herefordman75

It's probably to do with the fact that Sainsbury's purchased the Argos parent company earlier this year, so makes sense to slim down and use one store for both. Hopefully it will work out, a big plus will be the free parking to actually get to Argos, rather than having to pay to park in the dismal Maylords cave....

classic case of the general public giving a big two fingered salute to the politicians - Trump may well give the impression of being a total muppet (especially with the hair - would have loved to have seen Spitting Image covering the election) - but at the end of the day, he isn't a career politician, he is a businessman - a bit like Reagan I suppose, he was an actor before politics became his calling, and look at the good he did. So now we have a female PM here, a "buffoon" in the USA and a Russian president who loves his country - sounds almost like the days of Reagan/Thatcher/Gorbachov back in the 80's!

There may be a market for designer clothes, however, us mere mortals that survive on "below national average" wages/part time etc can't realistically afford to shop in these type of places. Maybe it will become the fashion outlet of choice for our esteemed councillors with their expense accounts and 50k+ a year salaries. Have a look at the prices www.flannels.com/men/clothing/jackets-and-coats and you will see what I mean - no way in hell would I pay £45 for a pullover/sweatshirt!

Rural bus prices are worse (those services that are left of course) - return to Madley is now in the region of £8 - making it cheaper to take the car, even when fuel and parking are considered. I always thought public transport was supposed to be cheap and for the masses?

Plenty of regulations regarding drone use from the CAA on their website (won't let me link for some reason). Basically not within 50m of a person, building or traffic. Only allowed a certain height above ground, and must stay "in line of sight" at all times. There are proper training courses available to cover the correct usage for commercial and personal use.

This is the first I have heard of it as well - and I live less than a mile and a bit from it! Have looked at the plans and the application and really can't see why it has got this far. There a re holes in the application regarding the wildlife - which is plentiful being close the environmental reserve at the earth station, there are definitely great crested newts and plenty of bats about the area.

Absolutely pointless on a garage forecourt (unless it was a wireless fast charger of course) - but absolutely in the main car park

I agree, it does look like a combination of 70's multi storey car park and shipping containers, however, we do need to move with the times as well. A lot of the design influence for this will be because of new planning regulations regarding insulation and materials, as well as a desire for the new occupiers to make sure that the new house is eco friendly from a light/heat/power point of view. So, on one hand it's a carbuncle and a blot on the landscape not in keeping with it's surroundings - but on the other hand, it's a modern, 21st century residence which ticks all the boxes for modern sustainable living.

Railings would stop the parking on the pavement, I still reckon they may stop on the doubles though, causing more of an obstruction and hence more danger. Maybe suggest some community wardens?

True, but with the latest fast chargers, you can get a top up charge of about 80% in way less than that.

I am also a bit surprised that none of the major supermarkets haven't got in on the action installing charging points for EV's. Would make sense to have some bays in the car parks with them fitted so people can charge while they shop.

Don't know if it is related or not, but the traffic coming in at Belmont Tesco roundabout has been backed up past the Callow turn both yesterday and today at 7:45am, usually it's still at the roundabout at this sort of time most mornings - could be the altered light timings causing the backlog, or just the Widemarsh street works, not really sure, just seems unusual to me.

and about 20p/litre (yes, 20p) cheaper than the garage at Telford services yesterday.

It will cause chaos as traffic won't be able to turn left towards Newtown Rd from Blackfriars St, so it will all have to go along Newtown Rd to access Widemarsh St. Now we all know how bad the traffic can be around Pizza Hut/College Rd bridge at normal times, so with the extra volume from Blackfriars St as well, it will have a knock on effect. Made worse by the fact it will be in the run up to Xmas, so there will be extra traffic on the roads as well. To me it would have made more sense to have allowed access from Blackfriars St as far as Play Planet/Plumb Centre, as that is the end of Widemarsh St where most businesses are located. Doesn't make sense to do the entire length, it's not as if there is any work going on by Wickes.

