Denise Lloyd

With so many new houses planned for the county of Herefordshire should this from Redrow be the bottom line or the starting point of all new housing planning applications in the county. I have read it several times and think it is not a bad start. At least they are trying and not just sticking brick boxes up without a thought for the environment. Sustainability: for housebuilders it’s not an optional extra 22nd November 2017 Rob Macdiarmid There is a misconception that all housebuilders are solely focused on churning out homes without thought for the communities they are establishing. If there are housebuilders out there with this singular, limited ambition then Redrow is certainly not one of them.Sustainability and creating places where people want to live are not optional extras for Redrow, it’s firmly entrenched in our DNA. For us sustainability is not just about building with sustainable materials and protecting local wildlife. It means creating thriving communities that are fit for the future. The starting point for each of our developments is our placemaking principles which are embedded in the design and layout of our sites. These include ensuring that schemes fit sensitively with the local area, that they feature large open spaces and plenty of nature habitats, that residents can easily make their way around the area and are well connected to public transport. For example, 95% of our homes are within 500 metres of a public transport link. All this ensures a place that fosters a sense of wellbeing among the people living there – and the broader community too. As a housebuilder we invested £163m in facilities and infrastructure across the year ending 30 June 2017, to bring people together and foster a real sense of pride in place. We are increasingly delivering large communities around the country. Often these developments are on former industrial brownfield land, from Colindale Gardens in north west London, to Ebbsfleet Green at Ebbsfleet Garden City in Kent and Woodford Garden Village in Cheshire. These developments enable us to embed our placemaking principles at scale. These new communities offer residents swathes of green space, orchards, allotments, running trails, cycling infrastructure and the homes are constructed to the highest quality standards we can deliver. Smaller sites, by their very nature, have less space in which to create these amenities and facilities. However, we work hard to ensure all our residents can benefit from clean, green lifestyles. All Redrow developments have a green travel plan, for example, and on some smaller sites we have instigated projects to create bee-friendly planting and have installed hedgehog highways to boost native animal and insect species. Boosting biodiversity Harold the hedgehog at Redrow’s hedgehog highway at Glenwood Park, Barnstaple. The scheme was a winner at this year’s Big Biodiversity Challenge Awards. Credit: Andrea OrmesbyWe also pay particular attention to the impact our developments will have on the local area and the wider environment during construction. We have achieved certification to the international environmental management standard ISO 14001. Some 99.98% of the wood we use to build our homes is from sustainable sources. Our extensive use of sustainably sourced timber won us a coveted Three Trees Award, for the second time, from WWF. We have set ourselves an ambitious goal to work towards achieving biodiversity net gain on our developments. Biodiversity net gain is a development that leaves biodiversity in a better state than before. We’ve already started work on achieving this goal by commissioning a project to evaluate our biodiversity position on three key sites. The study revealed that, once completed, two of the three sites will achieve biodiversity net gain positions, with work being done on the third site to advance towards this net aim. The results of this study are helping to inform the development of a strategic biodiversity action plan in Redrow, encompassing net gain principles and partnership working. The aim of achieving a net gain position also incorporates economic and social responsibility. We commission an annual socio-economic footprint report to obtain a robust, reliable and transparent assessment of the total impact of our activities. The report, for our most recently completed financial year, showed that we have contributed £1.14bn of gross value added (GVA) to UK economic output. In respect to social net gain the footprint reported 13,200 direct, indirect and induced employment through Redrow, its sub-contractors and suppliers, equating to three jobs per every home built. Staying on the theme of social net gain we are also developing a social value calculator (SVC). This tool will help us to evaluate the social value, in monetary terms, of all our developments. The SVC, once completed, will also be used as a forecasting tool to help inform our decision making on the configuration of our developments to achieve maximum social value. To challenge the negativity that envelops volume housebuilding, the industry must work towards developing strategies that deliver positive sustainability outcomes for society. A key consideration in the development of these strategies is determining how to become smarter at measuring the social, environmental and economic impact of developments. We must then use this data and information to make informed judgements that support the delivery of net positive solutions.

