megilleland

Today 12th May: 230 Representations 12 support application 218 object to application The people have spoken.

Just been down to voice my concern. Traffic backed up, but if they build the supermarket, which they say will only take 9 months if approved, instead of sitting in the traffic jam you will be able to pop into Lidl and do a shop or have a coffee to pass the time. The hotel grounds look lovely with ducklings on the pond. Large meeting taking place in the conference room and visitors arriving with their suitcases for a stay. Where are the our representatives? Does Jesse Norman have a viewpoint? I will get down to the hotel and take some photos to go along with the demolished Vortex Youth Centre and the demolished local church St Francis Saviour. As one supporter for this application said we have to move with the times! Why not blow up the whole of Newton Farm and Belmont and start with a blank canvas. You never know the council may be able to include a bypass in the scheme. By the way Lidl do not do home deliveries so everyone will have to arrange their own transport for carting their shopping home.

Out of 208 representations on HCC wesite there are now only 201 listed - there are 191 against the planning application and 11 in support at 2pm. My objection is listed.

Today 11th May 2022 on the Herefordshire Council's planning website it says there are 208 representations concerning the Lidl planning application. Although there are only 188 listed - there are 178 against the planning application and 10 in support. I put my objection in last week, but it is not listed, so what is the true number of representations, are there others? I will be going down to the Three Counties later today before 7pm.

This application relates to the Tesco premises in Belmont, lying on the south-western fringes of Hereford. It seeks planning permission for a temporary storage container to be sited each year from November to January. It is proposed that it be located on land within the delivery yard to the north-west of the superstore, which is accessed from Abbotsmead Road. It would have an area of 28sqm, stand 2.7m tall and comprise the appearance of a shipping container albeit be internally fitted out as a refrigeration unit. A previous application (073649/F), for the installation of two temporary refrigerated storage units, was refused on the grounds of highway safety. Relevant Site History: 073649/F - Installation of two temporary refrigerated storage units – Refused on 21st December 2007 DELEGATED DECISION REPORT APPLICATION NUMBER 214561 Tesco Supermarket, Abbots Mead Road, Belmont, Hereford, HR2 7XS Some comments from the above report well worth a read. Transportation – No highways objections – no conditions required Environmental Health Officer – I would advise that over the years we have had numerous complaints from local residents about noise caused by various sources at this supermarket. This premises is in a very sensitive location being located at very close proximity to residential development. The positioning of these temporary refrigeration units provides another possible source for the generation of unacceptable noise whilst they are in position. I note from neighbour representations that this has been raised as a concern and I would concur with this view. There is no mention in the application as to what level of noise will be generated or as to how any unacceptable levels will be mitigated. I would therefore recommend that this application is refused unless an acoustic survey is provided that demonstrates what level of noise will be produced and if this level is unacceptable what mitigation measures will be put in place to ensure that noise from them will be adequately controlled. I would recommend that the acoustic survey uses the methodology provided by BS 4142:2014 Methods for Rating and Assessing Industrial and Commercial Noise (as amended A1:2019), however it should also specifically consider low frequency noise and vibration. _________________________________________________ If Tesco couldn't put two temporary containers on their site, I can't see how the council can approve a large supermarket just down the road.

Convenience store chain McColl's is on the brink of collapse, potentially placing thousands of jobs at risk. The retailer said it was "increasingly likely" it would fall into administration unless talks around a rescue deal were successful. The statement on Thursday came after Sky News reported the company could call administrators in on Friday. More than 16,000 people are employed by McColl's, which also has a partnership with supermarket Morrisons. The company wrote that without any fresh funding in the short-term, the group would likely "be placed into administration with the objective of achieving a sale of the group to a third-party purchaser and securing the interests of creditors and employees". But the chain also stressed on Thursday that discussions are still ongoing. It added that it wanted to create a "stable platform for the business going forward". The 1,400-store group has a wholesale tie-up with Morrisons, as well as Martin's newsagents, with a strategy centred around an image of a "neighbourhood retailer". -------------------------------------------------------------- Bet Lidl will be pleased. No Newspapers, no convenience shopping and I imagine the Post Office will close.

