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Core Strategy


Denise Lloyd

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Final public consultation on Core Strategy before Government submission (Herefordshire County Council)
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The people of Herefordshire will have the opportunity to make final comments on major plans for the future of the county from 22 May to 3 July 2014. The council will ask for comments upon publishing its final version of the Local PlanFollowing the decision to proceed at council in July 2013, the outstanding work has now been carried out on the preparation of a Nutrient Management Plan, aHereford Transport Strategy Phasing Study and an updated ViabilityAssessment. All the technical information is now available to allow the plan to be submitted for independent assessment by a planning inspector. The publication...more »

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There that is the general gist of it somebody cleverer than me can copy a link in
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Ah, the Core Strategy. So far behind schedule (3 years and counting), so costly and such a mess, the Council have now employed external consultants at huge cost to knock the thing into some sort of shape. Officer Ashcroft, who has presided over this monumental and hugely expensive failure, nonetheless maintains his position and £80k+ salary. Of course, it has yet to go to public enquiry, at which point the big guns such as Here For Hereford will open fire. In the meantime, the Council's failure to get even a five year housing plan in place is seeing hundreds of speculative planning applications for housing in open countryside being submitted - outraged councillors are refusing them, but they'll be won on appeal, at yet more cost to us, because, without the five year plan, that is what government policy says is acceptable. 

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The only hope we have is one of the Councillors stands up and screams what a load of gobbledygook! I do not believe anyone can get a true idea of what exactly is going to happen from reading this strategy!  It's all smoke screens and mirrors!  Nowhere does it mention 

We will not cut your grass

We will not pick up the litter

We will not collect stray dogs

We will continue to employ consultants costing £500 per day

We will continue to increase the wages of our over paid under qualified managers

We will create more arms length companies and we will farm out our services

Etc. etc. .....

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flamboyant - the multi-million pound core strategy covers only future new development - and this is only one part of the Council's remit. The whole thing has grown and grown, thousands of pages that no one will ever read, completely impenetrable jargon that can only result in many, many bad decisions and expensive appeals. It should have been scrapped and a new start made ages ago. The whole thing could have been done in 18 months. Don't forget, the National Planning Policy Framework, which is the top level policy produced by the government to cover the whole of the country, is just 49 pages long (plus 10 pages of annexes). 

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Two Wheels!

 

I find that absolutely staggering, that the national policy is only 49 pages long, and our county of Herefordshire requires thousands!!

Producing this document must have kept a lot of folk earning a lot of money for quite some time...

 

Honestly, the comparison between the two, is a real eye opener.

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I think a lot of this is covered by GDJ's excellent post on the Hoople thread. The folk who NEED to understand the intricacies of this document, actually don't.

Surely there is enough expertise within this county, to give an unbiased breakdown of facts.....in a language we can ALL understand!

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Yes this massive very glossy document printed on B4 paper was printed off and at least one copy was given to each Parish Council in the county for comment.  The cost of producing this would no doubt have been enough to keep every single blade of grass the Council owns nicely preened throughout the year.  It would have been enough to undo some of the hardships the vulnerable and elderly are suffering because of the cuts that have been thrust upon us.  Is our money being used wisely?

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Yes this massive very glossy document printed on B4 paper was printed off and at least one copy was given to each Parish Council in the county for comment.  The cost of producing this would no doubt have been enough to keep every single blade of grass the Council owns nicely preened throughout the year.  It would have been enough to undo some of the hardships the vulnerable and elderly are suffering because of the cuts that have been thrust upon us.  Is our money being used wisely?

 

Thank you for posting this thread, Denise, I thoroughly agree, - what a waste of time and our council tax money. I was also dismayed to see that a glossy colour bus timetable booklet that must also have been very expensive to produce is now out-of-date after only a few months. I presume it had to be replaced because of continuing cuts to bus services. The current bus timetable booklet is on green paper and is very thin in comparison.

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  • 2 weeks later...

In the Core Strategy it seems to assume that it will be a Western Bypass.  When was this decided in favour of an Eastern Bypass?  Or better still when was it discussed?  Apparently and I have not yet read it there is a section stating 106 monies although specified for such and such will once the Core Strategy becomes a working document be transferrable to another "worthie" cause.  Is nothing the Council writes worth the paper it is written on?     

