Herefordshire Council buys Rockfield site

11:53am Thursday 2nd August 2012 in Local News

Herefordshire Council and Rockfield DIY Limited have confirmed that the local authority has acquired the Rockfield retail site.

The site in Station Approach, Hereford is required to allow the building of a new link road between Edgar Street and Commercial Road for which planning permission was granted in 2010.

The road is part of the wider regeneration plan for the city and is intended to remove traffic from the existing inner ring road and allow access to 800 new homes.

The agreement follows lengthy negotiations over several years.

Faced with the prospect of a Compulsory Purchase Order, a negotiated settlement has been reached with Rockfield, owned by the Wolverson family.

Leon Wolverson, managing director of Rockfield, said: “It is with great sadness that after lengthy negotiations we have been unable to find a suitable relocation site in the city and therefore we will not be relocating the business.

“Priority will now be given to consultation with staff, but the store as part of the terms agreed with the council will continue to trade for the immediate future.”

Councillor Graham Powell, the council’s cabinet member for highways, said: “This is a significant step in the regeneration of Hereford City centre.

“This acquisition plays a key role in improving transport in Hereford and in taking traffic away from the city centre.”

 

Comments(27)

Hilary Jones says...
12:56pm Thu 2 Aug 12

Surely the council could have found Rockfield a suitable site? It's one of my favourite stores - it's usually got stuff the sameoldsameold names haven't. This is disgraceful.

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vicone says...
2:46pm Thu 2 Aug 12

Have to agree with Hilary, I would bet if they were "Big chain Diy" and not a small family owned business they'd have been found alternative premises-seems to me there are a lot of empty units that the council could have negotitated over - just a thought but it would have be nice to have a Diy south of the river !

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RogerLFC says...
3:01pm Thu 2 Aug 12

The junction into this new inner relief road is going to be interesting. Hope they don't hire the same people to design it who did the Asda roundabout ...

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andy128 says...
4:28pm Thu 2 Aug 12

have to agree with vicone.A diy south of the river would be great.having to pop the other side of the river for a bag of screws or bigger is a pain.Terrible shame we are loosing a "small" diy outlet, what if B and Q were in this position, bet they would survive.

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mr.dig says...
10:19pm Thu 2 Aug 12

this is a shame as others have commented.
i have no connection whatever with rockfield, i went there as i always got very good service . big business rules ok then.....shall have to move to abergavenney!!!

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allhandstothedeck says...
10:26pm Thu 2 Aug 12

Can we please have a DIY store south of the river, Rockfield would be very welcome over here, a small family DIY store not the usual 'couldn't give a dam about the staff and shoppers' type of store

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Rawman says...
12:01am Fri 3 Aug 12

Pity a great local independent innovative retail outlet the envy of many a larger organisation, the type of which are so better equipped to take on the prevaricating council we have. Lasted so long because they knew their markets local needs, forward thinking and the last of the few local success stories this city could boast. Snookered by a procrastinated Ill advised city venture. But never mind well soon have a city we can be proud of just like any other. Thank goodness for Ledbury Leominster Ross and bromyard

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oldergit says...
10:15am Fri 3 Aug 12

Typical council procrastination. Wait years to make a decision then make the wrong one. An alternative site should have been offered.Rockfield was a great store with a good selection of items at competitive prices. Another retailer in Hereford bites the dust in favour of the big players e.g; Waitrose. I dread to think what the Council Tax will be next year.

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Interested Onlooker says...
11:42am Fri 3 Aug 12

So we lose a popular locally-owned independent retailer in favour of a development filled with national chains whose profits go straight out of Herefordshire to shareholders elsewhere.

How, Herefordshire Council is that of any benefit whatsoever to the local economy?

The mind boggles. It really does.

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William Rudd says...
1:30pm Fri 3 Aug 12

From what i heard they were offered quite a few other sites to relocate to but decided not to.

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grandstand12 says...
3:25pm Fri 3 Aug 12

Surely after 'several years of negotiation'
they could have found a site in Hereford suitable for relocation? Sounds like the owners have decide to take the money and run!

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LJ3211 says...
6:51pm Fri 3 Aug 12

Disgusting that they cant find them a site!! Im sure council could and should try harder,they putting people out of work and believe me it isnt easy to find new job.

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littlewhitebull says...
7:41pm Fri 3 Aug 12

Sadly, this is another nail in the coffin of local businesses. The council does not seem to care about the devastating effect this will have on local people who will lose their jobs.
It is alleged that sites offered to relocate Rockfield were not only totally unsuitable, but even outside the city. So it would be interesting to know which sites were offered and whether the sum offered under the Compulsory Purchase Order was fair.
The council and its partners seem more concerned with their pet projects rather than serving the people they represent.
I believe there is a lot more of this story to be told. Hopefully, the Hereford Times will probe deeply to obtain the full truth.

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ad47uk says...
8:02pm Fri 3 Aug 12

so much for a waste of time council wanting to support local companies. a disgrace they really are. what is the point of this road anyway as Hereford will still come to a standstill.

I can understand why young people are leaving this city, what is the point in staying if a city that is dying..

