected more road surfaces will be lifted when it freezes.

This is what a lot of subways in the UK look like. Not very nice.

These drawings give some idea of the junction proposals and extension to existing 20mph zones. Not sure if they are relevant today. Herefordshire Council proposed extension to existing 20mph zone 6th December 2011.pdf Proposed speed reduction, traffic regulation and restricted zone order layout 1st September 2011.pdf

Introducing more traffic movements isn't going to help at this junction, unless a shared space scheme without traffic lights is used, similar to Poynton in Cheshire. Will the council revoke its traffic regulation order on Widemarsh Street to allow cycling both ways along it length?

In The Hereford Times

Alex and Victor there is no question of something modern being built here it is just a question of when. The council should put pressure on the landlords or compulsory purchase the site.

Here are some images and videos of the bridge to give posters an idea of what it looks like. BBC Cabot Circus: Bond Street bridge images Cabot Circus Pedestrian Bridge 1 Cabot Circus Pedestrian Bridge 2

Looks like a useful site with a commendable aim to what could be achieved in designing out waste: The Ellen MacArthur Foundation believes that the circular economy provides a coherent framework for systems level re-design and as such offers us an opportunity to harness innovation and creativity to enable a positive, restorative economy. The circular economy refers to an industrial economy that is restorative by intention; aims to rely on renewable energy; minimise, tracks and eliminates the use of toxic chemicals; and eradicates waste through careful design. The Ellen MacArthur Foundation's 2012 report Towards the Circular Economy stated that moving to this new model could be worth up to USD 630 billion for Europe alone, and the Foundation has identified that showcasing the companies leading this shift is key in demonstrating what is possible within this different framework. We can already see evidence of a transition taking place, and the concept and principles of the circular economy have already been put into practice by very different companies around the world. The Ellen MacArthur Foundation aims to document the best case studies in this area, to inform, inspire and stimulate research. The Circular Economy principle The circular economy refers to an industrial economy that is restorative by intention; aims to rely on renewable energy; minimises, tracks, and hopefully eliminates the use of toxic chemicals; and eradicates waste through careful design. The term goes beyond the mechanics of production and consumption of goods and services, in the areas that it seeks to redefine (examples include rebuilding capital including social and natural, and the shift from consumer to user). The concept of the circular economy is grounded in the study of non-linear, particularly living systems. Case studies here:

I have come in late here, but how many councillors have really looked into the alternatives for producing waste from energy? That is, shown a genuine interest in finding out for themselves what is happening out there beyond Hereford - the internet is a good source. The impression I get of how the council does business is that someone has a bright idea of how to get rid of our rubbish and then plans a scheme which benefits everyone associated financially except the council/tax payer. This problem of getting rid of rubbish is a universal one and is being addressed in a variety of ways. The public have no time for technical chat, acronyms and finanacial wizardry to know how this will be achieved. So often we leave it to the so called experts and only show interest when the scheme goes pear shaped and then it is too late. Here is what is happening in Europe. There appears to be two problems with the Hereford approach. The first was to decide which of the methods to get rid of our rubbish fits in with the council's master plan ie incineration and the second to find a finance package favourable to get it working and keeping it going to keep the money rolling in. PFI and PPP schemes are not in the best interest of council tax payers, only for councils (to get them out of the s*it and the developers and financiers to make money out of s*it, leaving council tax payers up to their necks in s*it for the next 25 years. It has been proven that the most cost effective way of reducing waste is to recycle. Check out this presentation by an American community To me MTB (Mechanical Biological Treatment) seems the way forward. Bournemoth Borough Council have produced a simple and clear view of all the options available listing the benefits and downsides. See pp 14 & 15 item 4.1 Biological treatment with Mechanical Biological Treatment and item 4.2 Heat Treatments within Mechanical Heat Treatment Technologies. It is about time Hereford and the county stepped forward and led in the field of waste recovery. The existing colleges and a future university in Hereford could play a part in the challenge for a sustainable future instead of its citizens watching its taxes go up in smoke.

Not sure what the status of the buildings are, but being in a conservation area, the council must have duties to protect them? See here for Hereford City Central Area conservation area. The Hereford City Central Area map is here. Maybe a councillor could delve into what is going on and tell us the current plans for the site and timeline?

Simon - where's the link or full name of the Bristol plant? Is this the site?

But the traffic wouldn't have to stop if we had shared space Colin. What is going to make the Widemarsh Gateway complicated to cross will be traffic turning right out Tesco and traffic turning right from Blueschool Street to go up Widemarsh Street The addition of these 2 extra turnings will only add more traffic lights!!

