Sadness as independent Hereford store to shut

7:00am Friday 25th January 2013 in News

Ali Baker (left) and Gillie Bulmer pictured outside The Cooks Haven on Church Street in Hereford. Ali Baker (left) and Gillie Bulmer pictured outside The Cooks Haven on Church Street in Hereford.

A POPULAR store on one of Hereford’s most picturesque shopping streets will close next month, its owners have announced.

The Cooks Haven on Church Street will cease trading at the end of February following 34 years in the city.

Business partners Gillie Bulmer and Ali Baker put the reason down to the increase in internet shopping as well as issues closer to home.

“There has been much uncertainty over the past few years,” said Gillie.

“I think many people have lost confidence in Hereford.”

She said issues such as an increase in out-of-town shopping and parking charge rises had not helped the business.

Other issues that affected trade included the decision by Marks and Spencer to close its Church Street exit which, according to Gillie, “stopped a lot of footfall”.

Gillie and Ali employ three part-time workers and said they will all miss their customers.

“There are too many people to thank in person,” added Ali.

“We would like to say a big thank you to everyone for their support over the years.”

The final day of trading at the Cooks Haven is set to be February 28.

Meanwhile, the Hereford branch of a struggling DVD rental firm looks to have earned itself a stay of execution.

Blockbuster announced last Friday it was closing 129 stores nationwide after going into administration.

But the company’s city branch, on the Brook Retail Park, (pictured below) is not on the blacklist drawn up by administrator Deloitte, nor a smaller list of earmarked closures announced before administration was confirmed.

However, a note pinned to the door of the Hereford shop this week told customers they can only redeem gift vouchers to half their face value, while no refunds can be offered on any item.

Comments(51)

bobby47 says...
11:25am Fri 25 Jan 13

And I suppose this Council Leadership will just shrug their shoulders and not give this loss a backwards glance.
This business relied upon only one thing. People on foot walking up and along Church Lane.
The people stopped walking up and along Church Lane because of the levers this bloody Council have been pulling.

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Herefordian07 says...
12:05pm Fri 25 Jan 13

Unfortunately this council regime haven't got a clue, I have attended meetings with them over the past 5 years regarding the ESG and nearly all the business people informed them, that the High street is in decline and to build extra competition in Hereford would be catastrophic for High Town, we were brushed aside as rebel businessmen with self interest at heart, the arrogance of the cabinet is beyond belief. The future is uncertain for all of us and whilst we have to cut back with expenditure and increased taxation, this lot is spending money they haven't got and remind me of Vivian Nicholson "Spend, Spend, Spend"

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bobby47 says...
1:00pm Fri 25 Jan 13

Herefordian07, What on earth can we do?
Ive never run a business. I've never even contemplated the idea of running a business but I've always admired those that have took the plunge and done something for themselves.
I've no idea about how to start a business just as I've no idea how you organise ourselves and protest at what is being done to our home.
We've gotta do something. In fact, we should have done something a long time ago. The fact that we all sit here tapping away on our keyboards getting bloody nowhere is a fair indication that we are failing or we have bloody failed.
These are the economics of the bloody crazy and we have gotta do more than venting our frustrations on this site.
I wish one of our number who was able to 'organise' would step forward, plot a bloody course and lead.
Im no bloody organiser. Haven't a clue on how to do it and where to start but I'd follow and give it my all.
We've gotta do something! Or do we all just carry on as we are?
Who amongst our number is prepared to do this?

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bobby47 says...
1:04pm Fri 25 Jan 13

I know that Mizza and Ubique would join in.

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Miss Taken says...
1:18pm Fri 25 Jan 13

I'm sorry to rain on the council bashing (which I do enjoy!) but in this instance I don't feel they are to blame. I am a keen cook and love to buy the sorts of items the Cooks Haven stock but they have always been so overpriced. I have been able to get the same item or something similar elsewhere (either in a shop in Hereford or online) for a fraction of the price in the Cooks Haven. And therein lies the problem in my humble opinion.

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Clarkester says...
1:31pm Fri 25 Jan 13

Cooks Haven may well be more expensive than online shops... Maybe because they pay their tax...
Shame though, I do enjoy looking at the shiny things through the window... Ooh... Shiny...

