Roger

There are additional questions if you tick the 'resident' box but neither the visitor or resident surveys ask the basic question about whether you approve of potential roadside meters that charge you money for parking on the street. Which is the aspect I would suspect a good few people would be interested in! 

You won't die from a bit of disinfectant Roger!

I am always impressed by how clean this place always appears to be, and its great that food is prepared and cooked in front of you!

Food ratings scheme is quite good. The Bus Station Cafe in Hereford could be perceived as being a 'greasy spoon' but is rated 5. http://ratings.food.gov.uk/business/en-GB/488956/Bus-Station-Cafe-Hereford

Planet Buffet next door (Chinese Buffet) is rated 2. http://ratings.food.gov.uk/business/en-GB/488050/Planet-Buffet-Hereford I think that's an improvement as the rating before that was 1 or 0 ... 

Charcoal Grill is rated 5. http://ratings.food.gov.uk/business/en-GB/488182/Hereford-Charcoal-Grill-Hereford

I don't really know the area (Ross) too well but I'm pretty sure that it was called the Best and it was open after JD's closed on a Saturday night. Like I said don't quote me on the time it was open as I was fairly intoxicated (or smashed if I should put it bluntly) at the time but I know that I went straight home from having a kebab and got home at about 4! So must have been 3/3.30am. I think I may actually prefer Ross for a night out purely on that basis! (Really want a kebab now).

Numerous websites have that shop as closing at 00.01 hrs on 7 days a week ... http://www.just-eat.co.uk/restaurants-the-best-hr9 I don't dispute it may have been open later if you got a kebab there but that's what the internet says and presumably it's what the Council have licenced it for ...

Is this to say that a hot food van could not sell food in town either? If that's not the case, I'll start on my business plan!

If you run a Café/Restaurant/Snack Bar that is not licensed for the sale of alcohol, a Fish and Chip shop, a Take-Away, a Mobile Catering Vehicle including a Licensed Street Trading Catering Vehicle or other similar premises, and you sell hot food and/or hot drink to the general public between the hours of 11 p.m. and 5 a.m then you need a Council licence. So a van would get the 1.30 am ban as well ... 

Charcoal Grill is epic - best burgers in the world. But yes, unfortunately I don't enjoy them quite as much as they are forced to close during peak business hours.

I was in there at 10.42 pm on Sunday 16th February and although I do rate the place I was disappointed to see the owner cleaning/wiping down the inside of the display chiller with a spray bottle of common disinfectant and a cloth with the food still in it. I thought there was a chance the cleaner could end up on the food. Here is the chiller (stock internet photo): 

Oh!

 

Forgot what I was originally going to say! Blimey, must be having a senior moment!

Roger, what figures are these out of interest?

The HT publish weekly figures in the printed copy.....are the ones you speak of different?

This weeks figures -

 

1.Weekly circulation - 30,612.

2.Readers every week - 83,453.

3.Unique users at herefordtimes.com - 110,280.

 

They are usually to be found underneath the Opinion piece in the Letters section....page 31 this week!!!

The Regional Newspaper ABC's (Audit Bureau of Circulation). They are out at the end of February and show the circulation of all regional newspapers. They will be in the Press Gazette. Some titles release figures half yearly as well (end of August). The last ones are on this link: http://www.pressgazette.co.uk/abc-figures-show-only-one-local-weekly-growing-print-sales-first-half-2013 but I don't think the HT released figures last August as they are not on the list. 

I've reached my voting limit. I tried to leave a constructive vote but the system denied this. Despite having not voted at all today ... But I don't know at what point the 24 hr. timer kicked in ... :-S

I must say Roger that that kebab is making me feel hungry...and from which local kebab house is this beauty from? 

'Best Kebab' in Crewe ... So not local! 

How on earth can the vote be fiddled on HT ???

I thought it was one vote and that was it!

What I disagree with mostly on there,is that anybody and everybody can vote. At least on here you have to be a member,which means the chances are you have taken the time at some point, to join in with a discucussion. With the HT, a miserable little thumb appears, mostly from folk who can't be bothered to make a contribution!

Grrr! That does make me cross!

If you have a point to make - type it!

If you have desktop, ipad and phone you can instantly record 3 votes if you are so inclined .... that's one way I suppose ... 

The voting button is innocuous here.  On Hereford Times the voting button can be fiddled and is a bit of fun!!

Bobby47 earlier on this thread said he was voted down online with the Hereford Times "comments" to minus 39.  I voted positive at least twice on that post and others had also voted positively before the jokey negative votes so I'd estimate in total he was voted down around minus 50 votes!!! 

*mag*

Yeah ... You can fiddle the vote on the HT website with an absolute certainty! I am waiting for the Regional circulation (ABC's) for that publication which are due imminently .... I think it will be the first one since the price went up from 80p to £1.20 ... 

