We were out with our friends from Air Vistas and this is the short drone footage we created.

We are pleased that they persuaded us to invest in a quality drone.

It’s not too late to have your say on priorities for Herefordshire over the next four years

Herefordshire Council is asking for your views about proposed priorities in new County Plan. The County Plan is the document that outlines the Herefordshire Council’s overarching ambitions and objectives, and how they will be delivered.

The council is currently consulting with local people on a new four year County Plan for 2024-2028.

Residents are being asked to think about how they would like it to feel to live in Herefordshire in 2028, and then help to shape and refine the County Plan by completing an online consultation survey.

Complete the County Plan consultation questionnaire here.

The consultation will close on 10 January 2024. 

The consultation outlines ambitions and priorities in the following areas:

People – Enable resilient and connected communities to ensure that everyone lives well and has the best start in life.

Place - Protect and enhance our environment and keep Herefordshire a great place to live.

Growth - Support growth across the county which builds on the county's strengths and resources and asks respondents to consider when they should be delivered during the next four years. 

All feedback received will be considered in developing the priorities for the 2024-2028 County Plan.

Congratulations to Lyndsey Evans for services in South Wye Hereford (Belmont Community Centre)

Wye, Herefordshire

Lyndsey has been a volunteer for over ten years providing support to the children's Christmas grotto, also puts on coffee mornings and is involved with several special events in the evenings like Valentines Day, Christmas Meal, Burns night etc. She was the stalwart who has transformed the entrance to the community centre, which involved obtaining grant money. Lyndsey is a volunteer and Trustee of Belmont Community Centre.

Full list attached  New Year Honours List 2024 (CSV) - GOV.UK.pdf

Thank you to our Hereford Voice Photo Studio member Slavi Mihov for sharing this fabulous drone footage from the New Year celebrations at The Left Bank Village.

Hereford's main entrances into the city centre will have anti-terror bollards installed, at a cost exceeding £200,000.

The goal, according to the Herefordshire Council, "its aim was to reduce danger for people in the city, “whether from errant vehicles or those acts motivated by terrorism aims”.

By March, the work will be completed.

Given the volume of pedestrian traffic, High Town, St. Peter's Street, and Commercial Street were identified as possible targets in a 2021 review of Hereford's historic centre.

Following earlier attacks in European cities, the authorities said that the restrictions would safeguard the safety of city users, with a focus on people assembled for festivities.

The construction company Speller Metcalfe, located in the West Midlands, has been hired to build an arbitrary quantity of "permanent, detachable and lowering/rising bollards at important city entrances, at a price of £202,830.

A comparable sum is still available from the £6 million Hereford City Centre Improvement Fund for additional initiatives.

The project has been funded by the council and Marches local enterprise partnership.

West Mercia Police Officers in Hereford are appealing for witnesses after a heavily pregnant woman was subjected to a frightening assault by another motorist while in her car with her son.

The woman was waiting at a junction on the Ross Road in Hereford at around 3.30pm on Friday 22 December when an irate male motorist behind her started beeping at her.

The man got out of his black Vauxhall Insignia 12-registration plate, came up to her light blue Toyota Auris, and started banging on the window.

When the woman tried to get out of her car, the man kicked her door several times which shut on her leg causing bruising. It also caused a dent to her car door.

The man then drove off in the Vauxhall with the partial registration plate “VU12”.

He is described as a white man aged approximately in his late 50s, of stocky build with dark hair and a grey beard. He was wearing glasses and dark coloured clothing.

He had a female front seat passenger wearing clothing with a leopard print.

PC Melanie Davies, who is investigating the incident, said: “The victim here is heavily pregnant, and her young son was in the vehicle at the time, so this was a frightening ordeal for them both.

“The attack took place around school closing time so there will have been witnesses around.

“We would like anyone with information, who may have witnessed the assault or may have captured it on their dash-cam to come forward and share it with us.

“Please email me at melanie.davies@westmercia.police.uk or call me on 07870 219274, quoting log 327i of December 22 if you know anything about this or think you may have witnessed it.”

