From The Hereford Times - 1st March 2018

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PLANS for a new GP super surgery in Hereford will go on display to the public next week.

Work has been ongoing to look at the possibility of merging a number of doctors' practices in the city at a site close to the railway station.

And the new primary care hub would be the main surgery for patients who currently access GP services at Greyfriars Surgery, Moorfield House Surgery, Aylestone Hill Surgery and Sarum House.

The engagement event to display plans for the hub takes place next Thursday at Hereford Town Hall from 2.30pm to 7.30pm.

The Hereford Medical Group has been working in partnership with local healthcare property company, Prime and design team One Creative Environments Ltd (One) to develop the proposals for a modern, high quality building to provide patients with the best possible experience when accessing primary care services.

Representatives from the Hereford Medical Group, Prime and One will be on hand throughout to answer questions.

No booking is necessary and members of the public are welcome to pop in at any time.

Dr Andrew Watts said: “Our key priority is providing good quality medical care for our patients.

"Unfortunately our current premises are outdated and at full capacity and so are no longer suitable, which is why we need new purpose built accommodation.

"We are keen to share our plans with patients.”

Bob Smaylen, Development Director for Prime plc, added: “Using our expertise in delivering primary care facilities we are developing proposals which will provide high quality facilities that improve patient experience. We are looking forward to sharing these plans with local residents and hearing their feedback.”

‘Hereford Free Week’ to celebrate Beryl Bikes success

In just the first month after launching its hybrid bike share scheme in the cathedral city, Beryl’s distinctive green bikes have been cycled well over 8,000km in Hereford. 

To celebrate this success, Beryl and Herefordshire Council are bringing riders a free week of trips across the city. Funded by a grant from the Department of Transport, all rides ending in a Beryl Bay will be free of charge from Monday 9th to Sunday 15 of September. “Hereford Free Week” will enable more residents and visitors to choose a more environmentally-friendly means of transport.

Beryl CEO Phillip Ellis says,

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“Beryl is extremely proud of the start our bike share scheme has enjoyed in Hereford. 8,000km covered in one month is a positive reflection on the high-quality and safe scheme that is helping people get around Hereford on two wheels.”

Cllr John Harrington, Cabinet Member for Infrastructure and Transport at Herefordshire Council, expects the Hereford Free Week to encourage even more people to hop on a Beryl bike for commuting or leisure rides.

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“We are absolutely delighted to announce a week of free cycling with Beryl Bikes,” he said.

“It has been one month since its launch, and support for the scheme has been extraordinary, with thousands of Herefordians and visitors already making use of Beryl Bikes for journeys in and across the city, helping to reduce congestion. By using grant funding from the Department for Transport we are offering a week of free rides, of up to 30 minutes, and hope to encourage even more of you to get on two wheels and enjoy being out and about on healthy, active, sustainable transport.”

Beryl’s hybrid bike share is an innovative scheme where its bikes, that are available to hire through the Beryl app, can be picked up and dropped off in marked ‘Beryl Bays’.

Riders have a payment choice of Pay-As-You-Ride (£1 unlock fee + 5p per minute), Minute Bundles (no unlock fee and bundles starting at 100 minutes for £5) or Day Passes (24 hours of unlimited riding for £12). Once their ride is complete, users simply close the lock on the bike to complete their ride and make it available for the next person to use.

For more information on Beryl, please visit beryl.cc.

Update from West Mercia Police
Officers are currently responding to an incident this morning (Monday 16 September) in  Hinton Road, #Hereford.
A cordon is currently in place. Please take an alternative route. 
We will update as soon as possible.

In The Hereford Times 31st August 2019

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Taylor Wimpey want to build 300 homes on fields on the outskirts of Hereford.

Taylor Wimpey UK has submitted plans to Herefordshire Council to develop land north and south of Grafton lane.

Their proposals for the site include affordable homes, green space and play and recreation areas.

The scheme would also see a new access created from the A49 Ross road while vehicles will also be able to enter the site from Grafton lane itself.

Architects working on the plans say the proposals for the more than 32 acre site comply with the council’s core strategy and national planning policies

Around 19 acres of the site would be used for housing, this works out at an average density of around 39 homes for every 2.4 acres.

And just over eight acres would be used for public open spaces, a new children’s play area, landscaping and a new network of traffic-free routes.

The proposals would also include pedestrian and cycle links and architects say the housing estate would be benefit from the existing nearby bus stops on the A49.

The site itself currently covers four parcels of arable farmland.

Residents have until September 26 to comment on the proposals.

