Why Alan says 'No' to 1200 new 'homes' at Three Elms, Hereford

  I have just submitted the following Planning Objection re Planning Application to build at Three Elms (P162920) to https://www.herefordshire.gov.uk/xfp/form/285?id=P162920/F&linkid=162920

The prospective car-dependency impact of this development would worsen Herefordshire Council's prospects for carbon neutrality by 2030, and in day time this is currently a great area for walking in in daytime that I frequently encounter in walking from Belmont to Grandstand Road Co-op, Bobblestock.

    The prospective car-dependency impact of this development would worsen Herefordshire Council's prospects for carbon neutrality by 2030, and in day time this is currently a great area for walking in in that I frequently encounter in walking from Belmont to Grandstand Road Co-op, Bobblestock. This currently allows pedestrians ability to use road as an extension of pavement for 'social distancing', but burgeoning car-dependency in that area would worsen realities for existing locals.

    Further, the inclusion of a community centre in the revised proposals are devoid of viability. Lockdown realities restrict accesss to community centres, and worsen residents' experience of being 'caged in' in living spaces that have got progressively smaller over the past century as developers and planners operate on the basis that THEY THEMSELVES will never have to live in the spaces that they design.

    Overcrowding only increases their profits and social inequalities, their aloofness. Lockdown has led at least one community centre to file for bankruptcy due to lost booking revenues, as I wrote recently in Hereford Times published letter, citing Kingsgate Community Association, London NW6.

    Developers' detachment from local realities also reflects on the poor targeting of the site in terms of hydro-geology. So I urge the planning regulators to say a resounding NO to the developers' proposals for what could not really be called 'homes'. As land owners, perhaps the Church Commissioners concerned are more like the money lenders Christ threw out of the temple than they are followers of His doctrines?

Alan Wheatley

Further reading available at

https://www.herefordtimes.com/news/18733495.three-elms-housing-plans-bypass-land-re-submitted/

https://static1.squarespace.com/static/59845d3dd482e94a17e70995/t/5f9079dd6215202dbb278335/1603303909152/Objection+to+development+plans+for+the+Three+Elms+site+21102020.pdf

http://www.herefordtimes.com/news/18733495.three-elms-housing-plans-bypass-land-re-submitted/

 

Herefordshire City of Sanctuary and asylum seeker and refugee prospects elsewhere

Herefordshire City of Sanctuary home page

Hereford is Herefordshire's City of Sanctuary. The Herefordshire City of Sanctuary home page says:

We are creating a culture of welcome and belonging in Hereford

What do we do?

We run a weekly Drop-In on Friday Mornings between 10-12 a.m. at the Friends Meeting house, King street, Hereford for such things as help with English, local information, and craft activities.

Some volunteers are matched with refugees who have asked for specific help.

Not every place in Europe is truly welcoming of asylum seekers and refugees though, as a new film '21 Miles' illustrates. More at Camden New Journal website.

Dan Carrier of Camden New Journal reviews the fact-based film '21 Miles'

Disability issues in GE2019

There is a hustings organised by Hereford Mencap in Hereford today.

Today! 3 December 4.30-6 at Life & Soul Kitchen, Unit 1, Three Elms Trading Estate, Hereford, HR4 9PU. Organised by Mencap.

Mencap is a charity addressing learning disability and learning difficulty issues. Suggested reading:

1. The Green Party 'Easy Read' manifesto was released at the same time as the 'mainstream' manifesto. It can be obtained via https://www.greenparty.org.uk/assets/files/Elections/EasyRead%20Manifesto%202019.pdf
2. Access to Citizens Income/Unconditional Basic Income has long been Green Party policy and is immensely different from terms and conditions of claiming Universal Credit. Universal Credit terms and conditions are made especially worse for adults with learning difficulties who cannot use computers, because Universal Credit is 'digital by default', as instanced at https://www.katebelgrave.com/2014/09/learning-and-literacy-difficulties-no-computer-but-do-your-jobsearch-online-yourself-thanks/ and https://www.katebelgrave.com/2017/10/learningliteracy-difficulties-and-cant-use-the-online-universal-credit-erm-find-a-friend-to-help-says-dwp-so-much-for-support-this-is-dire/
3. In 2004 while volunteering in teaching [other] adults with learning difficulties very basic computing skills, I was commended for “endless patience with slower learners.” Yet there was no paid future in that for me, as Learning & Skills Council prioritsed  NVQ Levels 2 and 3 — with no extra investment overall — so as to implement the London 2012 Olympics agenda. I, and the trainees I supported, and their Guardian/Channel4 Teacher of the Year Award Winning paid teacher, were let down yet again! (“Learning & Skills Council [existed] to help make England better skilled and more competitive,” according to their website.)
4. In 2013, Prof. Peter Beresford wrote "Why welfare literacy is vital: lack of knowledge about state support services is putting the system at risk." That message is more important today, especially as Brexit would make our welfare state more vulnerable to outside interference. https://www.theguardian.com/social-care-network/2013/jan/30/welfare-literacy-state-support