As a newly 18 year old female who enjoys a night out, this really bugs me! I cannot think of any possible reason for this rule?! Since when has eating caused violence or crime?  I usually go and get something to eat to sober up! What has really tipped it off for me is that I went out in Ross last Saturday night where they have not much nightlife in comparison to Hereford but I remember saying to my friend at approx 9pm 'the drink has gone straight to my head, I need to get something to eat' and after food I was fine! Again what was amazing (from being used to Hereford) was getting out of the club and having a kebab and chips at about 3.30am (don't quote me on that) and yes people were drunk of course, but we all just wanted to eat. If there is any sort of petition or anyway or expressing this further, I would be overly happy to contribute.

Beth

I'd love to know what kebab shop was open at 3.30 am in The Shire! I'll be there tomorrow! I do like kebabs tho ... I've attached a pic of one I ate 2 days ago ... Very nice it was and no after effects! 

 

http://www.gloucestershireecho.co.uk/Online-sales-car-parking-charges-business-rates/story-20582949-detail/story.html

 

I mention this for 2 very good reasons.

 

1: There is a new development making it's way into Cheltenham ("The Brewery") which is said to be driving local traders out. At the new development you can find such names as Nandos, Chiquitos and Frank & Benny's, as well as a new multiscreen cinema (sound familiar?)

 

2: Hutchinsons owns the Sony center in Hereford. Hutchinsons also owned the Panasonic Store in Hereford which, as I'm sure you are aware, closed down as the OLM began.

 

I also note this comment at the bottom of the page which makes a lot of sense:

 

"Expensive town centre parking charges are the main reason why so called "out of town" shopping areas do so well. There is NO parking cost. There are NO over zealous "Traffic Enforcement Officers" slapping a ticket on your car. Car drivers are welcomed with open arms, something which local Councillors fail to see, everytime thy raise parking charges."

 

I bought a very expensive 'separates' Hi-Fi system from Hutchinsons in High Town, Hereford in the late 80's and in fact my current main TV was bought from the Panasonic shop just before it closed down. I always found them to be good shops. How long the Sony Shop in Hereford will last is anyone's guess I suppose as shopping habits are changing. The Hereford shop seems to advertise all this interest free credit on the radio which is basically a bank loan ~ a last desperate attempt to attract trade when you can go online and find the cheapest product which will be delivered to the door. Just like my fridge freezer was. The cheapest price was Sainsbury's internet site and it was delivered by courier ...

Regarding parking the new OLM development is like a mini out of town shopping complex but with the convenience of a multi storey car park next door that you pay for! 

On a side note I drove to Asda tonight and saw two parking attendants crossing over the lights by the bridge at 7PM ... I'm not aware of any real parking issues after that time in Hereford but there may have been some technical infringement that needed sorting out with a Penalty Charge ... 

Anyone who uses Facebook will be aware that there is a feature to 'like' a post but no feature to 'unlike' a post. I prefer both options to be available (as on here) as it enhances debate. However, as has previously been stated, it can be used in a random & pointless fashion on occasion. Down voting a post that merely states a 'fact' (like I saw X, Y, or Z happening when I went into town today) is a waste of time. Other than, I suppose, it indicates that the voter would have preferred that the poster had never mentioned the fact they were commenting on ... 

I have teamed up with Paul Daykin from T4C and exchanged mutual links and offered any support the HV can offer, you will see their link (logo) on the right hand side of our main page.

 

 

A very worthy cause. 

I appreciate the concept with that link ( + the Community Spirit is to be applauded) but there is absolutely nothing wrong with the area in front of the Church. It was actually quite welcoming with the benches that were there and it was quite handy for visitors who maybe wanted to eat a fish and chip lunch if the weather was ok. But it got too popular with the drunken hobo's and unfortunately the benches had to be removed. Maybe it's handy for cheap booze? Because they still gravitate there. The only way to sort that out is rigorous enforcement. I know that will just move them somewhere else but getting these drunks moved from a high profile location can't be that hard. 

I wandered into town today and the usual drinkers' were camped on the wall swigging bottles/cans of that strong cider ..... In front of the Church ... Sat on the wall as the seats have been removed ..... I walked by an hour later and they were still there .... Commercial Road ... Not a good advert for Hereford .... 

This was approx. 13.45 and 14.45 btw so hardly out of hours for the people who should sort this out  ..... 

Roger , in this day and age what you are saying ( with some inside knowledge I think ) is not very efficient . Having said that I see that there are some well paid jobs on the West Mercia Police website which might improve the system. There is also a very well paid job working for the PCC

The money has run out .... unless you want to run a trendy pop up shop! :-) 

The Press release does gives the dates of the thefts .

 

It happens quite often with the West Mercia Police Press Office, staffed , I'm sure by Support Staff who may not know the relevance of getting this sort of crime into the public domain.

 

If I am wrong I am.