Have just caught up on the HVFB page - dear God is that the intelligence level of the 18-25 year old demographic? The bins are full, better leave it on the floor - Really??? no wonder things are going down the pan so fast. A lot of those commenting supporting the "enthusiasts" are the same ones that were supporting that idiot last year with his horse overtake (remember that?), so explains a lot really. Plus, they really need to learn the difference - enthusiasts don't drive like idiots, they look after their cars, and are more inclined to take them to properly organised shows and events that take place in appropriate surroundings, such as race tracks or aerodromes - not the local Halfords car park. As an example, my brother in law is in his mid 50's, drives a highly modified Subaru Imprezza which is stickered up McRae style - yet he doesn't drive like a lunatic, and enjoys the car scene by going to proper shows and meeting with other like minded owners. These idiots really shouldn't have a licence if they can't operate a bin properly. How much intelligence does it take?

For it to remain viable it would need to offer something different to what we already have in the city. The Hungry Horse is good cheap food, The Starting Gate is a Beefeater, we have a few local places doing a carvery as well. Personally I would like to see a Toby Carvery there - yes it's another chain type franchise - but, they do a damn good meal for the price, especially when you can bung on as much veg as you like :)

Very true, keeps everything easy to locate for non locals - would be better if they had a local slant on the corporate image though, promote the local area with pictures of times gone by for example

It's all to do with corporate branding again - chain pubs are basically a franchise, run by a local land lord, with the licence held by head office. When some bod at HO decides they need to change tack due to falling sales, age or any other reason, then they pay some consultants to redesign the fixtures and fittings. That's when they start to refurb all of the pubs in the chain. The independents, like the barrels etc that are owned and operated locally, can do what they want to the décor, which is why they quite often go for years without a major refit - sometimes it only happens when the landlord changes.

NHS privatisation is a foregone conclusion - it's been happening slowly for years now, hence the lack of money in the service, poor conditions etc (plus of course the underlying interests of certain ministers in parliament who set to gain from privatising it) TTIP would have been one of the final nails in the coffin if it had come to fruition, as that would have allowed the US health care companies access to the service. Before long only the higher earners will be able to afford healthcare, look at how prescriptions have risen in the last few years. I know that people who are on long term medication get it for free, but how long can we expect that to last? As for centralising the doctors surgeries mentioned, in some ways, yes I can see the advantages from several perspectives. Cost of buildings, distances travelled etc all add up, but why put them in one of the least accessible points of the city? Rather than one big centralised doctors surgery, why not amalgamate two into one, and have slightly larger satellite surgeries? Really cannot see one large surgery offering the correct levels of service for their patients. It's hard enough getting appointments at certain ones now - in some cases you need to be clairvoyant to be able to book an appointment, as you need to know in advance when you are going to be ill!

at least the top one looks like a modern building, the second "red shed" looks more like a cheaply designed primary school

SO, it's been a while since anything has been seen or heard of this mob - perusing the planning determinations this morning, I spot application number P161825/F, change of use of Plot 1 Holme Lacy Road from A2 to B1. Me being curious as to where it is, I open it up, and lo and behold, Freedom Church have bought it off Full House (or are renting it for next to nothing off the landlord) and are going to be using it. I suppose it's sensible as it's next door to their new lair at the old convent.

What are they drinking in their coffee at the council? How are traffic lights supposed to help under the railway bridge on HLR? They won't stop people using HLR to get to Rotherwas unless they make it one way or block it off halfway down. As for Belmont road, well, I can appreciate the bus lane idea, don't think the homes and businesses along there will be too happy losing there frontages/front gardens/parking spaces, where are all the residents supposed to park their cars? If they want some cloud cuckoo land ideas dreaming up on how to create bottle necks and generally cause even more chaos, then I am sure I could do a similar job for at least half the money they are paying the current morons that are handling the crayons.

An unfortunate sign of these consumer driven times that we live in - maximise the exposure to maximise the profit and the sales

Bus lanes on Belmont Road will be for the councillors in their own personal limos to sail pass us peasants stuck in the traffic - will probably be duel purpose taxi/bus lanes

Let alone the fact that the council won't invest in this sort of thing, especially when they have vested interest in cars from a certain cabinet member. What we need is a cull of the 70's generation in the cabinet, get some forward thinking 30 and 40 somethings in the cabinet, and not the current bunch.