Herefordshire Council planning officers are expected to consider the scheme by November 2019.

Grafton Lane Development Framework Plan

West Mercia Police recruiting now

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"If you enjoy facing challenges and solving problems and would like to contribute to keeping your community safe while developing a wider range of skills, then policing could be for you. Few jobs can be more rewarding than that of a police officer: from day one you'll be helping to fight crime and protecting people from harm.

You'll quickly find that no two days are the same. Policing is challenging and rewarding. As a police constable, you'll get to learn new skills, meet new people, gain a degree from Staffordshire University and set out on a career path that could see you specialise as a firearms officer, dog handler, traffic cop, detective or the trusted, familiar face of West Mercia Police in the community. We have a strong family ethos, where our friendly teams work closely together to get the job done and where you will be treated as a valued member of the team from day one".

Let's hope they get some worthy candidates. It appears that the police only respond once a crime has been reported. We need more police on the ground to get local intelligence to resolve and prevent these incidents happening. They need to regain the trust of the public.

West Mercia Police are creating a new website - you can view some of the new features by clicking the link.

Back on my bike and cycling across the city. Newton Farm to Bodenham Road daily and surprised the roads are as bad as they are for cyclists. My list includes tree roots beginning to lift the surface of Great Western Way, Canonmoor Street (pitted road surface and nice pothole just before Edgar Street), Blackfriars Street from the traffic lights to Widemarsh Street (forcing you to cycle in the middle of the road to find a smooth surface), Canal Road (patchwork of repairs), Southbank Road leading into Bodenham Road (pitted and rough surface - a real boneshaker downhill on the return). I suppose no problem if you are on a BMX and running wide tyres.

How's your ride - nice and smooth?

From Westfields to Portfields and everything in between, Hereford’s residents and visitors will be able to get a lungful of fresh air on Beryl Bikes in time for summer. 

The British urban cycling brand, has announced the launch date of its innovative hybrid bike share scheme that is already helping create greener cities in London, Bournemouth and Poole.

An initial rollout of 70 bicycles will begin on Monday 29th of July, before 150 Beryl emerald bikes will be available for business and pleasure across the city. To hire  a Beryl Bike, users must use the Beryl app, available for download on the App Store for iOS, and the Google Play store for Android users. The bikes can be picked up and dropped off in marked ‘Beryl Bays’ that have been selected and approved in conjunction with Herefordshire Council, to ensure the scheme is in line with the needs of the community. With Beryl Bays positioned at key attractions and transport hubs like Hereford Railway Station, Old Market and Hereford Cathedral, there will always be a bike nearby.

Riders will have a payment choice of Pay-As-You-Ride (£1 unlock fee + 5p per minute), Minute Bundles (no unlock fee and bundles starting at 100 minutes for £5) or Day Passes (24 hours of unlimited riding for £12). Once their ride is complete, users simply close the lock on the bike to complete their ride and make it available for the next person to use.

The three-speed gear bike has a step-through design suitable for riders from 4’11” to 6’5”. They are also fitted with the company’s patented Laserlight Technology, combining a bright, dynamo-powered white light with a green laser projection, visible at night. This allows riders to be seen in blind spots and forewarn pedestrians that they’re on the road when riding in the dark.

Through the custom-built reporting dashboard, Beryl will be able to provide Herefordshire Council with valuable insights from the data generated by the bikes. This will help local authorities plan and grow their cycling infrastructure, based on accurate journey data.

Cllr John Harrington, Cabinet Member for Transport and Infrastructure, said:

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“The new Beryl Bikes scheme will be a fantastic addition to the many active travel options offered through our Choose How you Move project. They will make short journeys in and across the city much easier, reduce congestion and vehicle emissions, and help to get more people out and about using healthy, active, sustainable transport.

“We’re delighted to welcome the first 75 Beryl Bikes to Hereford and look forward to a further 75 arriving soon. The bikes will make travelling around Hereford both easier and healthier for local people and visitors, and the local environment will benefit from reduced pollution and better air quality.”

Phil Ellis, Beryl CEO, said:

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“We’re excited to bring bike share to Hereford for the first time and make it easy and fun to get around the city by bike. Hereford is the perfect place for cycling and we’re pleased to be working with a dedicated and committed team at the Council to bring this project to life.”

Brexit Party selects general election candidate for Hereford

From The Hereford Times today:

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THE Brexit Party has chosen Matt Slocombe as their prospective parliamentary candidate for the Hereford and South Herefordshire constituency for the next general election.