Alternatively, information can be shared anonymously with the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or by visiting www.crimestoppers-org.uk

The study was carried out by consultants AECOM and looked at 18 road and non-road options in order to identify the optimum solutions.  The report concludes that two alternative routes – with either a 30mph or 40mph speed limit - for a new road between the B4399 at Rotherwas to the A438 east of the city offer the best solution.  Each option would carry a walking and cycling route alongside.

The report also recommends that these schemes could be further investigated to the next stage – the Outline Business Case – that would identify a single preferred alignment.  The two routes could cost between £145m and £200m to build, depending on the option, with an earliest opening date being 2031.

Cllr Price, Cabinet Member for Transport and Infrastructure, said “I welcome the opportunity to publish this Strategic Outline Case. The report suggests the Eastern River Crossing and Link Road could provide traffic relief to Hereford and help to increase the resilience of the local highway network by providing a second major road crossing of the River Wye to complement the Greyfriars Bridge on the A49.  However, the report has also identified a significant increase in costs from earlier estimates, much of which is due to the long bridge required to cross the River Wye flood plan.  In my opinion, at up to £200m in total,  this scheme can no longer be viewed as a low-cost alternative to the western bypass.  I will be considering how this may affect the options available to provide much-needed traffic relief to the city, and expect to take a report to Cabinet in the New Year.”

The summary document is available to read here, while the full appendices will be made available at a later date.

𝗠𝗲𝗿𝗿𝘆 𝗖𝗵𝗿𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗺𝗮𝘀 to you all

We would like to thank you all for your continued support and to wish you a fabulous Christmas Day

Colin and the team at 𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗱 𝗩𝗼𝗶𝗰𝗲

His son John confirmed he died peacefully at a care home in Malvern, Worcestershire, on Christmas morning. He said: "My dad died peacefully on Christmas morning. Simply old age, as he was 95, and he's left the world of antiques with an incredible legacy.

Appointed curator of the Dyson Perrins Museum at the Royal Worcester factory in 1967. The antiques expert, who was widely regarded as the world authority on Worcester Porcelain and first appeared on the show in 1979.

📸 Sandon Family

Can anybody throw any light on how Fire Precaution and Risk Assessment works in Council car parks require a budget of over £500000?

The report refers to a list of works but that does not seem to be available

https://councillors.herefordshire.gov.uk/documents/s50115056/Decision to award contract and approve the expenditure of up to 526113.50 for Fire Precaution and.pdf

West Mercia Police are appealing for witnesses following a fatal collision on the A465 at Allensmore, just outside Hereford, yesterday morning.

The collision happened at around 11am and involved a black Mini, a blue Ford Transit van and HGV tanker. The driver of the Mini, a 62-year-old woman, sadly died at the scene.

Police would like to hear from anyone who was in the area at the time and may have witnessed the collision or have dash-cam footage of it.

Anyone with information or footage is asked to contact Sergeant Liam Bennett, Serious Collision Investigation Unit South on SCIUSouth@westmercia.police.uk quoting incident number 154i of 17 December 2023.

West Midlands Ambulance Service have confirmed that a woman has died following a fatal collision that occurred in Herefordshire on Sunday.

The collision occurred on the A465 Hereford to Abergavenny Road near Allensmore yesterday (Sunday 17th December)

The A465 road remained closed throughout most of the day from the Clehonger turning to Church Road in Allensmore.

A spokesperson for the ambulance service said: "We were called at 10.59am to a road traffic collision involving a lorry, car and a van on the A465 in Allensmore, Hereford. One ambulance and a paramedic officer attended the scene. Upon arrival it was clear that nothing could be done to save the driver of the car and she was confirmed deceased by ambulance staff at the scene. The second and third patients were assessed and did not require treatment from staff. They received self care advice before being discharged at the scene."

Here is an update from the good people at Vision Building and Development who are getting on with the fabulous StrongerHereford project at The Pavilion, Castle Green in Hereford.

