On Friday, 13th November a petition with over 10,000 signatures was handed to the Chairman of Hereford Council by Cllr Mark Hubbard, Chair of the “It’s Our City”, on the steps of Shire Hall in front BBC TV cameras.
The petition read as follows:
We call on Herefordshire Council to suspend the current proposals for retail development on the cattle market and the related link road.
We believe that whatever the original merits of such proposals, the economic crisis has fundamentally altered what is possible and what is desirable.
We call on the Council to urgently examine regeneration measures that will enhance the historic core of the city; support and enhance existing businesses; promote urgently needed, affordable and sustainable housing; improve public transport and the public realm; provide new and imaginative civic amenities; and encourage new leisure facilities, particularly for younger citizens.
Supporting Mark Hubbard outside Shire Hall was a large group of independent traders from the city centre. They had closed their doors and come to Shire Hall to show their support for the campaign to stop the establishment of a major retail development on what is now the cattle market.
Their fear is that this development will have a devastating effect on their businesses.
At the council meeting that followed the presentation of the petition, councillors committed Hereford to building a link road from Edgar Street to Commercial Road where it meets Aylestone Hill. Councillor Blackshaw said: “We are currently anticipating that 18 businesses will have to relocate as a result of the link road proposals”.
More welcome was the councillors’ decision to adopt a flood alleviation scheme,which will make possible a major new housing development. Councillor Wilcox said “The Yazor Brook Flood Alleviation scheme affords flood relief for 115 commercial and residential properties. This is estimated to save £2.76 million in costs associated with flooding”
Regarding the prospective retail development on the cattle market, Cllr Woodward asked the Leader of the Council: “In light of the fact that the Chief Executive of the ESG admitted in a public meeting at the Courtyard on 19 October that the consultation by the ESG was flawed, can we now expect the development to be stopped so that proper consultation can take place?” Cllr Phillips replied: “No. The development will proceed, however there remains an ongoing commitment to consultation on the ESG Project. Nothing is yet set in stone and we will ensure full consultation in the future development of the City”.
Nothing set in stone, we take it, with the exception of the relief road and flood alleviation which are now fixed.
Your wrecking Herefords future hope you can live with yourself this campaign is all about you stopping competition with your business most of you there were for the cameras.
its more like destroy Hereford stop the esg
its been to long in the planning