Second class letters

DID Hereford City Council not first assess whether the stone slabs adjacent to the Old House were strong enough to hold the brass letters, (Hereford Times, February 20), some of which have ‘suddenly disappeared’ or been stolen?

The most dangerous section for pedestrians to negotiate is from the HighTown post office to Offa Street where the uneven block paving retains large pools of water.

With millions in debt already and counting, both the City and Herefordshire Councils have a lot to answer for.

MALCOLM WHYATT Hampton Park Hereford

Town council is listening

I WAS surprised to see that you given such negative coverage to the news that the City Council has set funds aside this year, not from next year’s council tax, to put right some of the paving problems in High Town.

We will not be “sending the diggers in” this will be a small scale, stone by stone careful replacement.

Your reporter was aware of that.

We are doing this because when we did our roadshow in High Town in the autumn this was one of the main things people asked us to do in the city centre.

The other things were to keep the lavatories open (and try to reopen some) and to get something done about the burned out building.

On the conveniences issue we have set funds aside next year, and we are continuing our discussions with Herefordshire Council about the mechanics of transferring assets.

Meanwhile we are working together to keep facilities open.

Sadly we have no powers regarding the fire site.

The real story here is that the city council is listening to what people say, finding what they want us to do and setting about doing it where we can.

Steve Kerry, town clerk Hereford City Council

Councillors in confusion

THERE has been confusion among councillors about an amendment of the budget at the council meeting on February 7.

The cause of confusion is detailed and, at this stage, academic.

Suffice to say that, despite mischief-making assertions to the contrary, the intention among all 58 members was to provide the best affordable support to parents and schools.

The administration had decided last December that anything above the statutory minimum of transport to the nearest school could no longer be afforded and that the present level of funding (above the minimum) would end in September 2014.

Our budget forecasts have improved since December and we were therefore happy to use some of those savings to provide a one-off fund to help parents with transport costs for an additional year between September this year and September 2015.

That was what the amendment was intended to do.

In fact the amendment would have provided schools with greater flexibility since they could have decided how to use the fund.

Some members misunderstood the amendment to mean that the present arrangement would continue to September 2015.

The difference between that misinterpretation and the amendment would have been negligible as far as parents were concerned.

Recognising the confusion and in the spirit of the intentions of all councillors, I invited group leaders of It’s our County and Independents to meet and discuss with me a resolution.

We agreed that the best way forward would be to delay the decision to withdraw funding above the minimum until September 2015 since this is what some members thought to be the decision anyway.

No doubt there will be accusations of a U-turn from the uninformed and mischief-makers.

Nothing could be further from the facts.

All groups wanted to help if it were possible.

The only difference was in how to help.

The leaders of IOC, Independents and I have accepted collective responsibility for any confusion caused.

What matters is that we have been able to provide support for an additional year.

One feature of these events leaves me confused.

If any members thought they were voting for an amendment which they wanted, then why did they vote against a budget which contained it?

The Conservatives were the only group that voted unanimously in favour of continued support for parents.

TONY JOHNSON Leader Herefordshire Council

Don’t opt for incinerator

THE members of Herefordshire Council met on February 7 to decide on the budget. Part of this was to agree to help fund the £162 million needed for the planned incinerator with £40 million to come from the pockets of Herefordshire taxpayers.

£162 million was a figure estimated a number of years ago.

Costs don’t come down and it is concerning what this figure may have risen to.

The project has been led from its inception by the waste company.

Mercia Waste Management engaged Fichtner the company to run the procurement process, did the site search and have been undertaking the commercial and legal assessment of the bids to build.

They now need the finance for this ill-considered scheme but could still choose to build an alternative method of waste treatment at half the cost.

Each Conservative member voted for this when it was clear to me that facts have not been fully presented to them.

This was a named vote so people of Herefordshire will know the names of those who so blindly followed this whole scheme.

It was evident on that day that most councillors from the opposition parties had made the effort to research and listen and make themselves aware.