A spokesperson for Vision Building and Development said;

"Battling the weather, rising river and the gruelling pavilion steps, we are finally coming out of the ground and positioning the steel frame of the new structure. The demolishing, knock throughs, new floors are also complete! The exciting finishes are about to commence early in the new year!"

Watch this space for regular updates.

Proposed siting of two pods to accommodate rough sleepers between 4th December 2023 to 30th April 2024.

Permission is also sought for a further 5 years between 1st November and 30th April.

Provision of Emergency Living Pods as part of Winter Provision of Accommodation to Rough Sleepers.

As part of Herefordshire Councils response and provision of emergency winter accommodation for rough sleepers in the county, the council will be purchasing emergency accommodation pods to augment the provision of a dormitory shelter at Symonds Street Hereford. Initial plans had been to site four pods, in pairs, on land owned by Voluntary Sector partners. Due to leasehold agreements this is not now possible. 

Initial discussion with Mr James Hughes (Herefordshire Council Parking Service’s Manager) have taken place to seek his support to place four of these pods, in pairs, on Council owned car park spaces. Mr Hughes has provided his support to place these pods in the following locations, subject to Herefordshire Council’s Property Services permission being granted.

This paper is to seek that approval and support for the submission of planning applications to secure temporary planning permission in order for Herefordshire Council to deliver this statutory provision of accommodation at the two locations set out below.

The locations are: - 

1.     Venn’s Close Car Park.

2.     Hereford Bus Station Car Park. 

The following maps and images depict the exact locations identified by Mr Hughes as the most suitable positions to site the pods.

The pods would occupy an area equivalent to three parking spaces.

The pods obtain power via with a PV Panel that stores energy in a battery to power an internal light and USB port. They have a single bed and a chemical toilet (which will be emptied by contractual arrangement).

It is proposed to use the pods to accommodate people sleeping rough, between early December and late April 2024. At the end of this period a review of arrangements will take place and these pods may be relocated, this will be reviewed according to demand. The option to leave them sited and/or to remove and relocate them back to the same location for the winter of 24/25 and beyond is requested.

A range of support options are in place from the statutory sector through the BRAVE pathway and the Rough Sleeping Outreach Team staff. These are augmented by the Community, Faith and Voluntary Sector to deliver food, provisions, clothing and ability to attend to personal hygiene and clothes washing.

Planning Permission is being sought for the Symonds Street Acorn building to change its use temporarily and to site four pods within the curtilage of the buildings boundary. This is being progressed jointly by colleagues from the PMO and Property Services already.

Herefordshire Councils plans for the provision of Winter Emergency Accommodation have the support of Councillor’s Gandy, Gennard and Milne, Hilary Hall and D.L.T. 

Appendix 1 – Pod schematics.

Venn’s Close Car Park

Map 1 – area with spaces marked

Image 2 – depicting space for pods

Hereford Bus Station Car Park

Map 2 – area with spaces marked

Image 2 – depicting space for pods

Misc.docx

Local MP Jesse Norman has welcomed his election last week by fellow MPs to the House of Commons Defence Select Committee.

Commenting, he said:

"It is a great honour to have been elected by my colleagues to the Committee.

"When I left the government three weeks ago it was in part so that I could speak louder in public on the things that matter most to my constituents. There is nothing that matters more than our national defence, and especially in Herefordshire, which has a glorious tradition of commitment to and support of our armed forces.

"The Defence Committee is already making a significant impact by pressing the government to do more in areas such as military readiness, the welfare and training of the armed forces, procurement and the nature of future warfare.

"I will hope to draw on my own experience, especially in technology, in supporting and extending the committee's work in future, for the benefit of our county and our country."

An additional £10million for the county’s roads, and £3million towards the refurbishment of Hereford’s Shirehall has been secured following Council agreement to a reviewed capital budget

Further improvements to roads across the county and the refurbishment of Hereford’s landmark Shirehall are now set to go ahead following agreement to a reviewed capital budget at a Council meeting held on Friday 8 December.