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In the Core Strategy it seems to assume that it will be a Western Bypass.  When was this decided in favour of an Eastern Bypass?  Or better still when was it discussed?  Apparently and I have not yet read it there is a section stating 106 monies although specified for such and such will once the Core Strategy becomes a working document be transferrable to another "worthie" cause.  Is nothing the Council writes worth the paper it is written on?     

 

 
THE Local Plan has been deposited for final comments ahead of government inspection from September. The plan can be found at herefordshire.gov.uk/local-plan
 
Any comments or views as to whether or not the plan is sound can be made before July 3. After seven years of preparation, consultation and refinement we now have a complete plan that incorporates a strategic housing, planning and Infrastructure requirement to meet the needs of our growing county up to 2031.
 
It is an ambitious and positive plan.
 
The council’s priorities have been adults, children and local economy.
 
The latter has a specific focus around housing , jobs and roads.
 
This plan lays out the criteria for meeting these challenges and the where and how these can be delivered.
 
Support for encouraging business to provide more and better paid jobs is directed at the strategic employment sites. Key developments will be the Rotherwas enterprise zone and industrial estates across the market towns.
 
Broadband rollout will encourage businesses in every locality and entrepreneurs to set up in Herefordshire, from live work units to larger sites.
 
The number of strategic housing sites needed can only come about from providing roads and infrastructure to support the demand over the lifetime of this plan.
 
The planned western bypass is the major road building scheme to unlock the potential of these priorities and is the only practical infrastructure option to deliver the aspirations of this county in offering a sustainable future to meet the challenge of growing our working age population.
 
Those of you engaged in neighbourhood plans have already discovered just how important the Core Strategy is for planning the future in your own areas and through the linked Infrastructure Delivery Plan.
 
Just how important this plan is for all our futures if we are to lessen the impact of our growing older population and their needs is yet to unfold. However, the development of the new livestock market, the recently opened Old Cattle Market site, the proposed central link road to aid traffic flow and open up inner city housing projects, the enterprise zone and cycle routes through the city and river crossing, the employment and housing sites in our market towns, and support for provision of housing in the rural area are parts of this jigsaw.
 
With Council support for a higher education facility the future is looking bright for the next generation of young people wanting to live and work in Herefordshire.
 
I believe our plan is sound, I look forward to your support in making it happen.
 
CLLR PHILIP PRICE
Cabinet member - Infrastructure Ward member 
Golden Valley North.

 

 

Yet Jesse Norman says the bypass can go east and save lots of money (see post 15). But we wouldn't want that would we? Neighbourhood plans are all the vogue at the moment. Plenty of rural parishes jumping in and having a say what happens in their patch. Do not see any action for the parish of Hereford City. Don't they think that anyone lives here or does the world end at Ledbury Cllr Bramer?

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There has been much discussion on the road heading East. I seem to recall Jesse Norman quoting a figure which would include another river crossing, and still being significantly LESS than the proposed costs involved for the so called Link Road.

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  • 4 months later...
Herefordshire Council News 6 October 2014

 


 

The Core Strategy, which looks at Herefordshire’s planning priorities up to 2031 and includes proposals for 16,500 new homes in the county, has been subject to government examination which began on 23rd September 2014. 

 

The strategy broadly identifies where different types of development will go and once approved, it will be the legal document against which planning applications will be assessed. Neighbourhood plans, being prepared by parish and town councils in the county, have to be in line with the policies in the strategy.

 

The examination is an important stage where the Core Strategy and all supporting documents will be analysed by Government Planning Inspector, Christine Thorby. She will decide which issues will be discussed at round table sessions known as hearings. Christine will also decide who will be invited to take part in these discussions.

 

The hearings are expected to take place in the New Year. The examination will end when the inspector has made her recommendations to the council on any changes that should be made to the Core Strategy.

 

Around 1000 representations were made by individuals and organisations on the pre-submission consultation which took place between May and July earlier this year. All the objections and expressions of support have been sent to the Inspector. 

 

A new webpage - Examination of the Core Strategy which can be viewed here which will provide all the information about the examination as it becomes available. It also gives the contact details of the Programme Officer who is responsible for the administration of the examination under the direction of the Inspector.

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  • 4 months later...