I think it's more to do with the fact that people ring in these thefts and there is a mad rush to generate a crime report by whoever is in front of a terminal at the call centre ~ and the person who generates the report probably never even took the original call. Probably support staff doing all of that. The report then swills around the computer system until it lands in somebody's lap days, or maybe weeks, later. ... Some poor regular Officer who turns up for work finding some new case has landed on his/her desk [with several cobwebs on] is probably a daily event! 

These press appeals sometimes get generated by the investigator who may have only had the complaint in their own domain for a very short space of time. But the moan has been on the Corporate

system for ages. 

https://www.facebook.com/handsoffourvillage/posts/199548000253493 This is really old news ... I think the press release is just a way to get this case filed. 

That unit on the left has been empty (for ages) since the tile place closed. So I suppose having any tenant in there is better than no tenant. 

I don't know of the HT censorship you allude to. My perception is the tobacco is 50g packets that are legit content but smuggled. So basically 8.8 euro tobacco is being sold for about £7.50 locally... Very small mark up for the shop (unless they purchased at a discount abroad) but a large loss to the treasury in tax. I know all the shops that sell this stuff and I don't even make an effort to find the info out! Hereford is very small! Whey Hey! 

I was at the meeting today, I was also one of the 19 who voted against the budget. the other 7 sent their apologies.

Who are they and what were they doing instead? 

Debate about On Street Parking Charges on BBC Hereford & Worcester Radio now (Wednesday 5th February 2014) or hear it later on iPlayer Radio if you missed it.

I don't know if it was debated more than once today on BBC H&W but it was discussed after 4 PM today on the Andrew Easton show. Not a great deal of content in it that I didn't already know but I did contact the show to point out that I didn't think any consultation was needed over on street car park charging as I am not aware of any retailer wanting it and a poll of 453 people on the Hereford Times website came back with 84% of people opposed. Seems pretty conclusive. If the views of the Community are to be listened to. 

But something does not add up here because I managed to get a hot pasty from the garage at 3am last week. The girl in the garage put it in he microwave for me, that's hot food and this is all some takeaways do with some of their food, no difference really.

http://www.official-documents.gov.uk/document/other/9780108511400/9780108511400.pdf

I've linked to the latest guidance that I saw on the web from April 2012. The relevant bit is on page 25 which outlines that you can buy a hot drink from a garage without a licence if you vend it yourself. If you buy hot food from the premises then a licence is required for the establishment.

I think I misinterpreted your previous post regarding 11pm-5am.

 

So essentially, what you're saying is that the council want them all shut, but they only have the power to hinder hotfood suppliers.

Correct. I suspect tho that if they could shut the sandwich shops at 1.30 am they would. The cops want to disincentivise people from hanging about after the pubs/clubs have shut. So if there's nothing open then the theory is that people will clear off. 

I don't know why they don't employ the same tactic in Worcester where I'm told hot food outlets are open after 1.30 am. I can't imagine that their night scene is too different to Hereford. If anything it's probably busier as it's a University City and I gather students like the occasional alcoholic drink ... :-) 

Thanks for that Roger.

 

But the question remains, if hot food outlets are allowed to stay open until 5am.... then our council MUST have made some kind of distinction between the hot food and the cold food outlets to stop only hotfoods from being served.

 

In it's simplest form I guess; "What was the councils argument to allow cold food places to stay open and not hot food places when they both sell food and create the same impact and social activity"

The Council can't stop cold food being served as it's outside the scope of the Act. If they could I'm sure they would as these places are attracting the same people who would go to a chip or kebab shop if they were open. When the legislation is next tinkered with then, I suppose, the cold food may well be sucked into the situation so that the Council can ban something else. 

I looked at the traffic congestion on google maps today and it was no worse than normal. Plus I spoke with someone who drove from Tesco's roundabout towards Commercial Sq. at 16.30 hrs today and although it was one lane on either side of the ring road there were no problems. Which does surprise me. 

I was pleasantly surprised to see a 13 plate Balfour Beattie badged mini mechanical sweeper truck in my Aylestone area street today. That's on the good side.

On the bad side what on earth has happened to the road outside M&S on the corner by the bank? The road paving has been replaced with a huge splodge of black tarmac. Very unsightly. I assume a Utility had something going on under the road but what is the point of this fancy paving if you just throw some tarmac down as a repair when something happens?

I do concur as well about the doorways of Chadd's and similar shut shops that have unimaginable deposits in them. Stomach churning. It's the responsibility of course of the shop owner but in the absence of them doing anything (I suppose the owner might be sat in an office in London or somewhere) I think the Council should think outside the box and get a pressure washer in them for the good of the City.

There used to be carnage going on in the doorway of Franklin House when it was empty. Dossers/vomit ~ you name it. But the Council took it over and installed a shutter on the door. Money no object I suppose as it was now their building!