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bobby47 says...
1:57pm Fri 25 Jan 13

Miss Taken, Tread carefully my good friend and colleague.
If I decide its the Councils fault then it's most definitely the Councils fault.
I'll not sit back silently whilst you or anyone else attempts to introduce intelligent, rational and reasoned arguments that suggest otherwise.
I mean, this trend of intelligent and rational debate could gather momentum and catch on and where would that leave me? C
No! This is most definitely the Councils fault and anyone who says otherwise disagrees with me.
And anyone who does disagree with me is an embellisher and if there's one thing I hate, other than the Morris Dancers and this bloody Council Leadership, its an embellisher.

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TwoWheelsGood says...
2:06pm Fri 25 Jan 13

Will Hfd Futiles be posting this picture on their Facebork site like they post pictures of new shops opening, as if its something they've achieved?

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bobby47 says...
2:15pm Fri 25 Jan 13

TwoWheels, Yes, you are right. They do this without any thought toward truth and honesty.
It's as though they've become delusional and they simply assume that we are on their same wavelength. It really is frightening that they have brought themselves to this point that only serves to make them look dishonest in all that they do.

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Miss Taken says...
2:23pm Fri 25 Jan 13

bobby47 wrote:
Miss Taken, Tread carefully my good friend and colleague. If I decide its the Councils fault then it's most definitely the Councils fault. I'll not sit back silently whilst you or anyone else attempts to introduce intelligent, rational and reasoned arguments that suggest otherwise. I mean, this trend of intelligent and rational debate could gather momentum and catch on and where would that leave me? C No! This is most definitely the Councils fault and anyone who says otherwise disagrees with me. And anyone who does disagree with me is an embellisher and if there's one thing I hate, other than the Morris Dancers and this bloody Council Leadership, its an embellisher.
This made me laugh out loud and get strange looks from my colleagues. I think this may be the first time ever I have been accused of intelligent, rational and reasoned arguments - this could ruin my reputation!!!

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William Rudd says...
2:53pm Fri 25 Jan 13

I think the opening of Lakeland in Commercial St has had a detrimental effect on cooks haven

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Miss Taken says...
3:04pm Fri 25 Jan 13

William Rudd wrote:
I think the opening of Lakeland in Commercial St has had a detrimental effect on cooks haven
Possibly William, but they are quite pricey too! However, Lakeland have a whopping store in the main shopping thoroughfare that is accessible, light and spacious which I guess would tempt some shoppers away from supporting an independent store in a side street.

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TwoWheelsGood says...
3:28pm Fri 25 Jan 13

34 years is a pretty good innings, and no doubt they've done well out of it overall. Just think, when they started, there was no internet, no computers even and certainly no bloody Jarvis. We may even have had a lib-dem council then. They no longer have a USP - and many more will follow them. Society and shopping is changing and what do we do - build the biggest bloody white elephant shopping experience that can be seen from space.

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littlewhitebull says...
3:32pm Fri 25 Jan 13

One item I bought in Cooks Haven for my wife was actually cheaper than any internet site, but other items were more expensive. However, it is sad to see another good business close in Hereford.
Competition is good, but fewer outlets are now competing for less business in these times of austerity - not made any better by today's poor economic news.
Our council do not seem overly concerned with keeping local businesses, regardless of their rhetoric.
It wouldn't surprise me if the council introduced a new tax on nails for the 'coffins' of local businesses they have not really helped in any concrete way.

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bobby47 says...
5:07pm Fri 25 Jan 13

And that sums it bloody up. A bloody white elephant that we'll soon be able to google and marvel at from bloody space.
Why can't we have something that works, functions, we are able to pay for and say,'thank you very much. We needed this', instead of a bloody shopping centre that will be a medium to long term failure that'll we'll all curse during the passing of time.
Nothing comes easily to us. We never get a bloody lottery winner. We don't dig up anything that can be marvelled at and viewed in some museum like the Staffordshire Hoard. It makes me sick with envy.
All we get is water and lots bloody of it and an invitation to breach our covenant with God and cozy up to a bovine.
In times of hardship we look to some emerging leader. A person who's view of the world inspires and drives us all on to be better than we once were. What do we get? Bloody Jarvis! Yes Bloody Jarvis and his distorted view of how to knacker up an economy in quick fast time.
We need a bloody break. A bloody glimmer of hope.

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dippyhippy says...
6:03pm Fri 25 Jan 13

Bobby, I am with you. We need organised action now. Words are no longer enough. Just name the time and place,I am sure enough of us would turn up - maybe we could come up with some sort of plan so that our protest can move forward.