Matt, who runs the Crown Inn at Woolhope, said he had to get involved in politics after the UK Government failed to deliver on the EU referendum result to leave the European Union earlier this year.

He is hoping to overturn incumbent Conservative Party MP Jesse Norman’s 15,013 majority.

Matt says there is a real disconnect between the electorate and the country’s MPs. He also believes the civil service needs an overhaul.

“I had to get involved; when our broken Parliament, dithering Government and ineffective opposition failed to deliver on the largest single vote in our history,” he said.

“I am a publican, not a politician, but I could not let the biggest betrayal by our elected representatives go unchecked.

“Democracy must be enacted. The disconnect between the electorate and the elected is palpable, so many people in this county want things to change.

“Our civil service needs immediate overhaul. When high ranking officials and MP’s collude with others to scupper the negotiations of your country then something is very, very wrong.

“We have businesses that lead the way in rural innovation and as a agricultural County we will have a huge opportunity operating free from the shackles of the EU.

“I am delighted to have been asked by the Brexit Party to stand as the PPC for Hereford and Herefordshire South.

“I never stop promoting Herefordshire, its people and its produce.

“I have been proud to serve Herefordians for two decades, now let me do it from Westminster.”

During the EU referendum in 2016, 59.2% of Herefordshire voters backed Leave while 40.8% voted Remain.

With the current mess fermenting daily the need to clear out the parliamentary remainers has never been so urgent. As The Slog says in his latest post:

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Nobody but nobody is more at risk than Britain in this situation. But even if Boris “wins”, bad Parliamentary precedents are being set, we wll have a Speaker who should be locked up, and the KKK Wing of the United Ideologues against Liberty will continue their evil work of trying to block or destabilise everything Britain does or tries. We’ll continue in turn to have no Constitution, and a police force we can no longer trust to do anything except protect the sclerotic organs of the State.

Doesn't look bright does it?

Appeal for witnesses to armed robbery - Hereford

We are appealing for witnesses following an armed robbery in Hereford.

The incident happened at around 10pm on Thursday, 29 August at the Tesco Express store on Holme Lacy Road.

Two males wearing balaclavas are believed to have entered the store and threatened staff with a knife before making off with a quantity of cash and alcohol.

Investigating officers have arrested a 15-year-old boy and a 16-year-old boy in connection with this incident and have seized a knife. The two boys remain in police custody at this time while they assist officers with their enquiries.

Officers have also retrieved what is believed to be the stolen cash and alcohol.

Detective Sergeant Frank Real from West Mercia Police said:

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"Thankfully no one was injured as a result of this incident but it was no doubt a frightening ordeal for the staff in this shop who were left shaken following the incident.

"Enquiries are currently ongoing but I would urge anyone who may have witnessed the incident or was in the area at the time and saw something suspicious to please get in touch."

Anyone with any information is asked to call West Mercia Police on 101 quoting incident number 787s of 29 August 2019.

Alternatively, information can be provided anonymously to the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or via their website.

This is absolutely unbelievable and beyond words!! 

Beryl Bikes set on fire near to the skatepark at Newton Farm Hereford.

We received this email just:

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Hi, I recently saw your post on the increasing number of Beryl's Bikes being vandalised. Well I've seen it about personally - the first week of them coming out I saw one dumped into a tree by the skate park in Newton Farm but tonight I saw a far worse example... In the same spot; by the skate park two bikes were set on fire. This happened at about 10pm - I reported it to the police and they came out but the kids who vandalised the bikes were long gone. I have reported it to Beryl. I hope they are able to track the kids down via the app data because it is disgusting. I took pictures of the bikes alight before the police came if interested.

Urgent improvement roof works at Plough Lane Head office

Decision to award the contract to carry out maintenance and improvement works to plough lane roof

To award the contract to carry out the urgent improvement roof works at Plough Lane Head office through the expenditure of the 2018/19 capital maintenance budget.

The reasons to award the contract to carry out the improvement roof works at Plough Lane offices through the BBLP public realm contract are:-

(a) The estimate of 249K for the works was provided by Integral (Hereford) Ltd, the council's current provider within an agreed delivery timeframe, however the current maintenance contract with them is due to finish by 1st September. BBLP have been awarded the maintenance and cleaning contract from the 1st September and in order to address the urgency to carry out the work before winter the most expedient course of action is to appoint BBLP to carry out he works through the existing public realm contract.

(b) there is rain water ingress through the roof   that is causing damage to the finishes within the building

(c) water ingress damage is causing disruption to services every time it rains

(d) the water ingress is causing deterioration to the building fabric which will lead to greater cost and losses in the medium to long term if the issue is not resolved and will also ultimately render the building no longer fit for its intended purpose

Given the nature of the ingress problem equality issues in respect of the working environment have been taken into account.

