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Hereford Canal


Steve Major

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Route of the Canal into Hereford City

Starting from the North, the historic line of the Canal runs parallel to the Sutton St Nicholas Road and crosses under the A4103 Roman Road (where the former Hereford & Worcester County Council built a new bridge for the Canal in 1995).  A little further the Aylestone Park Project Site is reached.  After a short infilled section, Aylestone Tunnel takes the Canal under the main Newport to Shrewsbury/Worcester railway line. 

 

Emerging from the tunnel, the restored canal will need to deviate along a former railway siding from its original line to avoid a large factory, and then to pass around the Hereford Retail Park (where a new footbridge and new road bridge were built to accommodate the future line of the Canal in 2000). 

 

The historic line is regained just before the Harper’s Site. Widemarsh Canal bridge is next and, shortly afterwards, the Canal will terminate in a New Hereford Basin.

 


A recent Planning Application for the redevelopment of the Holmer Trading Estate, Hereford, which included plans to restore a further section of the Hereford and Gloucester Canal, including proposals for 115 new homes, together with a small convenience store, in addition to considerable local employment and retail floor space, was turned down by Herefordshire Council. (lack of vision again!!)

 

However, the developers took the Application to an Appeal. As a result, the decision has been reversed. In his summing up of the case, the Planning Inspector said ....

 

“… the likely benefits associated with the re-opening of the Canal would be substantial. It seems to me that this is an important section of the Canal in terms of achieving the Unitary Development Plans long-term restoration aims.†... “Restoration of the length of Canal indicated in the Obligation would add substantially to the significance of the Canal as a feature within the City. In my judgement, the benefit of the scheme to the restoration of the Canal is sufficient to tip the balance in favour of allowing the Appeal....â€

 

It seems very clear that the proposed restoration of the Hereford and Gloucester Canal was crucial to the Inspector, and persuaded him, on balance, to grant the Appeal.

 

More information here:

 



An artist’s impression of how the new Canal Basin at Edgar Street might look.

 

Interesting to discover Hereford's past. Maybe Colin can create a section to highlight the glory of old hereford before the ESG spreads out like a cancer and smothers everything.

 

A good start would be here at Hereford Old Pics. The aim of this site is to give a different look at Old Hereford, with new and old pictures of its people, it's buildings, it's businesses and events from over the years. Something a little different for people to take a look at and talk about. 

 

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Steve, you know that little stream thing outside PCWorld/Pizza Hut (http://goo.gl/maps/GbsBO) and that little dirty stream full of trollys and crap next to the Christian Life Centre on Edgar Street (http://goo.gl/maps/ECnze) ?

 

That's the Hereford Canal.

The stream next to christian life centre is not part of the old canal.That's the brook that runs through Hereford.

The canal used to go along Burcott Rd under the bridge and finished at what is now Jewsons yard right at the bottom.

 

 

The canal is also an intergral part of the ESG

 

 

 

From the Herefordshire & Gloucestershire Canal Trust website

 

Route of the Canal into Hereford City

Starting from the North, the historic line of the Canal runs parallel to the Sutton St Nicholas Road and crosses under the A4103 Roman Road (where the former Hereford & Worcester County Council built a new bridge for the Canal in 1995). A little further the Aylestone Park Project Site is reached. After a short infilled section, Aylestone Tunnel takes the Canal under the main Newport to Shrewsbury/Worcester railway line.

 

Emerging from the tunnel, the restored canal will need to deviate along a former railway siding from its original line to avoid a large factory, and then to pass around the Hereford Retail Park (where a new footbridge and new road bridge were built to accommodate the future line of the Canal in 2000).

 

The historic line is regained just before the Harper’s Site. Widemarsh Canal bridge is next and, shortly afterwards, the Canal will terminate in a New Hereford Basin.

 

Canal Restoration Wins Planning Appeal for Trading Estate

A recent Planning Application for the redevelopment of the Holmer Trading Estate, Hereford, which included plans to restore a further section of the Hereford and Gloucester Canal, including proposals for 115 new homes, together with a small convenience store, in addition to considerable local employment and retail floor space, was turned down by Herefordshire Council. (lack of vision again!!)

 

However, the developers took the Application to an Appeal. As a result, the decision has been reversed. In his summing up of the case, the Planning Inspector said ....

 

“… the likely benefits associated with the re-opening of the Canal would be substantial. It seems to me that this is an important section of the Canal in terms of achieving the Unitary Development Plans long-term restoration aims.†... “Restoration of the length of Canal indicated in the Obligation would add substantially to the significance of the Canal as a feature within the City. In my judgement, the benefit of the scheme to the restoration of the Canal is sufficient to tip the balance in favour of allowing the Appeal....â€

 

It seems very clear that the proposed restoration of the Hereford and Gloucester Canal was crucial to the Inspector, and persuaded him, on balance, to grant the Appeal.