LikeShow More Reactions Comment I have copied the above information sheet from Facebook - I wish I could say I understood it!

Hope you are on the mend now Glenda thought you had been very quiet of late! When I travelled the Belmont Road on a regular basis and coming from Kingstone I used watch the cars take the short cut and I would do my level best not to let any vehicle in that I recognised. People who try to jump the queue really boil my proverbial. Belmont Road is clogged up and it is made even slower when more drivers than there should be are trying to join the queue from the right.

Do people actually buy dictionaries nowadays?

Same old if everybody was just a little bit courteous on the roads the majority of traffic problems would be solved or perhaps if they left the house 5 minutes earlier they would not be in the tear arse hurry on the roads!!

I am trying really hard not to be miserable but why the popularity?

It will be some such coffee place next. I also agree with you Roger but suspect we are in the monority!

Teeming and lading is a bookkeeping fraud also known as short banking , delayed accounting and lapping. It involves the allocation of one customer's payment to another in order to make the books balance and often in order to hide a shortfall or theft. Teeming and lading - Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teeming_and_lading Just saying!

Hereford Times†@HTnewsroom 2h2 hours ago More Volunteers turn out for second phase of Hereford duck pond clean-up http://dlvr.it/Q1vkdL

TFA†@tenantfarmers 56m A very moving episode of On Your Farm by the @BBCFarmingToday team. Steve and Joyce have been let down badly by @HfdsCouncil whose Leader Tony Johnson should hang his head in shame having promised they would not be evicted. http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b09fjhz0 …

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b09fjhz0 This should be played and listened to at the next full Council Meeting

From Here for Hereford ↠City Link Rd £7 Million Over Budget More Confusion over Herefordshire Road Building Budgets – When is a Loan a Grant? Posted on November 18, 2017 by Liz Cabinet met on 16 November 2017 to progress the Southern Link Road, and look at the current state of the Council’s Budget. As the meeting started the large number of public present were advised that the Cabinet report mentioned repayment of a loan of £1.697million. This was apparently incorrect – the ‘loan’ was to be re-profiled, not repaid. It appears that the S151 officer (Herefordshire Council’s Chief Finance Officer) was not aware that in early 2017 the Marches LEP had made advances of money totaling £1.697million to Herefordshire Council. This was not a grant as the money was to be repaid to the Marches LEP in full by 31st March 2018. Just one of a number of draw down agreements, for January 2017, signed by Herefordshire Council officers, can be seen here – SWTP Drawdown Notice 9.1.17 of £1.066M from Marches LEP to be repaid by 31.3.18. The Herefordshire Council Leader, Councillor Johnson, was very keen to make it clear to the meeting that the council were not being asked to repay a loan, the money was a grant and it was being “re profiledâ€. Councillor Johnson had been re-appointed as Chair of the Marches LEP Joint Executive Board in June 2017 and the Minutes of that meeting record his comments about LEP repayments “The chairman of the LEP board queried at what point the recyclable grant would cease and become just a grant. He argued that this should be discussed by the board. The LEP partnership manager responded that contracts would be issued on the basis that all money allocated would be repaid, there would be a long stop date but this would be tailored to each project “. The full minutes of this meeting can be viewed on the Herefordshire Council website here . So does Herefordshire Council have to repay £1.697M to the Marches LEP by 31st March 2018 or not? An email from the Marches LEP dated August 2017, which was referred to in the Cabinet meeting, says that the money has to be repaid saying :- “Good to chat with you just now. We discussed the possibility of Herefordshire paying back the funds we previously released to the SWTP (South Wye Transport Package) which helped the LEP to meet the to meet the level of Growth Deal spend required by Government – thank you again for helping. The Government’s profile of funding to come to the LEP doesn’t match the expected spend profiles for our projects so potentially we may not be able to pay out all claims during the years 2017/18, 18/19, and 19/20 (with the situation resolved in 2020/21). Please could you consider transferring the funds (£1,697,609.36) back to the LEP during the financial year? Happy to discuss further, including the timing, we certainly don’t want to create problems for you. Let’s chat again once you’ve had time to think about it?†The full redacted email can be seen here Marches LEP Email Aug 2017 request for repayment Did the S151 officer even know about this paperwork trail or the request for repayment? If not, why not? It’s time non-Cabinet Councillors sought urgent clarification on behalf of all Herefordshire residents. The next Audit and Governance Committee on 29th November, should interrogate Officers who provide information to Cabinet, so that a true picture of the Council’s outstanding debts can emerge. Cabinet was confused about this issue on 16th November and gave misleading information to the press and public present at the meeting. Clarification about this money and a true position of Herefordshire Council’s finances is urgently needed. Here for Hereford thanks the local Green Party who made the Freedom of Information requests which uncovered the trail of documents around the funding for the Southern Link Road.