Trapped by four voluptuous beauties who had heard of Bobby's virality and his manly character, vigor, and masculinity to enable him the power of procreation. Or he could have been down in The Commercial.

The Guardian 1st May 2022: ‘Dental deserts’ form in England as dentists quit NHS, experts warn Patients struggle to get treatment as report says health service has lowest number of dentists for a decade ‘My teeth still hurt’: patients unable to get on to NHS dentists’ lists The number of dentists providing NHS care in England fell from 23,733 at the end of 2020 to 21,544 at the end of January this year, according to the latest NHS figures, which have been obtained by the Association of Dental Groups (ADG) under freedom of information laws. Given that dentists each have a caseload of about 2,000 patients, the depletion of the workforce has left an estimated 4m people without access to NHS care. The NHS now has the smallest number of dentists it has had for a decade, according to the ADG, which represents major chains of surgeries. Access to NHS dental care is now so limited that people in some areas are forced to wait three years for an appointment. The difficulty obtaining treatment is one of the public’s main sources of frustration with the health service, with just one in three people satisfied with dental services. Many are forced to go private, after seeking an NHS dentist in vain, in order to have problems resolved. Some have rung dozens of surgeries in their area in a vain quest to be accepted as an NHS patient, or had to travel outside their home area to get it. A growing number of dental surgeries do little or no NHS-funded work, citing problems with the dental contract. ______________________________________________ I am resigned to go private as The NHS has been ruined by this Conservative government. Their plan of creative chaos is working wonders and I see Bill Gates is winding us up for another spate of Coronavirus and new vaccines - worse than the last lot.

The next meeting of Belmont Rural Parish Council is scheduled to take place on Thursday 5th May 2022 at 7.30 pm and will be held at the Kindle Centre, Asda Supermarket, Belmont Road, Hereford HR2 7JE AGENDA 1. Apologies To receive and consider apologies for absence. 2. Written requests for Dispensation To consider written requests for dispensation. 3. Declarations of Interest To receive declarations of interest on agenda items. 4. To pass a resolution to suspend Standing Orders To agree to suspend the standing orders for agenda items 5-6 5. Public Participation To receive / consider questions & comments from the public on agenda item number 6. 6. Planning Application Three Counties Hotel , Belmont Road Hereford HR2 7BP (221090) 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). 6a–To agree to the formal response to Herefordshire Council on the planning application and as to whether this is supported or objected to by the Parish Council, giving reasons in both cases. 7. Confirmation of Date, time, and Location of the next meeting Thursday 12th May2022 @7.30 pm Belmont Community Centre Meeting convened by Councillor Adrian Bridges (Chairman Belmont Rural Parish Council), Dated: 24thApril 2022. THE PUBLIC AND PRESS ARE CORDIALLY INVITED TO BE PRESENT Please contact the Clerk - Tony Ford, Parish Clerk, Belmont Rural Parish Council e-mail: clerk@belmontrural-pc.gov.uk

Air Quality Report Three Counties Hotel Belmont Hereford HR2 7BP Exceeds two WHO limits LEVELS & HEALTH EFFECTS Pollutant one: PM2.5 At this address, the annual average of the pollutant PM2.5 is 8.67mcg/m3. The World Health Organization limit is 5mcg/m3. These particles, which are less than 2.5 micrometers in diameter, can cause asthma, respiratory inflammation and even promote cancers. Pollutant two: PM10 The reading for PM10 at this address is 14.76mcg/m3. The limit is 15mcg/m3. PM10 can cause wheezing, bronchitis and reduce lung development. Pollutant three: NO2 The reading for N02 at this address is 12.04mcg/m3. The limit is 10mcg/m3. Long term exposure to even low levels of this toxic gas increases mortality rates and contributes to the development of asthma, and other respiratory issues. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- And this is before they could add more traffic in the area.