The contract with Integral is due to finish by 1st September and therefore they cannot deliver the works hence BBLP is being asked to take on the works through the public realm contract. Timescale for completion is to be agreed and may run into periods of inclement weather.

Details of any alternative options considered and rejected:    
Alternative option —do nothing.
This has been discounted as there is water damage to the finishes within the building and disruption to services every time it rains as well as deterioration to the building fabric leading to greater cost and losses.

Instigate patch repair.
This will not provide a comprehensive resolution to the problem and may lead to greater deterioration of the roof in the longer term.

The cost implication of not completing the work is potentially further damage to the buildings fabric and interior therefore adding to cost overheads. Service delivery will also be affected.

Haven't they already spent a large sum of money on this office?

We have noticed all this new graffiti locally, some will claim it is street art but the bottom line here is that this is plain criminal damage to someones property and this criminal damage costing the taxpayer thousands of pounds for the local council to clean it up.

This has popped up at the Oval and along the Belmont Road over the past week.

Aedis Building Inspectors unreachable

Just been caught up in this fiasco after having paid £660 to have an approved inspector check my building regulations affecting a new extension being built for my disabled partner. Aedis the company the inspectors were working through has gone into voluntary liquidation as a result of being unable to secure ongoing insurance.

Aedis Regulatory Services (ARS) was carrying out building control on around 12,000 projects, which is approximately 5% of the construction industry, according to its boss. Housing industry figures warned the wider crisis has "potential consequences for housing supply".

Joe Ayre, managing director of ARS, told Inside Housing: “Without insurance we can’t operate. For six weeks [since it expired], we haven’t taken any business in, we haven’t taken any money in. There’s no light at the end of the tunnel.”

I now have to pay Herefordshire County Council £540.00 to check and verify the work. Considering that there are many people affected who acted in good faith it is surprising that no authority has investigated this maladministration.

Herefordshire council are in talks with highways agency regarding the turning off of traffic lights at asda island and Newmarket st as part of a trial.

Discussions with highways agency could be as early as next month.

https://www.herefordtimes.com/news/17851764.council-consider-turning-off-traffic-lights-ease-congestion/

I will be attending a meeting in the Town Hall Council chambers this evening with our MP Jesse Norman, Paul Hillman from the HA ( Paul Hillman designed both the Belmont/Asda scheme and Edgar St ) his boss Andy Butterfield as well as national campaigner/expert Martin Cassini, John Harrington, Amanda Martin and John Llewellyn-Perkins. We all want them to trial a "lights out" hopefully in Hereford sometime in the New Year (but I suspect it is not as simple as that) as well as discussing the possibility of making the ring road traffic lights part time (7pm-7am) I will update you all later. Wish us good luck.

This problem has been ongoing for 20 years. Still waiting for Balfour Beatty to come and cut the grass and the trees are becoming a nightmare for people living underneath them. No news from our local councillor following an email sent. Herefordshire Housing and Muir Housing also involved and responding with site visits to assess situation. Basically Hereford Council and BBLP lack of interest creates blight on our estates and they don't care.

Regarding this topic it's a shame that the old postings can't be replied to. Also I note that the posts on new topics are not numbered. This was useful in the past.

Hereford Bypass Paused!

A cabinet member decision has been taken today to pause and review the Hereford bypass and Southern link road schemes.

Cllr John Harrington, Cabinet Member for Infrastructure and Transport, said:

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“Following a change of administration and with time to reflect, it has now been decided to pause all work on the Hereford bypass and Southern link road to allow further time to review these schemes in more detail and look at other options. There are many complex issues that need to be considered and it is very important to examine these thoroughly.

“The views of residents, commuters and local businesses are very important to us. It is vital that travel, transport and infrastructure developments in Hereford support the economy, help to improve health and wellbeing and make Herefordshire a better place to live, work and visit. We also need to ensure we effectively respond to the climate emergency declared by Herefordshire Council and the Government.

“As part of this review it is important to consider alternative options. For example this will include infrastructure for cyclists and pedestrians (including safe routes to school), an eastern river crossing and trialling the removal of some traffic signals. It could also include options for an electric bus service, improving school bus services and an ultra-light rail system.

“All options need to be considered as we look to the long term and towards providing a high quality, integrated and low carbon transport system for the whole of Herefordshire, not just for the immediate future but for generations to come.”

 

What are your thoughts on this discision?