Waste Management Service Contract: Members Briefing October 2013 Frequently Asked Questions (V2.0) Useful time line from 1998 to present showing how the councils have been guided (manipulated) and their responses justified.

In The Hereford Times comments 12th December 2013 Cllr Liz Harvey says... "Apologies - long post alert … and no jokes or rants, but please persevere. This is a complicated subject – but not a difficult one. Whilst it is not well suited to the sound-bite format of a press article, it is something which residents have the right to have explained to them in a straightforward manner. We all contribute to the creation of household waste, and we are all collectively responsible for the problem of its disposal … although it’s the council’s responsibility to see that this is actually done, day-in day-out, without fail. And this is the crux of it. The council is 15 years into a 25 year PFI contract (ending 2023) for waste disposal jointly with Worcestershire, run by Mercia Waste, which is 50% owned by Urbaser, a well-thought-of Spanish company experienced in building and running waste incineration plants. The other half of Mercia are owned by the company which runs the two councils' waste collection contract which runs out in 2016 but could be extended to 2023 - so it's a complicated and somewhat incestuous situation. The contract set out in 1998 requiring our waste to be disposed of by incineration (which disposes of 90%+ of our non-recyclable rubbish) so that our existing landfill sites would last for much longer. Since 1998 several attempts have been made to make this happen which for various reasons have been unsuccessful. Meanwhile, our landfill site has been being filled-up fast, energy prices have started to rocket and waste has started to become seen as an asset - a source of valuable materials rather than just a problem to be dealt with, a liability. During the life of the contract, the rapidly increasing ‘value’ of household waste in terms of its recyclable elements and the energy (heat and electricity) which can be obtained from its disposal has encouraged investment in technology which significantly improves the sophistication with which different materials can be separated for recycling and composting. This investment has also improved the efficiency with which the heat and gases, generated when the remaining waste is burned, can be turned into electricity for the national grid and into heat for homes and businesses close to the power plant. The dilemma facing both councils right now is whether this new technology is sufficiently reliable for the councils to RELY ON IT to dispose of our household rubbish, yours and mine, day-in day-out without fail for the next 20-30 years. Waste experts have been consulted, and have given their opinions – but most acknowledge that the newer technologies are improving very rapidly, but they are currently NOT PROVEN to the point where understandably cautious and naturally risk-averse councils can be CERTAIN they will deliver robust disposal solutions needed for household rubbish. This picture is further complicated by the fact that the current PFI contractor builds power generating incinerators for a living and is understandably keen to be paid to build one under the current contract. This would also put them in a good place to bid for the next contract in 2023 to carry on using the still nearly new plant for the whole of its working life out to 2042 and beyond. The decision to be made is not just about getting rid of our rubbish – it’s actually even more heavily influenced for the future by the money to be made from recycling the valuable metals and plastics in that rubbish and from generating what will be the VERY valuable power from burning what’s left. It’s Our County contends that the technological improvements increasing the money to be made from waste are moving so fast right now that it is sensible to give these the (relatively) short time they need to be PROVEN to the performance standards demanded by the councils. As an example, just down the road in Bristol a (jargon alert) Mechanical and Biological Treatment and Pyrolysis & Gassification Energy from Waste plant has been built over the last 2 years to handle 250,000 tonnes p.a. of household waste and to generate 13 mega-Watt hrs of electricity, with space to double its energy-generating capacity on-site. Read more about the plant here: www.neattechnology.com This plant is of the size and scale of that proposed by Herefordshire and Worcestershire and is built and working TODAY. It cost ~£60m to build – that’s a third of the price of the proposed incinerator at Hartlebury, and will generate more energy and reclaim more recyclable material from the waste it handles than the Hartlebury plant. In addition, the energy-generating part of the process doesn’t have to be done on the same site as the sorting, recycling, composting and shredding. Pyrolysis tubes can be located alongside business parks and employment sites, so that the heat and energy they generate can be used to provide cheap power to local businesses and homes. This is just one of a mix of full scale waste disposal options which are right on the edge of being demonstrated as robust solutions for the future. With 10 years to run on the current PFI, It’s Our County is simply saying: Why use the site you have already earmarked by committing to an old and less efficient waste disposal solution today – albeit one which is favoured by the current contractor, when within 3 years the evidence will exist to factor into the decision-mix these more efficient next-generation technologies – opening up the possibility for residents of both counties to secure a 21st century solution to the disposal of their 21st century waste. We have not been listened to so far, and have little hope that we can turn this decision around, as the administration seem determined to go with the single solution being pressed by Mercia Waste. Consequently, we are arguing that Herefordshire should have an exit option written into the agreement NOW with Worcestershire, which gives us the option to sell our quarter share of the incinerator plant in 2023 at the value it is currently predicted to have then. And that this option be binding on Worcestershire, should Herefordshire chose to exercise the option. That way, at least we can continue to monitor how the other technologies are evolving and can use the remaining 10 years of the PFI contract as time to design and build a plan-H for Herefordshire which can kick-in after 2023 and which we can pay for by the pegged price of our share in the incinerator. We predict that by 2023 the incinerator will need expensive upgrades to enable it to meet future environmental and recycling targets. However, Worcestershire are so certain that this is a good idea that their scrutiny committee chairman boasted in the joint cabinet meeting on Thursday that he hasn’t even bothered to put the waste contract decision on the committee’s agenda for discussion. We can’t secure a sensible outcome for Worcestershire, but we can do our best to mitigate the worst of the effects on Herefordshire; and try to keep the options open for the future even if minds are closed to the alternatives in front of us today".