Worcester angler calls for pollution action to 'save' River Severn An angler says urgent action is needed to clean up the River Severn after finding "shocking" levels of pollution. Glyn Marshall, who also campaigns to protect rivers, said Severn Trent Water was not removing phosphate at its treatment plant at Diglis, Worcester. He fears pollution will lead to algae growth and wildlife dying. Severn Trent said its permit did not require it to remove phosphate at the site, but the plant was being upgraded to allow it to do this by May 2026. Mr Marshall, 65, said data from the river sewage map showed untreated waste went into the Severn at Diglis 81 times last year. "The residents of Worcester need to realise that what's going into our local river is horrible and it's not getting any better," he said. The river had become increasingly polluted and one example was reduced levels or streamer weed which animals such as cygnets fed on, he said. "I have seen in the change in the last three of four years and it's not the same river I fished when I was a teenager," he said. He fears the Severn could become like the River Wye which was "just about teetering". Campaigners say high phosphate levels in the Wye are causing excessive algae growth which harms wildlife. ____________________________________________ Clean water is going to be a valuable commodity in the future and all we are doing is pouring it down the drain. After all you can't drink oil.

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.

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.

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.

Surprised by Glenda's death - very sudden - she was quite a character and helpful with issues I raised with her. I have come across links found on Hereford Voice and which some may find interesting with lots of photos. In Hereford Voice: Glenda Powell Location: Hereford Posted May 25, 2015 I have been looking into the history of South Wye because years ago there was a South Wye free paper called South Wye News which for a time I was chairman of until 2003. I have got some information about the Powell's Farm in Newton Farm that also tell the history about the brook and surrounding fields, I am writing a book on this. It is on my website. Glenda https://www.belmontindependent.com/biography.html https://www.belmontindependent.com/historyofsouthwye.html

Title of report: Citizens Climate Assembly Next Steps and Recommendations Meeting: Cabinet Meeting date: Thursday 28 April 2022 Report by: Cabinet member environment and economy Purpose The purpose of the report is to consider next steps and provide recommendations to Cabinet to allocate funding from the Climate Reserve with respect to the Citizens Climate Assembly recommendations. The Citizens’ Climate Assembly is a new venture for the council to actively engage a demographically representative group of residents to support the council’s decision making. Citizens’ Assemblies incorporate a number of key principles: the provision of information from a range of experts, learning amongst participants, consideration of varied and diverse viewpoints, discussion, weighing up evidence, and making recommendations (followed by a voting process). Another important element of Citizens’ Assemblies is that members have an equal opportunity to speak and be heard during the meetings (one of the key principles of deliberative democracy) with trained facilitators supporting this process. Another important principle is the use of randomisation of sampling in recruiting members based on age, gender, ethnicity, urban/rural, socio-economic background, attitude to climate change and disability. 520 people signed up as potential Assembly members who were then asked to share information to ensure representation. In total 41 attended the Assembly meetings. Council agreed on 11 February 2022 to allocate the £1.33m of New Homes Bonus for 2022/23 to the Climate Reserve. All costs of the projects outlined within the programme as well as the resource required to deliver them will be borne by the Climate Reserve, costs will not exceed the available £1.33m. An element of the allocation of funding is recommended to be used to provide additional resource for the Council to deliver this work internally as well as enable the Council to procure expert external support and services where required to deliver the programme of works proposed. The revenue implications of the projects will be assessed during the development of their business cases and will be contained within the overall £1.33m budget. Lot of detail here: Appendix 1 - Climate Assembly Recommendations Appendix 2 - Proposed action plan I applied but didn't get on the shortlist - must be too green.

Here is some bank holiday viewing showing the length the dark powers go to to keep tabs on us. We have no proper democracy in this country or any alternative opposition. All our puppets do is follow orders from above. Who Owns The World

Council spending If you want to see where the money goes each month you can select all the spreadsheet, AutoFit the column widths and using the data symbol scan quickly through the items. The latest figures for December 2021 to March 2022 show the council spent £49,567,912.85 - average £16,522,637.62 each month. Examples are: Balfour Beatty £6,082,663.82 Blue Line Taxis £326,962.00 C M D Travel Hereford £204,107.42 Hoople £2,944,853.11 Redacted £2,726,318.80 Whitecross@Stepnell Ltd £762,167.58 Yeomans Travel Ltd £359,446.62

They took away the Vortex youth club, then demolished the local church, There was talk of a community centre to be built as part of the Keepmoat Oval development a few years ago, but nothing. All this development is corporate vandalism and all the authorities are in it together. There was talk of the Council building a new care home in the county and this with its 60 bedrooms would be a more worthwhile project. We don't need all this blight.