Green Party Basic Income would make life easier for adults with learning difficulties especially,
than Universal Credit.
More at https://www.greenparty.org.uk/assets/files/Elections/EasyRead%20Manifesto%202019.pdf

Accessible Housing

Wednesday 11 December, 7.30-9.30pm at Left Bank Hereford. Not an official hustings but a chance to discuss 'what should the council's core strategy say about housing?'. In association with the Herefordshire Centre for Community-led Housing.

Housing is an important issue in relation to disability. See, for example, https://www.disabilitynewsservice.com/?s=housing

Hereford Amnesty International presents poetry reading for human rights, Weds 20 Nov 2019 above De Koffie Pot

TALKS, DISCUSSIONS AND FILMS CALENDAR

Every Wednesday, 7.30pm - 9.30pm, The Left Bank Village, Bridge Street, Hereford, HR4 9DG

TONIGHT!! WEDNESDAY 20TH NOVEMBER - HUMAN RIGHTS POETRY EVENING

A night of poetry readings and discussion about the power of words in the struggle for human justice and liberty. Amnesty International was founded because one man believed the pen is mightier than the sword in the struggle for human rights. We'll consider if this is still true today. Will include original poems read by the authors as well as recited works by Rohingya refugees, Emmanuel Jar - former child war soldier rap artist, Maya Angelou and recorded music from Billy Bragg in the interval. Organised by Hereford Amnesty.

WEDNESDAY 27TH NOVEMBER – THE GENERAL ELECTION: CANDIDATES DEBATE

Join us for a General Election Hustings in The Left Bank, where the four candidates, the incumbent Jesse Norman (Conservatives), Diana Toynbee for the Green Party, Anna Coda for the Labour Party and Lucy Hurds for the Liberal Democrats will take part in a chaired debate. Doors open 7pm. Hustings starts 8pm. Please book your free tickets at www.herefordleftbank.com and submit one question per guest to info@herefordleftbank.com
 

WEDNESDAY 4TH DECEMBER – THE GENERAL ELECTION: A BLIND TASTING OF MANIFESTOS

Many people's attitudes to policies depend on which party is proposing them. But what if we don't know which party is behind a proposal? That's like tasting a wine blind, not knowing from which vineyard it comes, judging it on its merits. Come along and exercise your taste-buds. Organised by Perry Walker, Talk Shop.
 

WEDNESDAY 11TH DECEMBER  - THE CORE STRATEGY FOR HOUSING

"We are what we build" A chance to explore housing issues in Herefordshire in anticipation of the Core Strategy review.  Two guest speakers from Herefordshire Council will report on the work they have been doing on self-build and addressing homelessness.  Please come and bring your thoughts and suggestions for input. The evening has been organised by Nancy Winfield from the Herefordshire Centre for Community Led Housing.
 

WEDNESDAY 18TH DECEMBER – BIG GREEN FESTIVE DRINKS

Everyone is invited to this end of year celebration in the Charles Bar at the top of The Left Bank. Let's cheers to a greener and more sustainable 2020! Complimentary mulled wine and mince pies and lots of merry-making!
 

WEDNESDAY 25TH DECEMEBER – CHRISTMAS BREAK
WEDNESDAY 1ST JANUARY – NEW YEAR’S BREAK

WEDNEDAY 8TH JANUARY – THE HEREFORD BY-PASS 

Perry Walker (Talk Shop) has been interviewing people with different views on the Hereford By-Pass project. This session will feedback from these interviews, review the main attitudes he found, and explore whether and where common ground can be found between them.
 