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bobby47 says...
6:25pm Fri 25 Jan 13

Dippy, Right. Im sure Mizza and Ubique will give it a go.
I'll get myself sorted this weekend, come up with a time and a pub location and well all sit down and decide what we are going to do.

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TwoWheelsGood says...
6:34pm Fri 25 Jan 13

... unless Jarvis is a better shot than you ...

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RogerLFC says...
6:44pm Fri 25 Jan 13

The most recent acquisition for my kitchen is a fabulous stainless steel cooking pot. With ten year guarantee. Fabulous quality and it was really cheap. I bought it at IKEA in Cardiff where I parked for free ...

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Biomech says...
7:22pm Fri 25 Jan 13

Wwwweeeeeeeeeeeee and there goes another one.

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RogerLFC says...
8:45pm Fri 25 Jan 13

How is Fodder doing by the way? A few doors down. I've heard anecdotal reports it gets busy in there selling their Organic stuff. Maybe Cooks Haven ended up selling stuff people didn't want at their prices? Is Fodder affected by the side door closing at M&S? Which I assume is mainly to prevent shoplifters sneaking out .... Rather like the back door at Boots ...

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William Rudd says...
11:15am Sat 26 Jan 13

dippyhippy wrote:
Bobby, I am with you. We need organised action now. Words are no longer enough. Just name the time and place,I am sure enough of us would turn up - maybe we could come up with some sort of plan so that our protest can move forward.
Lol you are funny.
Organised action.You could not organise a pi55 up in a brewery.

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William Rudd says...
11:21am Sat 26 Jan 13

Please let me know when you do this protest as I want to come along,take pics and poke you both with a stick

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dodger3 says...
11:32am Sat 26 Jan 13

Hereford has declined as a place to shop over several decades. Retailing is going through a major change,it has in the past and will do so in the future. The development in the cattle market will bring/keep shoppers in Hereford. A multi-complex cinema, will attract visitors.Or, lets leave things as they are,and say ' A, shoppers, go to Worcester, Gloucester and Bristol,they all have a varied choice, in their city or just outside.

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bobby47 says...
11:43am Sat 26 Jan 13

William, I really do like you and your writing style. My affection toward you is actually not to different to the **** dog that cares for the runt of the litter. The weak little thing that can't quite reach its mothers teat, it's tail is bent and its rear offside back leg is out of step with its other limbs.
Yes, it's fair to say I like you. My warmest regards to you Will.

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TwoWheelsGood says...
12:33pm Sat 26 Jan 13

To blame part of your demise on another shop closing off one of its doors is bizarre to say the least. But this Councils wretched insistance on taxing the car parker until he bleeds, or rather just goes somewhere else, continues to fail our small independent shops. Given that Church St is promoted as the jewel in the crown in any Council publicity, this is rather hypocritical.

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Bromyard Boy says...
1:03pm Sat 26 Jan 13

Well lwt ua hope that suppiort is shown for The Spiceworks, the new herb and spice shop that has just opened at 28 Eign Gate.
What a wonderful aroma you get when you open the door, and thay are far cheaper than Tasco or Asda (who offer a few grams of dried up hens at a ridiculous price.
Good luck to The Spiceworks, I am a regular there already.

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dippyhippy says...
3:24pm Sat 26 Jan 13

William Rudd wrote:
Please let me know when you do this protest as I want to come along,take pics and poke you both with a stick
Brilliant news,Bobby! William would like to come along,and he's even prepared to bring his own camera! Welcome on board Will - how did you know that being poked with a stick is one of my favourate ways of passing the time?!!Anyway,the first rounds on you!

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bobby47 says...
3:40pm Sat 26 Jan 13

Thus far Dippy it's me and you. We need more than us to start this action. Anyone else interested in meeting at some ale house and deciding what we are going to do to rid ourselves of this Council Leadership?

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dippyhippy says...
3:49pm Sat 26 Jan 13

Sadly Bobby,you are right. With the best will in the world,we need more than a mad King and a middle aged hippy to overthrow the regime.

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Miss Taken says...
5:26pm Sat 26 Jan 13

I could be tempted to join the mutinous two! I've always enjoyed a bit of rebellion.

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bobby47 says...
6:25pm Sat 26 Jan 13

Miss Taken, I had in mind us being the demented dozen or the terrible twelve rather than frustrated three.
Lets see if any others are prepared to join in this venture.

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Miss Taken says...
7:56pm Sat 26 Jan 13

Why not aim for the thunderous thousand?!