 

More information here:

 

 

Aylestone Park

 

 

An artist’s impression of how the new Canal Basin at Edgar Street might look.

 

Interesting to discover Hereford's past. Maybe Colin can create a section to highlight the glory of old hereford before the ESG spreads out like a cancer and smothers everything.

 

A good start would be here at Hereford Old Pics. The aim of this site is to give a different look at Old Hereford, with new and old pictures of its people, it's buildings, it's businesses and events from over the years. Something a little different for people to take a look at and talk about.

 

Megiland.

There was a valid reason for why it was turned down.Apart from the majority of businesses on the ind est signing a petition against it the developers also forgot to include a piece of land that cavanaghs are on in the development plan.

There was talk of the developers being very heavy handed in their approach to people who had units on the site.

 

 

Who are Hereford residential developments?I'm sure they had something to do with Greyfriars Restaurant.

They asked last year for an extension to the time to redevelop Holmer Ins Est

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Route of the Canal into Hereford City
Starting from the North, the historic line of the Canal runs parallel to the Sutton St Nicholas Road and crosses under the A4103 Roman Road (where the former Hereford & Worcester County Council built a new bridge for the Canal in 1995).  A little further the Aylestone Park Project Site is reached.  After a short infilled section, Aylestone Tunnel takes the Canal under the main Newport to Shrewsbury/Worcester railway line. 
 
Emerging from the tunnel, the restored canal will need to deviate along a former railway siding from its original line to avoid a large factory, and then to pass around the Hereford Retail Park (where a new footbridge and new road bridge were built to accommodate the future line of the Canal in 2000). 
 
The historic line is regained just before the Harper’s Site. Widemarsh Canal bridge is next and, shortly afterwards, the Canal will terminate in a New Hereford Basin.
 
A recent Planning Application for the redevelopment of the Holmer Trading Estate, Hereford, which included plans to restore a further section of the Hereford and Gloucester Canal, including proposals for 115 new homes, together with a small convenience store, in addition to considerable local employment and retail floor space, was turned down by Herefordshire Council. (lack of vision again!!)
 
However, the developers took the Application to an Appeal. As a result, the decision has been reversed. In his summing up of the case, the Planning Inspector said ....
 
“… the likely benefits associated with the re-opening of the Canal would be substantial. It seems to me that this is an important section of the Canal in terms of achieving the Unitary Development Plans long-term restoration aims.†... “Restoration of the length of Canal indicated in the Obligation would add substantially to the significance of the Canal as a feature within the City. In my judgement, the benefit of the scheme to the restoration of the Canal is sufficient to tip the balance in favour of allowing the Appeal....â€
 
It seems very clear that the proposed restoration of the Hereford and Gloucester Canal was crucial to the Inspector, and persuaded him, on balance, to grant the Appeal.
 
More information here:
 
An artist’s impression of how the new Canal Basin at Edgar Street might look.
 
Interesting to discover Hereford's past. Maybe Colin can create a section to highlight the glory of old hereford before the ESG spreads out like a cancer and smothers everything.
 
A good start would be here at Hereford Old Pics. The aim of this site is to give a different look at Old Hereford, with new and old pictures of its people, it's buildings, it's businesses and events from over the years. Something a little different for people to take a look at and talk about. 
 

 

 

Thank you for the information that's great.  :Thumbs-Up:

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Who are Hereford residential developments? I'm sure they had something to do with Greyfriars Restaurant.

They asked last year for an extension to the time to redevelop Holmer Ins Est 

 

Agent or Applicant name and address

Bryan Smith Associates , 33 The Dell, Westbury-On-Trym Bristol BS9 3UE . (Agent) 

Hereford Residential Developments Ltd , Hereford Residential Developments Ltd Unit 220 Estate Office Holmer Trading Estate College Road Hereford HR1 1JS . (Applicant)

 

Planning history below. Some very large downloads!

 

 
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There was a valid reason for why it was turned down. Apart from the majority of businesses on the ind est signing a petition against it, the developers also forgot to include a piece of land that cavanaghs are on in the development plan.
There was talk of the developers being very heavy handed in their approach to people who had units on the site.

 

Reported in Herefordshire Journal, August 6th 2008

 

Estate plans pulled at last minute

 

A controversial application for development at Hereford’s Holmer Trading Estate has been pulled for the second time from a planning committee agenda as council boss Chris Bull promises a full investigation into the issue.
 