Worth reading and copied from Facebook Wye Ruin It?Like Page 6 hrs · The Herefordshire Council Cabinet meeting 16 November 2017: The South Wye Transport Package Compulsory Purchase Orders (CPOs) We demonstrated our determination to object to the Hereford Transport Package as it stands. We witnessed the ineptitude of council management and were forewarned about the missing fact-based current, professional, independent, cost-benefit analysis on which to recommend a development. Your primary questions were all asked but received few satisfactory answers. City congestion remains the issue but Council will not solve it with bigger roads. More traffic will lead to increased pollution and greater health costs. The required solutions include better public transport, a mass transit system and sustainable transport measures. The capital management and initial modelling should be upgraded to include a full cost benefit analysis including human health costs and attaching higher value to biodiversity and unique habitats. The result of the meeting was a done-deal. Cabinet members had little or no intention of discussing the pros and cons of the matter in public. They met with the sole intention of pressing ahead with their antiquarian plan for increasing road capacity at any cost: more traffic pollution and another blank cheque for the property developers. You can forget better public transport options because they wrote-off modern transport solutions, including trams with a survey, now 16 years out of date. The councillor for infrastructure demonstrated his ignorance on current transport research and development with his instant dismissal of any talk of city trams. Buses are not profitable for the private sector and funds are short. The 62% fall in bus and coach services crossing the bridge over the last five years reflects a dereliction of public duty to provide adequate and affordable transport options to school children and their commuting parents. FUTURE CONGESTION ISSUES DENIED The Southern route is all part of the Western Bypass and the plan for M5/6 traffic relief along the A49. However this motorway congestion relief is not reflected in any public traffic modelling used by the council to build its case and future cost-benefit analysis. If it was, it would show a marked increase in congestion and defeat the object of the bypass. The current models assume a 29% increase in road usage over the period reflecting the new households but not the motorway relief. Based on published Highways Agency traffic counts on select points of the motorways and the A49 we observed annual traffic flows are ten times higher on the M5/M6. This is clear evidence, even to a layman, that 10% relief of the motorway would double A49 through-traffic and a more financially attractive 20% level of motorway relief would see a trebling of total traffic volume using the A49. Worse still is the volume of HGV traffic using the A49. This will increase 5-7 times with the proposed relief of M5/M6 motorway traffic assuming the 20% level. These figures were described as pure speculation by the Councillor for infrastructure, but he did not have any non-speculative estimates of motorway traffic relief volumes. The Council is in denial about future congestion issues claiming it is for economic benefit but failing to demonstrate them. The models used were produced without any meaningful motorway relief volumes. Our initial observations are consistent with historic data. CPRE reports demonstrate bypasses increase congestion. Proposed motorway relief traffic will flood new networks as capacity is increased. City traffic will only get worse as a result of 26% increase in city housing. The financial case for the southern link road has not been made clear to the public in any consultation. HEALTH ISSUES The cost-benefit analysis will exclude future health costs arising from ill health related to fine particulate pollution from motorway traffic and commuting in private cars. These health cost are not included. Why? Because current planning procedure ignores the increased fatality rates in polluted cities and cost of treating humans suffering from mental or physical complaints related to ingestion of diesel particulates and inactive lifestyles, despite generations of research and new government guidelines. COST ISSUES Whilst capital costs run riot, budgets based on ill-defined estimates will prevail because according to Councillor Price for Infrastructure, ‘that is how they do it in the public sector’. (They plan to start with a stab in the dark and end up with a much bigger cost guided by their cost-plus contracted consultant Balfour Beatty). Don’t ask for a fixed cost or a guaranteed cost because it is not industry practice for public sector works. Why not? Because, this Councils’ advisors says so and Council is guided by construction industry consultants (with substantial conflicts of interest). In fact it is industry practise to fix prices where possible, but fixed cost contracts cost more at the outset because the contractors take on more risk and the project parameters are better defined. This potentially provides better cost definition for the public purse and better management of long term development contracts. With the current city link road originally designed to cost £27m but coming in at £34m we would be silly not to ask if all new projects can be expected to rise 25%-50% under their methods of capital management. LACK OF DUE DILIGENCE The meeting was well attended by the public who submitted many questions, 30 of which were accepted for discussion although the Cabinet tried to defer discussion to just a fraction given their derisory 15 minute time constraint for public questions. After a polite but stern response from the gallery Council was forced to listen to the full list of 30 questions. If we learnt anything today, it was the Cllr Price is not in command of the details of his portfolio. He did not respond in detail to questions on costs-benefit analysis, health issues arising from greater HGV volumes or indeed the basic traffic modelling data. What is he doing running a portfolio without the wherewithal to retain and communicate the key facts? Time and time again he merely pointed to out-dated and inadequate traffic models published before the issue of M5/M6 traffic relief and the A465 improvements were included. Time and time again he brushed aside questions on the cost benefit model that exclude human health costs and environmental costs. POOR GOVERNANCE This scheme is going ahead without a proper public consultation on the traffic implications because the responsible parties do not have the figures at hand or most likely, like the environmental biodiversity data, Cabinet plans to withhold relevant factual reports until after the decisions are made to proceed. This is poor governance and would be treated with appropriate redress in the world of private business but because its public works it is duly noted and ignored. The emergence of a Marches LEP Loan document due for repayment, that became a grant, during the course of the meeting, then a loan based on freedom of information disclosures. The CFO finance was not aware of the shenanigans but will catch up in the next meeting with the Marches LEP. Meanwhile the public witnessed a perfect example of the duplicity of council management. 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Try that https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?ui=2&ik=470d858353&view=att&th=15fc0b234e63f0cc&attid=0.1&disp=safe&zw