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drewbreath says...
8:01am Sun 27 Jan 13

According to its website, Cooks Haven was set up by a frustrated Herefordshire housewife. After 34 years one would like to imagine she has finally got the hang of it.

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drewbreath says...
8:12am Sun 27 Jan 13

Dear Miss Taken - presumably no relation to MIss Ann Thrope judging by your friendly devices - it is very possible Cooks Delight has come up with some plausible reason to get out while there is still life and call it a day before the venerable Waitrose opens and captures the heart of foodies.

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drewbreath says...
8:17am Sun 27 Jan 13

drewbreath wrote:
Dear Miss Taken - presumably no relation to MIss Ann Thrope judging by your friendly devices - it is very possible Cooks Delight has come up with some plausible reason to get out while there is still life and call it a day before the venerable Waitrose opens and captures the heart of foodies.
Apologies, I mean to say Cooks Haven - cooks delight is the name of an undelightful cooks shop and over-priced cafe that somehow existed in the wilds of Hertfordshire. At least my mistake should reinforce your feeling I am not the sort of person to invite to dinner when I cannot even remember the name of the host.

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ad47uk says...
11:46am Sun 27 Jan 13

Miss Taken wrote:
I'm sorry to rain on the council bashing (which I do enjoy!) but in this instance I don't feel they are to blame. I am a keen cook and love to buy the sorts of items the Cooks Haven stock but they have always been so overpriced. I have been able to get the same item or something similar elsewhere (either in a shop in Hereford or online) for a fraction of the price in the Cooks Haven. And therein lies the problem in my humble opinion.
and that lies the problem with Hereford. i don/t mind paying a quid or two more to get the item in Hereford or even five to ten quid if it is a larger item. but when something like a say a cheese wire cost £15 in Hereford, that is when the person who is serving you know what a cheese wire is, and you can get the same thing for less than a fiver online and that includes P&P, you can understand why shops go under.

The other problem is getting the goods in Hereford, even with the new shops that will go into the old market site, it will still be the same old rubbish, the same multinational stores that sell the same old rubbish.

I agree Hereford have to come up to date, but lets get the high town sorted first.

I bet Herefordshire council rubbing their hands with glee. Less competition to take trade away from their waste of money Edgar street grid.

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ad47uk says...
11:48am Sun 27 Jan 13

Miss Taken wrote:
William Rudd wrote:
I think the opening of Lakeland in Commercial St has had a detrimental effect on cooks haven
Possibly William, but they are quite pricey too! However, Lakeland have a whopping store in the main shopping thoroughfare that is accessible, light and spacious which I guess would tempt some shoppers away from supporting an independent store in a side street.
and they have no idea what they are on about or what they sell.

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ad47uk says...
11:54am Sun 27 Jan 13

dodger3 wrote:
Hereford has declined as a place to shop over several decades. Retailing is going through a major change,it has in the past and will do so in the future. The development in the cattle market will bring/keep shoppers in Hereford. A multi-complex cinema, will attract visitors.Or, lets leave things as they are,and say ' A, shoppers, go to Worcester, Gloucester and Bristol,they all have a varied choice, in their city or just outside.
and they will still go to Worcester, Gloucester and Bristol, because there still won't be the variety here. anyway, people just don't to these places to shop, they also go for a day out. To get out of this place for a few hours.

It won/t matter what comes here,, they will get greedy, over charge or the owners of the site will eventually put the rent up too high and stores will close.

Lets build a shopping centre in the middle of a recession, great idea Jarvis.

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dodger3 says...
6:47pm Sun 27 Jan 13

And why not attract them to our wonderful historic city. A superb Cathedral, the meandering Wye, scenic countryside approaching the city. Why oh why do locals shy away from change. We need to sell our City both asthetically and commercially.The recession will not last forever. Lots of good things, enterprise zone brings employment.Our sixth form and tech college are a tremendous advertisement being utilised by Worcester university-I could go on!

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Biomech says...
12:36am Mon 28 Jan 13

The Cathedral looks great now, but can't hold up a visit on it's own. The Wye... usually flooded or lined with closed down shops / left bank. I've said it before and I'll say it again - people aren't against rejuvenation, they are against the way in which it is being done.

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dodger3 says...
9:03am Mon 28 Jan 13

Methinks the Cathedral has looked 'great' for hundreds of years!.The left bank was a wonderful place to sup an ale-down to bad management that one went. But why be pdantic, 'Wye usually flooded'-this is typical of local negativity.The reason a lot of retail establishments are failing in the city is lack of 'foot fall'-lets move forward.