His decision follows an angry letter to the chief executive from Herefordshire Council’s Lib Dem group leader Councillor Terry James, who had already ensured the development was removed from the agenda for the July 9 meeting of the central area planning sub committee.
 
“Some five weeks ago I went with Councillor Heather Davies to meet the traders on the estate, and was shocked to hear what had been happening during the planning process,†said the letter.
 
He refers to a tape recording played at the meeting – also heard by the Journal – of a man threatening a tenant with legal action if he did not withdraw an objection to the development, and of typed letters sent to tenants for them to sign changing their objections. “But what is equally disturbing is Herefordshire Council’s handling of this application. It was quite clear that the report going to the then planning meeting was deeply flawed, partial and on some issues untrue,†the letter says.
 
“Officers had failed to act in an impartial manner when dealing with this application, having acted in a manner more appropriate to an agent of the applicant than that of an independent quasi judicial planning authority – an officer of the council informing businesses who would be accommodated on the new development and who would not,†it said.
 
Councillor Heather Davies’ intervention had seen the application deferred, but it had returned to the agenda one month later “without any indication or admission by planners that this had been handled in an improper illegal mannerâ€, he added.
 
“Following the Bullinghope housing development fiasco, Herefordshire Council can ill afford another legal judgement for planning against themâ€, said Councillor James, calling for a full, thorough and independent investigation.
 
And in a further twist to the saga the council’s head of planning, Andrew Ashcroft, has written to members of the central planning committee, providing reasons why they should support the application.
 
“I think this is an ill-advised letter, given the problems we have had with this application. I was surprised to get the letter – it has never happened before, and I assume the head of planning was acting on sound legal adviceâ€, said a committee member.
 
Councillor Heather Davies and MP Paul Keetch met a number of Holmer tenants last week, and the MP added his own request for an investigation. 
 
“I felt totally let down by the council. The traders who had put their faith in me must wonder what on earth is going on. These are people’s lives and futures we are dealing with – all they are asking for is fair playâ€, said Councillor Davies.
 
Ten tenants of the 33 on site will remain in new units and four have been offered provisional terms but have not yet accepted, and 19 tenants are yet to be determined.
 
The application, by Hereford Residential Developments Ltd, is for 115 houses, industrial, office and warehousing units, new access to College Road and re-opening part of the former canal.

 

 

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If I recall I think the canal aspiration was part of the Egar Street Development but was pulled becuase it was deemed too expensive (may be wrong)  which is a real shame as look at other cities where canals / waterays are provided this brings in addtional visitor footfall..

 

Birmingham / Bristol  I do appreciate these are bigger cities.

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If I recall I think the canal aspiration was part of the Egar Street Development but was pulled becuase it was deemed too expensive (may be wrong)  which is a real shame as look at other cities where canals / waterays are provided this brings in addtional visitor footfall..

 

Birmingham / Bristol  I do appreciate these are bigger cities.

Councillor Bridges.....Yes you are wrong and you being a Councillor should know.If you don't then find out

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the way i remember it the canal restoration was part of the edgar street grid project which was scrapped shorty after the recession hit in 08 and then reincarnated as hereford futures which no longer included the canal.

 

They tempted us to grant planning permission with the canal and tree lined boulevards linking high town to the train station and then later on stripped it out and just kept the profitable parts.

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the way i remember it the canal restoration was part of the edgar street grid project which was scrapped shorty after the recession hit in 08 and then reincarnated as hereford futures which no longer included the canal.

 

They tempted us to grant planning permission with the canal and tree lined boulevards linking high town to the train station and then later on stripped it out and just kept the profitable parts.

 

 

And here is the full report on the Appeal Decision. Hearing held on 17the June 2009 by John Worlock, Inspector appointed by the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Goverment

 

 

This has nothing to do with ESG and the inclusion of the Canal there

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the way i remember it the canal restoration was part of the edgar street grid project which was scrapped shorty after the recession hit in 08 and then reincarnated as hereford futures which no longer included the canal.

 

They tempted us to grant planning permission with the canal and tree lined boulevards linking high town to the train station and then later on stripped it out and just kept the profitable parts.

Some people really do talk crap

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The adopted ESG Masterplan indicated a 'canal park' to extend from Newtown Road towards the City, terminating at Jewsons yard, which is, more or less, where the original canal basin was (hence Canal Road). That vision/plan has apparently been dumbed down as the link road was designed, with a 'future canal basin' now shown to the north of the link road, at the back of the timber yard (what was Mansons). It doesn't take a genius to see that the link road could have been raised to form a bridge over the canal and the original route maintained. 

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