Appendix 1 - Auditors Annual Audit Report 2020-21 updated.pdf Is there no one above board in authority in this country anymore. It appears it is everyone for themselves and blow the rest of us.

Auditor's Annual Report on Herefordshire Concil 2020-21 Final - 7 April 2022 (extract) Contract management Balfour Beatty feature strongly in this report with the Council's inability to effectively manage its public realm and facilities management contract. The auditor considered the Council's contract appointment and management arrangements to be a significant weakness in arrangements. It did not ensure that the Council's public realm contract was awarded to an appropriate and legitimate company and as a result the Council has engaged and continues to engage with a dormant company - Balfour Beatty Living Places (BBLP).

The Department of Health and Social Care is set to pay up to £35m to dispose of unusable PPE, after admitting it expected to burn nearly 600 lorry-loads of equipment a month. Following intense criticism over plans to send “mountains” of personal protective equipment bought during the pandemic to the incinerator, CSW can reveal the department has agreed to pay two waste companies up to £17.5m apiece for PPE “recycling and recovery services”. Veolia UK and SUEZ Recycling and Recovery UK have been tasked with “managing the whole waste management process to assess, collect, handle and dispose of” equipment that DHSC no longer wants. The two “lead waste partners” are each set to bank at least £11.7m destroying unusable PPE over the next two years – rising to £17.5m if the contracts are extended for a third year. DHSC to pay up to £35m to dispose of unused pandemic PPE Waste companies to get £17.5m apiece after department admitted plans to burn mountains of equipment The Department of Health and Social Care is set to pay up to £35m to dispose of unusable PPE, after admitting it expected to burn nearly 600 lorry-loads of equipment a month. Following intense criticism over plans to send “mountains” of personal protective equipment bought during the pandemic to the incinerator, CSW can reveal the department has agreed to pay two waste companies up to £17.5m apiece for PPE “recycling and recovery services”. Veolia UK and SUEZ Recycling and Recovery UK have been tasked with “managing the whole waste management process to assess, collect, handle and dispose of” equipment that DHSC no longer wants. The two “lead waste partners” are each set to bank at least £11.7m destroying unusable PPE over the next two years – rising to £17.5m if the contracts are extended for a third year. The contracts were awarded at the end of March, after DHSC admitted it was expecting to burn 15,000 pallets of equipment – equivalent to 576 lorry-loads – per month. At last count, seven billion units of PPE have been marked as “do not supply” to the NHS after going through compliance checks – amounting to nearly one in five items bought as part of the pandemic response. Of that figure, 1.2 billion items are “wastage” – meaning they cannot be used in any setting. Jonathan Marron, director general of the department's Office for Health Improvement and Disparities, told MPs on the Public Accounts Committee last month that while efforts were being made to recycle unusable equipment where possible, "more traditional waste disposal methods" would also be needed. The two companies will assess whether equipment DHSC plans to dispose of can be recycled and present the department with options. Last week, health minister Edward Argar said the department wanted to “accelerate the speed” of its disposal programme, “particularly for stock that is likely to become out-of-date before it is ever used and is unsuitable for recycling” to cut down on storage costs – which currently stand at £2.75 per pallet per week. Argar said the department would work with the two waste companies to consider options, including "energy from waste" processes – incineration. He said while DHSC's priority is to "sell, donate, repurpose or recycle wherever we can", in many instances this will not be possible. "The majority of PPE items are designed to be single use and disposed of as medical waste and so are often made up of complex chains of polymers. These items cannot be broken down for recycling. As a result, many of the products we hold are not able to be fully recycled and around half are completely non-recyclable," he said. The department must therefore take a "realistic, pragmatic approach to managing stock and putting in place solutions that make sense economically and environmentally", he added. “Environmental concerns will be key, and we will be taking into consideration the government’s waste hierarchy, prioritising recycling, and then energy from waste for that proportion of stock which we hold that cannot be recycled." The department has also agreed to pay £122,976 to a third company, Ramco UK, for help auctioning off unused PPE stock DHSC bought in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. Individuals and companies will be able to bid for the leftover equipment. In his statement, Argar said the company had so far sold 330 million masks to two private companies through a separate process, and had other deals in the pipeline. DHSC is also looking to prolong the shelf life of PPE that has expired in a bid to cut down on waste. It recently appointed a lab to carry out tests on medical-grade face masks and visors to see whether use-by dates can be extended. and following: DHSC bought £122m PPE from Tory peer-linked firm 'for almost three times manufacturing fee'The 25 million gowns were never used after failing an inspection And so it goes on with the public being shafted.