If the council thinks that a few shops, cinema and some chain restaurants in the so called Edgar street grid is going to save Hereford then they live in a fantasy world. hope they don't come for my vote the next time, because they won't get it.

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Herefordian says...
8:45pm Fri 3 Aug 12

No disrespect to the owners, but I guess this was a nice pension which they have worked hard for but does anyone realise this is the second payout they have had. If anyone remembers they moved from Rockfield Road to the old Mann Eggerton garage site, and with the new road to the station and for Safeways now Morrisons a new building for Rockfieled DIY was built. Conpensation? So they get a double whammy. All about being in the right place at the right time

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William Rudd says...
12:38am Sat 4 Aug 12

So ad47uk you must have better ideas so lets hear them.
I'd also go and look at all the plans for the ESG,what is being put there and why the link road is vital to the plans.

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steveinleo says...
9:46am Sat 4 Aug 12

Rockfield has been my first stop for DIY products and still will be even with a B & Q in Leominster. It is an aladdins cave of every bit of DIY hardware you need and cheaper than the conglomerate's.
Hereford council need to wake up! and find Rockfield a location as it is a keystone in Hereford's economy.

Wether it is north or south of the river I would certainly still drive 15 miles to buy my DIY products there.

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swampy says...
10:40pm Sat 4 Aug 12

Disgusting, a local store forced to close by Hereford Council again, money spent in these shops stays local, unlike the major corporations where the money goes straight out of the County. People loosing their jobs all to fund a road that Hereford can't afford, this council is already up to its neck in debt, and yet they keep ploughing on with these pathetic ideas and the whole heart of the city is being destroyed in the process. Shame on you Herefordshire Council.

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Herefordian says...
10:42am Sun 5 Aug 12

Just had a thought.......how are they going to put the road through with the Sorting Office flatly opposing it going through their property?

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William Rudd says...
11:20am Sun 5 Aug 12

The road takes about half their parking area

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Lukio says...
6:24pm Sun 5 Aug 12

It's not been a good few weeks for local businesses what with the Racecourse and now Rockfield. The Council and Stanhope will plough on with ESG regardless of public opinion and whether it's ultimately detrimental to the future of this city. It's a shame they were not able to relocate as most other businesses affected by ESG (General Dogsbody, John Wood Tyres etc.) have managed to do so but I expect and hope that the Council supported them as much as possible when attempting to find an alternative location.

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TwoWheelsGood says...
11:33am Mon 6 Aug 12

Deplorable move by the Council. Presumably they'll build a fence around it and let it stand empty for years. Then they'll sell it for a fraction of what they paid for it to someone who'll resell it a week later for 4 times the amount. That’s how this Council works isn't it?

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phxweb says...
12:52pm Mon 6 Aug 12

There are plenty of empty units in Hereford. Any viable business would be able to find / build a unit if they really wanted to.

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ad47uk says...
11:02pm Mon 6 Aug 12

@William Rudd, we don't need the Edgar Street grid, no point in it if shops are closing in the town centre. People are not going to come to Hereford just for a a few more shops. Places like Cardiff will still be miles better and they have a better bus service.

What Hereford need is smaller local shops not large chain stores. To be honest I am getting to the stage where I don't care what happens to this city now and I was born and bred here, 47 years. I seen a lot of changes and very little of it been good. Between the Tories and the Lib Dems they have mucked this city up good and proper.

the only people that going to be left here are OAPs because all the younger people have seen sense and gone else where.

Admit it, Hereford is dead,

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Lukio says...
7:43am Tue 7 Aug 12

Tend to agree with ad47uk...regardless of what ESG turns out to be we'll never compete with the likes of Birmingham, Cardiff or Bristol. Regeneration of the existing High Street is what should have been done as set out in the Portas Report which states that out-of-town shopping centres are not the way forward and that development of existing shopping areas is needed. However, Herefordshire Council plough on regardless. And those caught up in their spin swallow it all up and think that another supermarket, fast food joints and a multi-screen cinema will be the saviour of this city. They totally close their ears when you mention the detrimental effect this will have on High Town especially now with restrictions being lifted on existing retailers being able to move to ESG. And people bang on here about the jobs it'll create - they don't seem to take into account the jobs that'll be lost in town. Rockfield are the first victims, who is next?

I'm sure that William Rudd (who seems to be ESG/Hereford Council's number one fan) will jump vehemently to their defence in his usual aggressive and bullish manner and refuse to see anyone else's point of view or concerns.

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ArmadilloSackRace says...
12:07pm Wed 8 Aug 12

I'm amused by the outrage directed at the council because of this.

It seems very likely to me that the owners have decided that this is the excuse they needed to lay off all their staff and shut the business down, whilst making a tidy sum in return. There's certainly not much sign of them putting up a fight or doing anything to find better premises themselves. From what I can gather there were a few sites offered to them but they weren't interested.

It's a massive shame that they'll be closing but it doesn't warrant the anger that people commenting on here have shown.

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Lukio says...
1:48pm Wed 8 Aug 12

@ArmadilloSackRace - Although I'm generally against what's happened I'm sure the Council probably supported Rockfield in finding a new site and ultimately it was up to them to agree a new site but they didn't.

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