WEDNESDAY 15TH JANUARY – FILM NIGHT

We will be showing ‘Happy as Lazarro’ (2018 Italian) continuing our monthly pattern of showing films from around the world in our Speakeasy Bar.
Lazzaro, a good-hearted young peasant, and Tancredi, a young nobleman cursed by his imagination, form a life-altering bond when Tancredi asks Lazzaro to help him orchestrate his own kidnapping.
Reviewed by The Guardian here
 

WEDNESDAY 22ND JANUARY – SHOWING OF ‘TREES ARE THE KEY’

'TREES ARE THE KEY' is an inspirational 40-minute documentary narrated by Kate Winslet. It was made in conjunction with The Word Forest Organisation, a Dorset charity that plants trees, builds classrooms and facilitates education in rural Kenya; it also shines a spotlight on the women’s empowerment group, Mothers of the Forest. It tells the story of why we need to plant more trees in the tropics and why we need to support the people who are taking care of the forests. This film showing has been organised by Herefordshire Green Party.
 

WEDNESDAY 29th JANUARY – WHAT HAVE HUMANS EVER DONE FOR THE PLANET?

A short look at what humans are doing to the planet and some controversial things we can do to solve the planet’s problems. A presentation will be given by Valerie Fitch, followed by Q&A and interesting discussion chaired by Perry Walker. Valerie will be defending her own controversial ideas and we hope there will be further panel members who will have their own take on the subject. Further details to follow.

WEDNESDAY 19TH FEBRUARY – GLOBAL SOLUTIONS TO GLOBAL PROBLEMS

A round-table discussion about the role of civil society in globalisation and how we define these terms. We will discuss multilateralism, cosmopolitanism and with the United Nations 75th Anniversary in 2020 in mind we will discuss possible reforms of the intergovernmental organisation. How are rules of law upheld? How do we create change in the face of challenges? We will discuss possible solutions with key themes being unity, justice and equity. Discussion led and chaired by Rob Thistleton.
 

WEDNESDAY 18TH MARCH - 99%: HOW CREATING ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY FOR MILLENNIALS WILL HELP SAVE THE ENVIRONMENT

Mark E Thomas, author of the book 99%: Mass Impoverishment and How We Can End It, will talk about why we are now looking at the first generation in living memory that can expect to be poorer than their parents. This is mass impoverishment in action and the result of political choices rather than cast-iron laws of economics. He will show how we got into this mess, and how we can get out and he will show that the five key actions that we need to end mass impoverishment are precisely those we need to tackle climate change. After the presentation, there will be a discussion and a workshop for participants. The evening will conclude with an opportunity for book signing at 9:30 pm.
 

Hope you can make it and keep in touch with us with any ideas for future evenings!

Best wishes,
Nat Waring and Alan Adams
Coordinators of the Talks, Discussions and Films Calendar
01432 357753

Burst water main affecting supplies of water in areas of Hereford — what to do if and when it happens to you

Logging on to the Welsh Water/Dwr Cymru website home page immediately presented me with confirmation that my lack of cold water was not just my individual problem and I did not need tocontact my landlord or a plumber to fix it, while I am a poor customer who could ill afford such an expense

After not getting any cold water out of my tap this morning, and worse still, not having toilet flush, I sought a neighbour to check whether they might be having the same problem. And yes, they said that there had been a major leak affecting our whole area and the supply should, hopefully, be back to normal by 9am. That conversation was just after 7am, and I still have no cold running water.

Thinking, "Where can I get an update on this matter?" the answer came to me: "A: Of course! Via the websit of Welsh Water aka Dwr Cymru, the company to whom I pay my water bills!"

So I got onto their website
https://www.dwrcymru.com/
via a Google search for "Welsh Water"
https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-d&q=%22welsh+water%22

And, sure enough, there is the message at the home page shown above, saying,

We are dealing with a burst water main in areas of Hereford, which means that customers in South Hereford may currently be experiencing discoloured water, or have no water supply.

For more information and updates, please click here.

We apologise for the inconvenience caused.

