Hereford's £90m retail development backed by cabinet

9:18am Tuesday 17th April 2012 in Hereford City

HEREFORDSHIRE Council’s cabinet has cleared the way for Hereford’s £90 million retail development despite the 11th hour doubts of a scrutiny committee over the scheme’s impact on the existing city centre.

Cabinet’s backing leaves opposition to the scheme with nowhere left to go other than a costly court challenge.

Members met yesterday afternoon to sign off the variations to the deal revealed by the Hereford Times a fortnight ago.

The council’s overview and scrutiny committee met last Friday to make a series of recommendations related to the variations and doubts about the deal’s impact on Hereford city centre.

The recommendations had little impact on the outcome of the meeting.

From cabinet the deal now seems likely to go to a single senior council officer for a final sign off.

There will be no opportunity for any one-off full council debate and vote on the variations.

Speaking after the meeting council leader councillor John Jarvis said the decision sent Hereford into a “historic time” that future generations would benefit from.

“It’s something I am particularly proud to have been part of,” he said.

Hoardings are now going up around the old cattle market site and developer Stanhope says “everything remains on track” to sign the remaining tenant pre-lets and funding papers within the next few weeks so demolition can start soon.

Comments(10)

M M says...
9:46am Tue 17 Apr 12

The beginning of the end for the High Town/High Street Stores I am afraid.
I hope I am proved wrong!

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Herefordian07 says...
11:49am Tue 17 Apr 12

I am so plased that councillor Jarvis is pleased with his efforts, the cattle market hoardings make it look like a world war two concentration camp, well done old boy! We shall do our best to escape from the mess the cabinet has made for future generations to come, I can see the tumble weed blowing through High Town now passing the empty shops!

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William Rudd says...
2:10pm Tue 17 Apr 12

How narrow minded are some of you who think Hfd City centre will become a ghost town.Pathetic really.
I for one and the near 3,000 unemployed in the County cannot wait for this development to start.

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Lukio says...
3:26pm Tue 17 Apr 12

@ William Rudd - you're a Tory councillor aren't you?!

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mr.dig says...
8:42pm Tue 17 Apr 12

i agree with m.m and hr07...john's apocryphal comment "its something i am" ...etc,will come back to haunt him, when it fails. high town will be a ghost town and we will all lose. mind you,he will be retired .

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M M says...
8:52pm Tue 17 Apr 12

William:- Maybe the 3,000 made redundant in the city centre will find employment at the new development, after all they are experienced!

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Lukio says...
9:23pm Tue 17 Apr 12

Mr Rudd has been quite vocal on this site in his support for the ESG area which is totally his opinion and must be respected. I fear however that he is missing the point and has been caught up in the spin this council is giving off about ESG. There will not be 3000 jobs. With the variations agreed recently Stanhope have no obligation to finish the development quickly. We're unlikely to even get this multi-screen cinema which seems to be the be all and end all of the arguments. Anyway, why would Stanhope put their efforts into building a cinema which gives a low profit return compared to the retail units (which only 7 have been pre-let)? I can't see how 7 units will provide 3000 jobs especially when we offset that against the jobs lost in High Town when the retailers relocate to ESG (remember the council wouldn't let Next move from Maylord Orchard to the new units on Holmer Road because it was taking it away from town - double standards or what?!). This is fast turning into a vanity project and Cllr. Jarvis' comments above further cement that. At a time of austerity, when other towns such as Burnley and Lancaster are shelving similar plans to Hereford, our council is ploughing on regardless with its £90m plans. On top of this the Mary Portas report advises against out of town developments - existing High Street areas are what should be developed especially with the predicted massive decline of High Street retailers by 2017. This council is not listening and not concerned about what it is doing to the future of this town. Yes, we need something but ESG is not the way forward.

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talulu says...
3:57am Thu 19 Apr 12

I have no probs with the old cattle market being re developed. Hightown can be revamped into something else, like a huge ice rink in winter and market stands in Summer. Something anyway. The old cattle market could keep in trend withthe old auctioning days; i dunno, something like signs and deco depicting bulls and auction hammers.... Bit of imagination and sentiment could improve Hereford.

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Ebak44 says...
11:22am Sat 21 Apr 12

Here in Tunbridge Wells Kent, (I've just returned from a short holiday in Herefordshire) local councillors did a secret deal with developers - even formed a working partnership, the details of which remain secret, and their plan was to tear down the Grade II listed Town Hall to replace it with .............shops! We kicked the scheme and the leader of the council into touch. This ex leader even told me at a meeting that it's Grade II status was no guarantee of protection - "if the social and economic case could be made" - so that's more shopping then.
Interesting that the letters page of the HT is littered with letters about the arrogance, indifference and spendthrift ways of the local elected reps. Same here in TW; same everywhere? Why do we put up with it?

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Ebak44 says...
11:23am Sat 21 Apr 12

Here in Tunbridge Wells Kent, (I've just returned from a short holiday in Herefordshire) local councillors did a secret deal with developers - even formed a working partnership, the details of which remain secret, and their plan was to tear down the Grade II listed Town Hall to replace it with .............shops! We kicked the scheme and the leader of the council into touch. This ex leader even told me at a meeting that its Grade II status was no guarantee of protection - "if the social and economic case could be made" - so that's more shopping then.
Interesting that the letters page of the HT is littered with letters about the arrogance, indifference and spendthrift ways of the local elected reps. Same here in TW; same everywhere? Why do we put up with it?

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