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mizza21 says...
11:08am Mon 28 Jan 13

You say that dodger, but do you know how much the business rates are on that there street?
It's an eyewatering figure.
I have no idea how you would make any money and the two things which put the dagger in the heart of Independent fixed retail in Hereford are Business Rates and Unrealistic rents.

Footfall ain't the problem.
Despite the councils efforts to drive people away by withdrawing bus subsidies and increasing parking charges, Hereford still throngs with rural folk on Saturdays.

There's a lot of dead wood being cut out of the economy. This shop was overpriced and the service wasn't great. Why wouldn't I look at it there, then buy online?

Bobby. I'll join you for a fizzy water and a revolutionay chat. Perhaps concerning graffiti or catalytic converters...

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Biomech says...
12:28pm Mon 28 Jan 13

"'Wye usually flooded'-this is typical of local negativity"

Ok so not "usually", but frequently enough to ruin any river side attractions and stop people developing it.
All of the fields were flooded last night - they're flooded now.
As I walked into town with my friend en-route to the pub, it was like walking through a ghost town, no people, derelict shops. Sunday afternoons used to be thriving in Hereford, yet there we were, the only group of people in 3 of Herefords most renowned pubs. Yates actually had some people in, yet the lights started coming up at 11:20, by 12 o'clock we were on the street with nowhere to go - everything was shut.

One of the group was from Cardiff and quipped at this is why she never comes back to Hereford because it's so **** and there's nothing here.
Consequently, next time we're going to Cardiff.

In fact, many many years ago, I had a friend over to Hereford from New Zealand, she was astounished that we were going home at 1pm because everything was closing - in NZ, they don't go OUT until 1am.

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Clarkester says...
1:40pm Mon 28 Jan 13

Biomech, that's probably due to the time difference!

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dodger3 says...
8:23pm Mon 28 Jan 13

The City has stagnated for to many years, moving forwards means 'change' yes change, and sometimes change does have an element of risk. Why do all the bright young people leave the County. No work, little to attract them to stay in facilities appertaining to their age.We have an ageing County, we need to bring in commerce/employment to look after our senior citizens via growth etc.All you doubting Thomas's,lets hear your ideas for wealth creation.

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Biomech says...
10:10pm Mon 28 Jan 13

Like I *keep* repeating, it's not the development people object to, it's the neglect and selling out of the city centre, the way the OLM project has been dealt with and lack of maintaining basic standards BEFORE a new complex is built.

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RogerLFC says...
11:53pm Mon 28 Jan 13

A Massive Screen cinema will solve all the problems ... Unconvinced ,,,, from HR1

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ad47uk says...
10:45am Wed 30 Jan 13

dodger3 wrote:
And why not attract them to our wonderful historic city. A superb Cathedral, the meandering Wye, scenic countryside approaching the city. Why oh why do locals shy away from change. We need to sell our City both asthetically and commercially.The recession will not last forever. Lots of good things, enterprise zone brings employment.Our sixth form and tech college are a tremendous advertisement being utilised by Worcester university-I could go on!
Why would anyone want to come to Hereford? Many cities have got Cathedrals that far more appealing than ours, most of the time ours have scaffolding around it. the £5 million or so they spent on the ground was way too much. it don't cost that much to do a bit of paving and stick some fences up.

The enterprise zone will do little for most of the people in Hereford. most people will come from outside the city, so we have to build more houses for them to come here and live, more traffic and more people in a city that can't cope.

You look at the traffic now and unless you go out early in the morning or late at night the city is at a stand still traffic wise.

What is our council doing about that? nothing, they just want to build another road that pops out onto a main road.

I am all for improvement, but all this Edgar street grid seems to be about is filling back pockets of national companies.

who on earth is Hereford Futures anyway and how many of their so called board members even live in hereford or new anything about Hereford before hand?

My opinion is this is all about money, they don't care about Hereford full stop.

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ad47uk says...
11:03am Wed 30 Jan 13

As a addition to my post above, i trust politicians as far as I can throw them and believe me that is not very far at all.
Be then local, national or from any other country, i believe they are in it for one thing, to benefit them.

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Herefordian07 says...
11:20am Wed 30 Jan 13

I totally agree with you ad47uk, the traffic is appalling and I remember when the old livestock market was blamed for traffic congestion, now the new livestock market is out of town - what excuse has the council got now!
Of course they will put some spin on it to fit their facts because "Here we can"

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