 Clicking on the click here link eventually provided me the following info:

Burst water main affecting HR2 area of Hereford update info screenshot

Burst Water Main Affecting the HR2 area of Hereford

Name

Burst water main affecting the HR2 area of Hereford

Status

Our team on the site

Description

We are dealing with a burst wateer main in the Putson area of Hereford, which means that customers in south Hereford may currently be experiencing discoloured water, or hav no water supply. The areas affected include Belmont, Newton Farm, Redhill and Whitecross, Kings Acre, Putson, Hinton and Hunderton areas.

We are on site dealing with the burst but this will impact on water supplies to customers throughout today and this evening. This emergency work is difficult as there is a high voltage cable nearby and so the repair needs to be done carefully.

We will be liaising with key sites in the area including schools and providing bottled water directly to those vulnerable customers in the area such as thos on dialysis, on our additional needs register.

We wish to apologise again for this and wish to assure you that we are doing everything we can to put things right and restore drinking water supplies as quickly as possible.

Last updated

07/11/2019 09:56

Keep in touch

If you want to received updates on our progress, click the follow button and add your email address to automatically

Follow

https://inyourarea.digdat.co.uk/DwrCymru?id=Bursts.1010#

The HR2 post code area is quite vast, and not everyone is so lucky to have near neighbours to check out such problems with, and so that factor is an important consideration in my drafting the above WHAT TO DO IF AND WHEN ... information posting.

So consider what agency might be best equipped to know about the problem, and go to their website if that's possible.

In the meantime, I can relax in the relatively calming information that the problem does not only affect this individual poor person, and I do not have to attempt to get my landlord's intervention, which would be especially problematic as my landlord's agent is currently in Singapore -- but usually based in Hereford!

Talks, Discussions and Films at Hereford's Left Bank Village

I've received the following from Nat Waring and Alan Adams who run the Talks, Discussion & Film Evenings at Hereford's Left Bank Village that includes De Koffie Pot refreshments site.

De Koffie Pot in Hereford's Left Bank Village was recently
flooded but, the floods have receded since this photo was taken.

Talks, Discussions and Films at The Left Bank Village

Every Wednesday, 7.30pm - 9.30pm, The Left Bank Village, HR4 9DG

De Koffie Pot didn't look its best last week! But don't worry, we're all dry now and back up and running! We are so grateful for and heartened by all the community support we received! Please join us for our upcoming talks, discussions and films, though we hope these won't be dry!
 

TONIGHT! Wednesday 6th November - Voices of Latin America 

Voices of Latin America is the title of a new book about Social Movements and the New Activism. The book will be introduced by contributor Tom Gatehouse. The second half will be led by Cecibel Egan who is part of the Pachamama (Mother Earth Project) which gathered prayers & funding for women's projects in Bolivia. Cecibel will describe the project and lead us in a ritual. A Talk Shop event organised by Perry Walker.
 

Wednesday 13th November - Soylent Green

Another cinema night in the Speakeasy! This month's film is Soylent Green. An American Dystopian thriller set in a future where Earth's suffering from the effects of pollution, over-population and the Greenhouse Effect!

Wednesday 20th November - Human Rights Poetry Evening

Hereford Amnesty present an evening of poetry readings and discussion about the power of words in the struggle for human justice and liberty. Amnesty International was founded because one man believed that the pen is mightier than the sword in the struggle for human rights. We’ll consider if this is still true today.
 

Wednesday 27th November - The Core Strategy for Housing

The Herefordshire Council is re-writing its core strategy. What should it say about housing? A discussion evening organised in association with the Herefordshire Centre for Community Led Housing. More details to follow...

Wednesday 4th December - The Hereford Bypass Project

A follow on to the event in October, we'll again discuss what is happening with plans for this controversial new road now that we have a new greener council adminstration. Facilitated by Perry Walker, Talk Shop.

Wednesday 11th December - Film Night in The Speakeasy 

We'll still deciding which film to show. We're thinking about... Loveless 2017 (Russian) or Transit 2018 (German) or Happy as Lazarro 2018 (Italian). Let us know if you have a preference! 

Wednesday 18th December - Big Green Festive Drinks 

Everyone is invited to this end of year celebration in the Charles Bar at the top of The Left Bank. Let's cheers to a greener and more sustainable 2020! Complimentary mulled wine and mince pies and lots of merry-making!