I thought this was worth a mention. This Green Cabinet is in Kingstone. Does one suppose it is laid ready for tea to fully appreciate the views? or is it the new fashion for Green Cabinets? or is it the only way the very latest high tech box can keep the rain out? No doubt after spending millions of pounds on the Fastershire project in the county HC are once again getting value for money https://mail-attachment.googleusercontent.com/attachment/u/0/?ui=2&ik=470d858353&view=att&th=15fc0b234e63f0cc&attid=0.1&disp=safe&zw&saddbat=ANGjdJ-rJHoN8fLH_wPstpp4W2Y1SUh-MrhrOJGDFM4imtaVtLB3VZGRazRqUfFBgy2dsAit01U5bcY6SUlCJgv53TVUCckiXryoxrWMPVl7fVKQoRBl3YnRsUpl3JweoObv2vwNU9QRkfCOBdaxf3V6Z-GLuCgqzYSnALUpjDZKLoDFR98nQiRO2_--Y_k9rCZWZYC-jyD81ZqT1F15kO01_u-UUGZNsdRCCdwkDxHEJVCfX7yNyUzuaVeRZtdlZV8_U-kPWmd2ln66z394-TVy-rqRL-bbGq1CnZNNg1AqhdC4RAW1AmXQuVeMSg30jR8JilQgdPzKXI-oskW4eCi0wpmYdFU1a74EwCh0Qx7KCF4ZDtnSa-fQCnqWR50VmKQl-RnHIfuUNbYI0_jOUf-Que42c4a9gUJ5kJJPymGDJ-dpR905SHMyZx-4OSKxESrdataS525CsiLBQQ4q8F8Ubo2Q3tXASZW162Rv5_9EXF05RqGczLS1z4W2BJfx4EwOwc2KpfgT6ib9hmP0IutCj47pU-N3OdITHNFrnZecm0FUOxJu3rjERz4kxDs9UPbfy7gPuQs1Xvlqo0t2KUOWGz8CPxCicYokPZY2xA I did rather want to post the photo as it is on here but my tech abilities fail me on this occasion! You all have to agree it really is magical