Plans for new care home to forge ahead amid rising pressure From The Hereford Times 29th October 2021 HEREFORDSHIRE Council will be developing a new 80-bed care home in the county due to rising pressure. Existing care home capacity in the county will begin to feel the squeeze as the number of older and disabled people with complex needs rises, the council said. It's led to the cabinet agreeing to forge ahead with plans for a new 80-bed home. In response to the Covid-19 pandemic and the closure of a privately run care home due to flood damage, Herefordshire Council opened the Hillside Care Centre in Hereford in 2020. The plan is for the new facility to offer a high-quality care environment, maximising the use of advanced technology to support the needs of residents. Potential sites will now be explored, including consulting with key stakeholders and developing the business plan. Coun Pauline Crockett, cabinet member for health and adult wellbeing, said: “I’m delighted that approval has been granted for a new care home facility which will support the needs of some of the most vulnerable people in the county. “Care homes play a vital role in the community, and this development will provide an opportunity to connect care and support services more effectively.” __________________________________ Surely this is the answer for a new care home - seems to have been overlooked and costing less than building from scratch. Of the 60 bedrooms, 32 are located in an annex near the main building and offer extra privacy and parking right outside the door.

Meanwhile our MPs are looking after their own interests Is the Price Right? You can be a 1p under, but not a penny over Tory MPs lobbied committee over ‘impractical’ second jobs rules At least 20 Conservative MPs lobbied a committee investigating new rules on second jobs and their behaviour in the Commons chamber, with many saying they strongly disagreed with time limits on outside work. DWP bungles benefits over 1p, as MPs rake it in Readers' comments: * I was surprised to read that the government has concluded that limits on MPs’ hours or earnings from second jobs are “impractical” (Report, 17 March). I’ve been on employment and support allowance (ESA) since I had to stop full-time work due to incurable cancer. Work is permitted while claiming ESA subject to limits on both hours and earnings. I currently work 11 hours a week for a local charity. In February, the Department for Work and Pensions terminated my benefit, without notifying me, because someone incorrectly calculated that I had earned 1p more than the permitted amount. I’m accused of earning £143 in a week. The limit is £142.99. I actually earn £142.61. I’m appealing to reverse the decision. In the meantime, the DWP has entirely stopped my benefits. We could argue about the rights and wrongs of MPs’ second jobs. We could also argue about the rights and wrongs of abrupt earnings caps for those on benefits. What the government can’t honestly do is put an entire bureaucracy in place to police the benefits system while arguing that to apply similar rules to a few hundred of its own MPs is “impractical”. You couldn’t get a clearer demonstration of how those in positions of power are not held to the same scrutiny as the rest of us. Alex Bicknell London _____________________ * Bill Wiggin seems very concerned that rules on second incomes for MPs may be so complex that they may inadvertently break them, and therefore it’s best not to have any regulation (Report, 17 March). What nonsense! But hey, it may be that Sir Bill is incapable of understanding tricky regulations. In which case we may ask – does he have the intellectual capacity to continue as an MP? What an incredibly low bar the Conservatives must have for selecting election candidates. In this parliamentary session, Wiggin has earned more than £75,000 in outside work plus ad hoc rental income of £10,000 for his London home. No wonder he’s so concerned. Gaynor Bentley Ledbury, Herefordshire ______________________ * Tory MPs lobbying to keep second jobs is understandable. After all, for a lot of them being an MP is their second job. Pete Bibby Sheffield

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?