November expenses up on Council's website. From £14,570,547.73 spent this month the following stand out again. £1,137,499.00 West Mercia Police & Crime Commissioner (shown as doube entry) £1,137,499.00 West Mercia Police & Crime Commissioner £595,785.79 Hoople Ltd £572,597.10 Kier Construction - Central Div of Kier Construction Ltd £468,691.46 Hereford & Worc Fire & Rescue Service (shown as doube entry) £468,691.46 Hereford & Worc Fire & Rescue Service £362,057.06 FCC Environment Services (uk) Ltd £355,725.82 Thomas Vale Construction Plc £283,617.76 Kier Construction - Central Div of Kier Construction Ltd £238,864.49 Whitecross@Stepnell Ltd £235,632.90 Shaw Healthcare (Herefordshire) Ltd £281,855.67 2Gether NHS Foundation Trust £173,844.58 Western Power Distribution £151,117.00 Speller Metcalfe Malvern Ltd £133,000.00 S C Joseph Ltd £128,337.50 Worcestershire County Council £122,664.45 Alliance In Partnership £112,611.00 Wye Valley NHS Trust £104,382.20 Livability Redacted monthly sums since June 2013: June £694,638.70 July £880,447.46 August £1,053,019.69 September £807,065.76 October £851,967.86 November £724,875.33 Total to date: £5,012,014.80 In contracts 2013: Integral UK from 01/09/2013 to 31/08/2016 £10,497,513 Balfour Beatty Living Places from 01/09/2013 to 31/08/2023 £200,000,000 Mercia Waste Management from 23/12/1998 to 01/12/2023 £227,500,000 Focsa (UK) Ltd from 01/11/2009 to 01/11/2016 £28,000,000

November expenses up on Council's website. From £14,570,547.73 spent this month the following stand out again. £1,137,499.00 West Mercia Police & Crime Commissioner (shown as doube entry) £1,137,499.00 West Mercia Police & Crime Commissioner £595,785.79 Hoople Ltd £572,597.10 Kier Construction - Central Div of Kier Construction Ltd £468,691.46 Hereford & Worc Fire & Rescue Service (shown as doube entry) £468,691.46 Hereford & Worc Fire & Rescue Service £362,057.06 FCC Environment Services (uk) Ltd £355,725.82 Thomas Vale Construction Plc £283,617.76 Kier Construction - Central Div of Kier Construction Ltd £238,864.49 Whitecross@Stepnell Ltd £235,632.90 Shaw Healthcare (Herefordshire) Ltd £281,855.67 2Gether NHS Foundation Trust £173,844.58 Western Power Distribution £151,117.00 Speller Metcalfe Malvern Ltd £133,000.00 S C Joseph Ltd £128,337.50 Worcestershire County Council £122,664.45 Alliance In Partnership £112,611.00 Wye Valley NHS Trust £104,382.20 Livability Redacted monthly sums since June 2013: June £694,638.70 July £880,447.46 August £1,053,019.69 September £807,065.76 October £851,967.86 November £724,875.33 Total to date: £5,012,014.80 In contracts 2013: Integral UK from 01/09/2013 to 31/08/2016 £10,497,513 Balfour Beatty Living Places from 01/09/2013 to 31/08/2023 £200,000,000 Mercia Waste Management from 23/12/1998 to 01/12/2023 £227,500,000 Focsa (UK) Ltd from 01/11/2009 to 01/11/2016 £28,000,000