greenknight

Sadly Slim we are back on Catch 22...the developers will fund but then that means bigger developments which we don't want either.

Agreed Slim .. though the way the education system works now and the parent having choices about school placement I think the days of little Johnny being able to get into his local school and walking there have gone. As a ten year old we were sent on our way with a one mile walk and no adult. There are many reasons and not just traffic that prevent this taking place today. If school places don't keep up with big housing developments the distances travelled will only get worse.

BB are no doubt desperate for money as they slide towards oblivion - a £20m per annum contract is £1.66m per month. Questions need to be asked why we are billed almost 3 times that in September. I believe BB have been in place for more than 12 months now - time to add up the annual spend. 

 

I've no doubt there is truth in mgelliland's last sentence - in addition, gold plated pensions, themselves based on hugely inflated salaries, have to be protected above anything. When that's done, there's little left to spend on real services, particularly when we can all cite examples of profligate waste and spending still within the Council.

 

With elections coming, we have the classic local government reorganisation to break audit chains and bury evidence. In addition, the elections will bring new ward boundaries - less councillors and smaller wards in the City, so one councillor per ward.

Yes it's just incredible. Even if we throw out all the garbage councillors/politicians after the next election ( if there is a bin collection by then) ...the hidden IED,s of financial miss management may take years to clear up whilst those responsible cash in their fat chips and run off to that nice gaff in the country.I'm not sure that even sleepy Herefordshire will escape those bloody frustrated with what's going on.

As an aside to your post GreenKnight, if the OLM is a success, (and I still maintain it is still early days to call it either way) then why are the franchise staff in Debenhams so worried that they are missing their predicted sales targets?

Footfall does not equal spending!

Ah sales targets.. Well they must be all going to Costa then which apparently had the third best sales in the Country last weekend! It's early days but I know there are now people coming to Hereford rather than Cheltenham which for me is looking a little tired these days.

I don't think there are any plans for a new ambulance station are there, Hillbilly?

They have just finished a much needed programme of updating works at the Ross Road station, and have various standby points across the county. Notably Cargills, as one of their community initiatives, have given crews a rest room and standyby point there. Hence crews respond from points both north and south of the river.

The police and fire service however, are a more complex issue..........!!

Hi DippyHippy

West Midlands Ambulance Service are not long into the hub concept so it maybe a little while before someone has another grand plan. It's introduction came during a surge in demand and for me they are probably the busiest of all three services. The Cargill facility did give the service a vital standby point which alleviates delays when dealing with emergencies north side of the river. Again like many other cathedral cities there has been an emphasis to relocate central ambulance stations to where there is improved access like a ring road. The truth is that the fire service does need an overhaul.The bulk of their work in this county relates to RTC,s and as such I don't understand why they cannot be more aligned with the Ambulance Service sharing facilities etc. The Police & Fire Services oppose any mergers because its a loss of control however UK Ambulance Services have taken the lead and generally it is working.

Surely both East and West would be best, in an ideal world? (Budgets notwithstanding). The river crossing is the bottleneck. I do see that an East route works best with Rotherwas, and would suggest that the new Ambulance and Fire stations should be there as well.

I agree with your point hillbilly. If we have east/west then it's a ring road job done. I appreciate that a lot of comments come from a local standpoint but like it or lump it the amount of HGV and tourist traffic is set to increase as drivers look for an alternative route to the M6/M5 which these days run heavy irrespective of the time of year. There is a lot more retirement traffic filling our roads and all this before you even start to deal with demand for new housing. The ring road would take the big traffic away from the town centre and in doing so improve air quality and safety for schools and cyclists. As for the budget well for starters the Welsh Assembly is cracking on with the dualling of the A465 because they know that a solution for the M4 at Newport will take years to get off the ground so they can contribute... why should it stop at Abergavenny?? The English government appreciates that the current road network is close to collapse and I'm sorry to say that any new large scale rail projects are set to cut through middle England and not over here but freight and Rotherwas is a good idea. I know we like to think of Herefordshire as a different world and that we all live and work within it but trust me that's a pipedream. Some of us do have to travel out of the County to find work.The other thing is this..HGV,s have to respect lower speed limits on a single carriageway therefore we need to think ahead and make it two lanes. Park and ride...people do use them, new HUFC stadium just off a bypass? ..why not. We need houses but not big builds and if it does happen then we make sure that they contribute to rejuvenating old town which does have a future. Many cathedral cities have experienced the same dilemmas and conflicts but we have to work together for solutions. Whether you like it or not The Old Market has been a success just watch the two way (yes two way footfall) coming to and from it. I digress however it is all linked ultimately. We need a complete ring road therefore two bridges across the Lugg & Wye.

Then I'm not sure what the Council can do other than being a snappy dog. So long as the landlord keeps the structure safe. After all they might be on the rock but I'm sure they would prefer to see things improve in old town before they decide what to do with their assets. I don't think HC can force them to rebuild. Sadly I think the landlord holds the cards.

Gibraltar is a British Overseas Territory located on the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula at the entrance of the Mediterranean. Today its economy is based largely on tourism, online gambling, financial services, and shipping. In 1967, Gibraltar enacted the Companies (Taxation and Concessions) Ordinance (now an Act), which provided for special tax treatment for international business. This was one of the factors leading to the growth of professional services such as private banking and captive insurance management. Gibraltar has several positive attributes as a financial centre, including a common law legal system and access to the EU single market in financial services. 