This burning issue is a waste of resources and finances and a huge threat to our environment.

E M JONES Old Worcester Road Waresley Kidderminster

Tourism threatened

I HAVE lived in Kington for 32 years and have grave concerns regarding the proposed chicken farm to be built at Penrhos, Kington.

Herefordshire planning committee states that “The aims of the planning committee are to help protect the amenity and environment of Herefordshire.”

Hereford Unitary Development plan (and Lyonshall parish council) states that poultry units should be sited at least 400 metres from non agricultural dwellings or buildings (i.e. residential properties).

The above aims do not appear to have been adhered to as the four closest dwellings to the proposed site are considerably less than 400 metres away.

Indeed, the closest dwelling is only 239 metres from the proposed site.

It seems that the farmer involved, together with Lyonshall parish council and Hereford planning department, have completely disregarded these guidelines.

Lyonshall is already over populated with chicken houses and it would seem that Lyonshall farmers, not content with polluting the atmosphere of Lyonshall, are intent on extending pollution towards Kington.

Kington is a developing tourist town, still retaining most of the charm of a country market town.

If this proposal goes ahead I believe it would be damaging to the fledgling food and walkers’ festivals.

I agree with Mark Balcombe, Readers’ Times, February 13 – “Do you really think they have time to care about inhabitants here?”

The increasing truck movements will damage the country roads which are not equipped to withstand the 44-tonne HGVs that will be servicing this proposed chicken farm.

The A44 from Lyonshall to Kington already has potholes that were only patched after last winter which can only be made worse by this increase in traffic.

It has been requested that this planning application go before committee – but this has been refused.

However, I do not believe that one person should be responsible for making a decision of this magnitude with its far-reaching visual and noise pollution – not to mention the smell – together with possible pollution via run-off from the proposed site finding its way down into the River Arrow.

MRS JM SRODZINSKI Kington

A monstrous carbuncle

THE once historic city of Hereford is about to be destroyed again; not by the Cromwellians, not by fire or flood but by the incivility of ugliness and human discomfort.

Many have been wary of the effects of the new shopping development on the old city but have been prepared to live in hope.

That was until the number of closed shops in High Town reached its present level and when we saw high above the former market roundabout the disproportionate monstrosity which is under construction.

Not only have our trees gone which might have redeemed the inner approach to our city, but a huge, blank brick wall has arisen in the name of Debenhams.

We have at an important focal entrance to our once scenic city “a monstrous carbuncle”, resembling a factory of boring commodities with a roof which is pure Longbridge.

There is no attempt to vary the bricks, to use different colours and designs, nor to put in shapely windows with sills.

It is just a huge, blank and ugly, boring backdrop for those banners which will inevitably follow: ‘Opening soon’, ‘Sale now on’ and in five years, ‘Closing down sale’. (Have they not researched the history of department stores in Hereford?) Beside it, what is believed to be the cinema, is no better.

Remember the elaborate façades of the old Odeons, Gaumonts and Regals?

Why not a modern version, if they, or we, still matter?

An even greater issue is: will there be public toilets in this new complex? If so, then that gives the lie to the council’s argument about money or vandalism.

If not, then we increase the incivility by causing an even greater zone of physical embarrassment upon older citizens, not to mention our all-important tourists who now, it seems, have to join us as we go all the way to Marks and Spencer (thank you for your courtesy), hold ourselves in up the escalator, and rush through the ladies lingerie.

Come to think of it, I just passed another empty shop in High Town.

Why not a new ‘super-loo’ with payment and perhaps an attendant like you find in more civilised European cities where tourists go and come from.

REV SIMON McGURK Belmont Abbey

Let train take the strain

WITH the imminent opening of the Old Market Development coupled with the ongoing traffic issues along Belmont Road isn’t it about time that Hereford Council thought outside the box.

Since the Beeching cuts during the 60s and 70s many rural railway stations have been revitalised with minimal investment providing positive benefits for numerous rural communities.