Autumn edition of the magazine now available to read and inwardly digest! https://docs.wixstatic.com/ugd/f03364_d7b10fd18635446785f3f5da47bcded2.pdf

Oh yes I initially looked at the picture/map where all arrows were pointing the other way which must be if you turn left from Morrisons

I agree Meggi......... when I try to find something in the Council website I seem to go round and round in circles until I get to what I am looking for. By contrast for example you go to Tesco website type in for arguments sake Sauvignon Blanc and up comes all varieties of SB sold by Tesco. It should be that simple on the HC website but it is not. It has just been over complicated

Sorry missed a vital word out last sentence should read "but no further into town" Hereford is dying on it's feet!

Ragwert it is quite simple from Kingstone over the New Bridge down by Debenhams across by the Planning Office turn left at Franklin House etc etc Anyway the sector I feel most sorry for are the older ladies and gents(Senior Citizens) from the Aylestone Hill and there are plenty their route to Morrisons will be the same but their route home will be totally different and a bit complicated. For many this will be one drive too much and please do not say they should not be on the road. This sometimes is their only trip out each week. As TJ keeps reminding us we do have an ageing population. I know plenty of shall we say more mature ladies and gents from the west of Hereford who will drive to Tesco to do their weekly but further into town.

Confused or what so when I go to Morrisons my normal route round Franklin House etc I cannot turn right to go to Brooks ?? or up Aylestone Hill. Am I correct? Morrisons Abergavenny in the New Year is sounding more and more attractive to anybody living west of Hereford!

There you are Ubique but I would think this has lapsed now - but your memory does serve you correctly!

VICTORIA HOUSE, 149-153 EIGN STREET, HEREFORD, HR4 0AN ... councillors.herefordshire.gov.uk/.../S113131F%20and%20S113132C%20-%20VICT... 16 May 2012 - S113131/F - ERECTION OF RETIREMENT LIVING HOUSING. FOR. THE ... second is a detailed planning application for its replacement with a ... Agenda item - S113131/F and S113132/C - VICTORIA HOUSE, 149 ... councillors.herefordshire.gov.uk/mgAi.aspx?ID=27133 16 May 2012 - That in respect of DMS/113131/F that planning permission be refused ... is contrary to Policy H9 of the Herefordshire Unitary Development Plan. [PDF]s113131/f - Meetings, agendas, and minutes - Herefordshire Council councillors.herefordshire.gov.uk/.../S113131F%20S113132C%20-%20VICTORIA%2... 14 Mar 2012 - The application site lies to the west of Hereford's city centre on the A438 ... second is a detailed planning application for its replacement with a ...

Secret meetings behind very closed doors again!

And Morrisons are opening their new supermarket in Abergavenny early 2018!! Totally off topic but felt it deserved a one liner!