twowheelsgood

Presumably en-route to the sewage works - the speed that some of these tractor/tanker drivers take along Eign Road is insane.

The building is still owned by Goldings - it is leased to Waterstones.

It was Goldings when it burnt down. The kettle isn't in this picture, not sure when it was taken. Old Hereford Pics on Facebook has it that it has been sent for cleaning - unlikely methinks. Picture of kettle courtesy of Facebook!

The lack of a planning application for FC signage has also not had the attention it required from enforcement - I'm assured this is now being addressed ...

Coincidentally, I followed this up with Planning Enforcement a couple of days ago as the side gates were still the horrible blue and no application in for new signs. Transpires the previous Enforcement Officer has left, another is on maternity leave and so it appeared to have slipped down the back of the sofa. They are now back on the case ...

The fact is, it may not be perfect, but this is the one and only chance we will have of getting something half decent - the Council have (finally) asked the Library User Group to produce this feasibility study and they've done it - it proves it is feasible. Only the original front part of the building is listed - the rest will ail be demolished and replaced with 5 floors of modern space. I know the authors and how much they've put into it - and they're convinced that a change is coming in the legal status of libraries anyway, such that Council's will no longer have to provide them. So, we take this now or we really do lose the library for ever. As for parking, it could be an issue, but for many who use the services listed, they may already be in town, or don't have a car, or walk or cycle. It's a case of we can't have everything, even though the Council promised it back in 2007 - remember the glorious promises of the ESG and the ‘20 Year Vision’? New library, new civic quarter - still waiting, 9 years later … I'll take this over hollow promises any day.

Amazingly thorough and well considered report by the authors - in their own time and at their own cost. Consultants would have charged the Council £0.25m for this. Straightforward, common sense approach to yet another denigrated council service - lets hope the council have the good grace to give it a fair hearing and run with it.

Read through the development proposal - looks good.

Not according to the video clip on the HT - 4 voted against and 8 abstained. Or did you mean 'all councillors voted'?

Sadly, you can report stuff forever and a day but nothing will be done. I regularly pass items I've reported several times over years - nothing ever done. I know all the reports with Amey were simply deleted the day they packed up, which didn't help anyone.

Turn them off? They're just about to add 3 more sets in 300m on Holme Lacy Road! Coming soon - more traffic lights on Edgar Street where the 'link road' joins. After that - dozens more traffic lights on the link road, including 3 x 4-way junctions, two of them 50m apart. They're really not getting the message are they!!!

Without a doubt the Amey deal was a terrible, terrible deal for Herefordshire - not only whilst they were here, but now they've gone we are facing a major High Court case against them over a disputed £40m, as yet unpaid, for which the Council has set aside £3.5m for legal costs, with a warning that more will be required. What is unarguable is that this situation would never have arisen had the service stayed in house. Of the £2-300m paid to Amey at least 25% of that would have been profit - £50m or more that could have been spent on essential services rather than going to shareholders. Now we see the same happening with BBLP - it's parent company BB are struggling and have been for years. The true cost of these deals I suspect we will never know - but we can see the result with decimated services. When will common sense prevail?

I cycled the length of the City at about 1pm - the whole thing was log jammed. A49 as Ubique says - I then went up Widemarsh St - ditto, not helped by someone trying to turn right into Blackfriars St, also solid and not moving, stopping anyone wanting to carry on up to Blueschool St, which was clear eastbound but solid and stationary west bound, all the way back along Ledbury Rd. Just ridiculous.

Three new sets of traffic lights in a 300m stretch - genius.

£3 to £5 is a 66% increase! It's come to something when the NCP is cheaper than the Council!

Forced myself to watch - appalling nil-budget production values. Timeline didn't make sense, nor does it in his Council interview. Still, at least I know what he looks like.

Massive rises - 20, 30, 40% and more. Except Plough Lane staff car park, which got off quite lightly - why ever would that be? Didn't realise they took the revenue from Maylords Orchards car park - they flogged off the above ground leases years ago.

People need to drill down to the facts - this is an outline application with all matters except access reserved for future consideration - there is a lot yet to decide. There is no affordable housing on the table - the argument is made that the remediation costs of restoring the canal (and it's only a short length) is £3m and the applicant has basically said 'canal or affordable housing'. Given the long standing desire (and adopted policy) to restore the canal, that’s the way it is going to go BUT it is subject to further discussion. Notably the submitted drawings state 'Reinstated canal or Linear Park'. The issue of housing next to Cavannaghs is far from ideal, particularly as access is through the new housing. As for Councillor Marcelle Lloyd Hayes claiming 'the development of the canal is essential to the future of the city' - we're all doomed if that is the case!

HT are reporting the facts of the inquest, sad though they are. It is clear that the NHS did all they could against poor odds. Hardly a story running down the NHS.

So, a day a week on the new job, a day a week on Emerging Asset Management, and say half a day a week on all the other directorships, tenant management, farm management and filing expense claims, must leave his constituents feeling a little short changed ...

Bargain, compared to the £545ph Allpay are paying him - from 'they work for you' (but not all the time) - Non-executive director of Allpay Limited (from September 2013 and renewed for one year in September 2015); payment collection. Address: Fortis et Fides, Whitestone Business park, Whitestone, Hereford HR1 3SE. I will receive an annual fee of £12,000 plus VAT, paid in monthly instalments. Expected time commitment of four meetings a year; 5.5 hours per meeting. (Registered 9 September 2013; updated 27 June 2014 and 10 September 2015). In addition, from 21 November 2015, managing director of Emerging Asset Management Ltd, 3rd Floor, Williams House, Hamilton HM11, Bermuda. Hours: expected to be 8 hrs a week, for expected remuneration of £3,333 a month. (Registered 26 November 2015). And. Non-executive director of Philip T English International Financial Services Ltd, International House, Churchlands, Chipping Warden, Banbury, OX17 1LN. Remuneration of £5,000 a year. The very long list here http://www.theyworkforyou.com/regmem/?p=11318

Hereford Times site posted a story this morning about Wiggin's appearance in Private Eye, which started to attract a lot of comments - 4 hours later the whole thing has been pulled. Who's pulling their strings then? Here’s a screenshot from Facebook, as IOC were commenting on the article.

Staggering - I wonder how many Councillors are aware of or want to know this? The contract is £20m a year - the additional £18.5m is one years worth of 'extras' - which is how contractors make their profit. Go in at cost, pile on the extras. This is how we end up in a £40m court case with Amey - make no mistake, the same thing will happen again with BB, assuming Herefordshire hasn't gone bust before then.

Any change to the approved layout has to be referred back to Planning, prior to it being done. Glenda, just moaning about it won't change anything, as you must know - if there are things that are not right then contact Planning enforcement and the HSE. Building Control are not Planning (and I'm surprised to learn that HHL are using private Inspectors) and have no interest in any planning issues. I doubt they have an HSE officer on site - they will/must have a CDM manager (construction design and management), who should be pulling them up on health and safety issues.

I am advised that FC have now been asked by Planning to submit a retrospective planning application.