If anyone would be interested in giving a talk, leading a discussion or suggesting a film, we'd love to hear from you! And please do forward this email on to anyone that you think would be interested. They can sign up to this mailing list here: http://eepurl.com/gqkVK9

Hope to see you!

Nat Waring and Alan Adams :)
Coordinators of the Talks, Discussions and Films Calendar
The Left Bank Village 01432 357753

Hereford highways latest highways planning survey deadline 4 Oct 2019

From 'Wye Ruin It?'

Get busy! October 4th deadline

Your voice is needed for the latest consultation on highways planning.

 This is a quick, but important survey. There are 4 questions and you will need to read the background document to answer the questions, but you can just refer to the part that comes up in the survey. (The design of the survey is to generate different questions each time you open it, so we cannot give you the answers).

Please make sure to tell them to stop plans for the bypass, stop expanding road networks and focus on maximising clean, affordable, active and sustainable transport as soon as possible. Click here for details

Weekly TDEs resume at Left Bank Village, Hereford, Weds 18 Sept 2019

Hello Everyone,

At last - getting back in to the pattern after the summer break!

Wednesday 18 September 2019, 7:30pm-9pm-ish

Cultural Emergence

Cultural emergence is a toolkit designed to create cultures of personal

leadership, collective intelligence and planetary care. Developed by

Looby Macnamara in Conjunction with  other global visionaries, join

Looby to find out how Cultural Emergence can support you in creating

regenerative  cultures in your own life and relationships, as well as

how it can ripple out in to the world. Discover a message of hope and

tools for empowerment.

Looby Macnamara is an experienced permaculture teacher, author and

designer, and runs Applewood Permaculture Centre in North Herefordshire.

Organized by : Herefordshire Green Network.

Wednesday 25 September 2019, 7:30pm-9pm-ish

99% : How creating economic opportunity for millennials will help save

the environment.

Mark E. Thomas, author of the book ‘99% : Mass Impoverishment and How We

Can End It’, will talk about why we are now looking at the first

generation in living memory that can expect to be poorer than their

parents. This is mass impoverishment in action and the result of

political choices rather than cast-iron laws of economics. He will show

how we got into this mess, how we can get  out. He will show that five

key actions that we need to end mass impoverishment are precisely those

we need to tackle climate change.

Organized by : Hereford Green Party, Nat Waring.

Last Wednesday we had our first "Second Wednesday of month World Film

Night".

"Women without men", a 2009 film adaptation of a Shahrnush Parsipur

novel, directed by Shirin Neshat.

Shirin Neshat is an Iranian-born artist and photographer whose work

explores gender issues in the

Islamic world. Neshat, banned from even visiting Iran since 1996, lives

and works in New York city.

She left Iran in 1974, just before the Islamic Revolution that drove the

Shar into exile.

The film profiles the lives of four women living in Tehran in 1953,

during the American backed coup that returned the Shar of Iran to power.

The film was called "visually transfixing" by the New York Times

reviewer Stephen Holden - "with fierce beauty and precision of it's

cinematography. Two of the film's recurrent images are of a long dirt

road extending to the horizon on which the characters walk, adn a river

that suggests "a deep current of feminine resilience below an impassive

exterior."

We much enjoyed this film whist agreeing that we found it's rather Avant

guard and surreal presentation made it difficult for us to follow at

times.

A powerful portrayal of the oppression of women in this Islamic society

with expectation of acquiescence to arranged marriage and limitation of

personal freedom forcefully exemplified by a brother saying to a very

unwilling woman expected to meet a suitor "If you leave this house I

will break your legs".

Best wishes,

Alan & Nat.

Unite the Union Community membership Herefordshire Action Day on Universal Credit — time and place

Unite the Union Community membership
Herefordshire Action Day on Universal Credit
College Road Estate, HR1 1HW
Saturday 14th September, 10:30am-12:30pm

Herefordshire Action Day on Universal Credit
College Road Estate, Hereford HR1 1HW
Saturday 14th September, 10:30am-12:30pm

Map location link: HR1 1HW

How to get there by public transport:

Traveline — for journeys within the South, East, and West Midlands,and by train or coach from most towns in Great Britain