The investments were among several proposed changes to the way Herefordshire Council’s 2023/24 capital budget will now be spent. Other changes include a new £2million Community Capital Grants Scheme to support the valuable work local community organisations, and funding identified towards the development of Hereford’s road network.

Significant further investment in road repair

An additional £10million investment has been identified towards bringing roads across the county back to a good condition.

The funding, which is in addition to the £13million already identified for resurfacing C and U roads and fixing potholes, will be used to resurface those roads most in need of repair.

Hereford’s new library one step closer

The additional £3million towards the refurbishment of Hereford’s historic Shirehall will enable work to progress on bringing the building back into use after being closed to the public since 2020 following a ceiling collapse.

It will also make it possible for the building to be the new home of Hereford library following its relocation to make way for the redeveloped museum in Broad Street. This is subject to funding agreement from Stronger Hereford.

Councillor Pete Stoddart, Cabinet member for finance and corporate services, said:

“We’re delighted that Council have agreed to our capital budget reviews for this year (2023/24), as this means we’re able to invest in two things that residents have highlighted are important to them – our road network and our heritage buildings.

“Residents are consistently telling us that the poor condition of road surfaces across the county is a prime concern for them. This significant investment we’re making will bring roads that are most in need of repair back to good condition, improving travel for local people, businesses and visitors. This, along with funding we already announced in the autumn for road repair and an additional £3.6m from the cancellation of the northern leg of HS2, means that there will be an additional £23m being invested in our roads over the next two years.

“Hereford’s Shirehall is a landmark building, and while we recognise the new library proposals are still subject to funding agreements, this decision will help bring this historic building back to life after years of neglect and it is another step towards the creation of a modern library in the heart of our City.”

Four men have been arrested following a warrant executed last Friday (1 December) at the Crown & Sceptre, Marketplace in Ross-On-Wye.

Three of the men, aged 35, 39 and 25, were arrested on suspicion of the supply in Class A and B drugs.

Another man, aged 43, was arrested on suspicion of possession of Cannabis.

PS Alice Bennett said: “Friday's proactive warrant was based on good intelligence around the illegal supply of drugs from this establishment. I hope this shows we will continue to work hard to keep drugs off our streets and reduce crime that brings misery to the people of our community.“I urge anyone with concerns about the supply of drugs to please get in touch, we act on all reports that we receive”.

Following the warrant and arrests the licence of the pub has been suspended pending a review.

The local community can help us by continuing to report any signs of criminal activity – the easiest way to do this is on our website. Any bit of information, no matter how small it may seem, could help make a big difference. You can report online under the Tell Us About section at West Mercia Police.

If you have information about drugs and drugs supply and don’t want to speak to police, you can report information anonymously via Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or by visiting www.crimestoppers-org.uk

The SNP Government say Scotland will finally be the first UK nation to introduce a ban on the practice which endangers pedestrians

From today (11 December 2023), local authorities can begin enforcing the law. This means drivers could be fined £100 for these parking behaviours; reduced to £50 if paid within 14 days. There will be some exceptions such as parking by emergency vehicles or delivery drivers.

The Transport (Scotland) Act 2019 bans pavement parking, double parking and parking at dropped kerbs, with certain exemptions designated by local authorities - for example to ensure safe access for emergency vehicles.

Minister for Transport Fiona Hyslop said:

“The message here is clear: pavement parking is unsafe, unfair and illegal, and you could be fined up to £100 for it.

“Local authorities can begin to issue fines from 11 December, so this campaign is really important to make sure everyone in Scotland is aware that enforcement is coming.

“We’re highlighting the danger that illegal pavement parking poses to pavement users, and in particular those with mobility issues or visual impairments, or parents pushing prams and buggies.

“Scotland is the first of the four nations to make pavement parking illegal nationwide. This change in legislation is a step towards developing communities that are better able to support active travel, building on the work that is already underway to reduce emissions and helping us meet our world-leading climate change targets.”

See our original topic on the subject here - https://hfd.news/WdWO4