 

One of the primary characteristics which define a tax haven is the absence of tax or a very low tax regime. Tax haven Gibraltar imposes a flat low tax of 10% on all offshore business wwcompanies or Gibraltar nonresident companies.  All offshore companies incorporated in Gibraltar are obligated to pay an annual license fee to the government. The annual fee is set at a fixed rate.

Thanks chap. It does make the whole thing look a little murkier as in ...let's make the whole thing run until the locals get fed up then we can knock the whole lot down and build something new without Listed Building restrictions.

A lot of monkeys live in Gibraltar and as most people who work in this county get paid peanuts... sorry it's my battle scarred twisted brain which needs a further 're-wire'. I cannot remember if Gibraltar sits in the channel islands, Cayman Island's set. They sure don't have to look at their investment anywayz.

This is also my question Megilleland.

Glad you have a sense of humour ubique..was worried I'd offend after I sent the post...the calendar says it's your birthday tomorrow..enjoy.

Hi Colin ..we moved into Hereford from North of the County in the summer where on a regular basis someone would knock on the door with an updated shot of my old black and white. It normally showed me either patching the roof or underpinning a wall. Do these guys knock doors down here or is it a rarer occurrence? I guess this will be replaced by drones if they are not shot down by the regiment. They are good pic,s.

Damn there's a weight limit for each bag..will have to get the scales out and not the sort I normally keep in the car with the three mobile phones.

Don't mind bins but now using body bags. They are larger just need to be discreet when putting them out at 3 in the morning...could I leave them up your lane Ubique??

Apologies Mr Jones ..I was thinking of your boss Leanne Wood.

Anybody that tries to lighten the load in the Emergency Department is doing said department a good deed. Our lady across the border is being rather stupid in her statement because with/without Welsh patients our hospital and in particular the Emergency Department will remain. The next available facilities at Worcester and Gloucester are miles away and have their own problems. Don't laugh but the big plan for the Aneurin Bevan Health Board is to site a brand new hospital which will be further away and downgrade the current A & E at Neville Hall Hospital Abergavenny so it will be interesting to see where patients from Monmouthshire/Powys choose to go!!!! We have a growing population, poor road infrastructure etc so it would be stupid to remove anymore services from Hereford. As anyone noticed the increase use of Hereford Hospital by the air ambulance ( voluntary) service?? There are reasons why they are increasing in frequency.

Going back to my old home of Winchester they preserved an old railway viaduct that ran close to the M3 and crossed the river Itchen. It now forms part of an active cycleway that takes you right into Winchester close to the cathedral. Brick built structure that still looks great. It can be done!

Well I would not have a problem with either and I'm in Tupsley I guess it comes down to money.I guess with both options there is little room for in filling with houses which I guess would not appeal to the Council ?

There can be no harm in developing Rotherwas in this way particularly the freight hub. More freight runs the route than you think and often when a breakdown occurs it blocks the whole line.Sadly though Jonny,s wish to repair Beechings deeds are lost because much of these lines especially to the east have been dug over or built on in many places. The cost would be huge and it would be many years before it started to pay. I see no reason why we could not look at some form of local tram network.As for the roads well I know it's controversial but it's a complete ring road for me because this east or west thing just runs and runs and in the meantime nothing happens which is why the authorities will play it safe and build a road that nobody wants.

Sorry that's downland ladies.

It's quicker to recover a lost meadow buts it's a lifetime to replace mature oak woodland.

Hi Cloudberry..it's true what you say about the A34 around Newbury. It has already been overwhelmed by more traffic and significant housing development and the same can be said for Winchester. The problem with both places is that as soon as there is a problem at Chievely(A34/M4) or Winnal (M3/A34) traffic heads off looking for alternative routes. It's also true about local biodiversity as those areas are chalk download very different to Herefordshire. There are rare wildlife habits in this county including traditional orchards however I will stick my neck out and say that modern day farming practices don't help maintain certain bird species. Historic WOodland has to be protected and this new suggested route to nowhere runs straight through one.

Thanks for the responses...very much appreciated.

With regard to the lights I can see why people get frustrated but the big problem here apart from pedestrians wanting to cross is that the exit point out of Church Road is blind. It might be possible however to make this one way in favour of the opposite direction. Traffic that would have originally travelled down Church Road would go either down Quarry Lane or right at the butchers down Winchester Avenue. You could then secure a mini roundabout and do away with the lights completely. ...go on I've come in late and someone has already thought of this!!

No sign of this development starting as yet. How long does GD get before the planning application times out? As they are pitching for a number of planning applications I wonder if they are still looking for a building company to sell onto?

Help anyone?

Good evening one and all. As it stands this is a road to nowhere without a new river crossing! To be honest we actually need a ring road and two lanes to boot otherwise the casualty rate will increase on our roads. I live on the Tupsley side and have family on the other and we all agree that the only solution ultimately is to start the process of a complete ring road (two lanes)and be done with it.Herefordman75 is quite right about the Newbury bypass (which is two lanes).The bio diversity has improved along this site as it did along the Twyford cutting where indeed I was an activist many many years ago.Hopefully older and wiser I would rather crack on and get this done now allowing nature to thrive along created edges rather than continually returning to extend and revise. We are a little obsessed about Rotherwas yet there are other sites in Herefordshire like Leominster that have an EZ which has struggled.You may think I'm mad however I believe we could actually improve wildlife habits by supporting the development of a bypass however not through the suggested wood.