Has the council ever considered the possibility of reinstating the railway platform at the Tram Inn on the Hereford to Abergavenny line.

With the addition of park and ride facilities surely this would have a positive effect on both the weekly commuter traffic and the weekend shopping run?

I wondered what local opinion would be on the subject.

LYNDON BARTON Farringdon Avenue Belmont Hereford

A hole lot of trouble

CONGRATULATIONS Herefordshire Council you’ve now managed to antagonise some visitors from Hampshire to our county with your lack of maintenance of our roads.

You still haven’t got the message have you?

Why did you ignore us when we asked you to repair the nasty hole adjacent to the Neville Arms on the B4347 in Abbeydore back in November when it was dry?

You could have done a good job then, but no.

We then get a group of 22 young people come to stay at Abbey Dore Court for an extended weekend and one of them severely damages her car in that hole which was over four inches deep – fact.

Do you think they will come back to our county and spend their money again or not?

Incidentally that repair if you can call it that, has stuck it for about five days and it’s just about out.

What’s our county’s insurance premium going to be next time or are you going to look to us for it?

It looks as if your partnership with Balfour Beaty is going to be just as disastrous as it was with Jarvis and Amey.

MIKE GARDINER South View Abbeydore

Are we on road to ruin?

I REFER to Jackie Gwilliam’s letter, Readers’ Times, January 23, on the condition of our highways and agree with all she says.

When highway maintenance was in house we were complimented by tourists on the condition of our roads.

County councillors were not paid but made sure problems were addressed and work was done to a budget.

We know bad weather causes problems but we had bad weather years ago; had less equipment to deal with it but we coped because we undertook maintenance of surfaces, drainage etc.

In its wisdom Herefordshire Council privatised the work to Jarvis; Amey and now Balfour Beaty and conditions have progressively deteriorated.

It seems to me that if politicians and councillors haven’t the brains to understand that lack of maintenance means poor standards, misery for everyone, greater expense to remedy damage later and can do nothing about it they are surplus to requirements and should resign.

How about instead of spending £70m on a fast railway for our small island the government should allocate the money towards restoring the infrastructure of our country as a whole and thereby provide employment.

Perhaps our MPs would like to comment

JOHN MIDDLE Retired civil engineer Ewyas Harold

In football we trust

WE know that not a lot of happy news is coming from Hereford United lately, but I recently attended a meeting of the Supporters’ Trust where we were given a presentation by Jamie Edwards of Hereford United in the Community Trust.

I don’t think most people would be remotely aware of all the ways that the Community Trust is helping so many people in the county. From the age of four up to the club development side, it is helping hundreds of children every week to have the opportunity to play football. Some of HUFC’s renowned youth team came all the way up through the trust’s levels.

But the Community Trust is not just about football for youth. It provides footballing activities for those with disabilities, and is in the process of developing a program of ‘walking football’ for the elderly and sufferers of Alzheimers, in the hope that football-related activities may evoke some cherished memories of the past.

From organising visits of HUFC players to hospitals to developing paralympians, the Community Trust is benefiting the wider community in so many ways.

It shows that HUFC is more than just one team playing on Saturday afternoon, but also an important factor in our community on many levels.

I would urge everyone, football fan or not, to find some way to get behind Hereford United: attend matches, buy shares, join the Supporters’ Trust or donate to the Community Trust, whose needs are many.

TIM BROWN Moorfield Street Hereford

Memories revived

I HAVE just watched the DVD of Looking Back at Hereford. Very interesting.

As a Herefordian I do so hope more DVDs of Hereford will be made. Pity it did not show more of the canals.

I am in my 80s, so remember well what a lovely town Hereford was.

My family had a gents’ hairdressers in High Street.

I have lots of great memories of the family businesses Pritchard’s, Greenlands, Ellis, Griffiths, Jennings, AG Evans.

So much to be proud of in those days.

ELAIN WHITE Woodfield Gardens Belmont

For details of our Looking Back at Hereford DVD offer, see page 37.