The Council havent advertised it but the Plan for Herefordshire for the next 15 years, called the Core Strategy is going to be "Examined in Public" at Hedley Lodge, Belmont Abbey from this Tuesday 10th February starting at 10am.  I understand that this plan has cost over £4million and it looks like it is due build lots of houses in Herefordshire. 

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It's really strange that it's not advertised, as it will affect what happens in and around Hereford for many years to come. The Inspector from London will ask questions and come to a decision on whether the plan is OK or not. But from what I can see in the docs on the website, the Assistant  Inspector already has problems with the minerals and waste part of the plan. No reliable evidence base, something like that.

 

"Herefordshire Local Plan Core Strategy 2011-2031 (the CS)
Minerals and Waste (M&W) Preliminary Note

1. Having considered the M&W elements of the Plan and its supporting evidence, I have a number of fundamental concerns which, in the interests of the efficient running of the examination, I shall raise at this stage as preliminary matters."

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It's not strange at all that the Council want to keep this as quiet as possible - it is certainly not their finest hour, being delivered some 4 years late and at huge cost, not only in salaries to 'the best' but also fees to top consultants to pull the whole thing together when 'the best' were going round in circles getting nowhere fast, save for churning out thousands of pages of inpenetrable jargon (which is what they do best after all). The Inspector's list of queries is long and deep and could see further delay if the Council are directed to re-consult/redraft sections.

 

Another reason to keep it quiet is of course is that the whole thing is predicated on road building, which in turn is to be funded by house building, which in turn will overload all available services (insufficient water supply for instance) and further log jamb roads with traffic. Here for Hereford have exposed all of the Council's hypocrisy with great skill, and will be a key player at the Inquiry.

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Excellent analysis Twowheels! If there is justice in this world the Inspector will listen to Here for Hereford.

 

Don't be too disapointed Moley, there is a sense where this is about apples, as a lot of people would rather like to conserve the traditional orchards and not have houses built all over them!

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Here is a good summary from Here for Hereford

 

http://www.hereforhereford.co.uk/2015/02/examination-of-core-strategy-is-the-plan-sound/

 

Cloudberry is right - top quality agricultural land should not be built on and lost forever - a rising population and with ever increasing unrest in the world will see more wars and we need to be far more self sufficient than we are.

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Where is all the money coming from for all these new roads? I see every Herefordshire household is currently paying on average over £200 p.a. just in interest and debt repayments on current council borrowings. They are not going to borrow more money for more roads surely? When is someone going to do something about making Hereford Hospital bigger? I see that the Hereford Times report said that this would cost £40million to bring it up to capacity.

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Let's hope the people of Herefordshire can get organised ..there seem to be many apolitical groups speaking the same language. It's strange that so far apart from the Cons with their financial prowess (HT full one pager self backslapping) the local and national politicians have been very quite on the streets. My Bull Mastif has been patient at the door!

 

This current council believes that it can only finance itself through selling off the rest of its assets and house building for people with no jobs to go to!

 

It does not want to upset papa bear at con HQ so it will strip out wherever.

 

I am one of these people who believes that politicians make rules that only the accountants and lawyers understand who then make a shed load of money providing services to those less fortunate in grasping the nettle and not in the loop. They then take their cash to the banks who spend it wisely of course funding the progress of governments and large corporations who then tell the government's what works best for them..a full circle. Christ this tone sounds familiar.

 

It's cost a lot of money but I would tear up this core stratedgy document and set out a basic plan for the County on two bits of A4. Most of us would agree on what's best for this County and it can be written down in Bullitt Point format with no guff!

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I see that tomorrow the plans for Hereford for the next 20 years are being debated at Hedley Lodge, Belmont from 10am. I have been told member of the public can go and listen. Someone told me that there have been some really good questions put by the local residents at the tbale allowed to speak at this "Examination in Public", but a lot of "suits" are also there from the development companies like Gladmans, Bovis Homes, etc.

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Debate? You think there is still a choice? Developer-led urban extensions translates to building new homes as fast as possible all round Hereford, without any regard to supporting services like sewers, hospital capacity, our special landscape, etc. I know Here for Hereford are doing a great job at this enquiry, please carry on getting the reality, the facts, in the open in front of the Inspector.

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