'Edgar Street Grid' http://www.esgherefordshire.co.uk/Index.aspx and www.ItsOurCity.org
What is 'Edgar Street Grid'?
A proposed complete re-development of the north part of Hereford City. If you go to the web address above and download the ESG plan you will see a rather poor diagram of what is proposed. Watch out for the roads. The plan is to downgrade the current inner ring road, though it will still take traffic, and divert the rest of the traffic along a new road. This new road will go in front of the station. It will cut off the station from the rest of the town. Big roads in front of stations can be seen in other towns, e.g. Gloucester, Sheffield, even Ludlow in a smaller way, there is no need for Hereford to do the same. It will be a retrogressive step for Herefordshire. The station should be the centre of the town, not stuck on the outskirts behind a road barrier.
We have written to the ESG team and they have responded to our disquiet. They have proposed a cycle and walk only route directly from the station into the centre of the town. This is excellent, but it doesn't get rid of the road. There will still be a big road taking most of the current traffic and more, in front of the station. People walking and cycling will be restricted by lights and a crossing to cross the four plus lane highway, from walking into town. ESG have said that it is too expensive to take the new road behind (on the north side of) the Station. Also there are a lot of houses on the north side of the station. However, it is ESG's problem to sort. If the ESG team want to go ahead with this questionable development, they must not cut off the station from the town.
How is ESG funded?
Rather unclear, but the present team and their comfortable offices received circa £350,000 from Herefordshire Council 2006/7 and £550,000 2007/8. The project is also supported by Advantage West Midlands, the quango that funds re-development in the West Midlands using European money. They seem to be answerable to no-one. AWM are the ones responsible for the Rotherwas Access Road, that would never have happened without them as the Department for Transport decided it was poor value for money and damaging to the environment. They also funded the Leominster Industrial Estate. This (in 2008) is still largely empty after four years of opening, with the main offices there being re-located businesses (e.g. the Police Station, Orphans Press, the Vets) from Leominster town.
Latest News:
The Hereford Times reported on June 3 2010 that there will be a pause in the ompulsory purchase orders for the road due to funding cuts. The Link Road was given planning permission on March 30 2010. The voting was two against (our own Gerald Dawe, Green Cllr and Dave Benjamin Independent), three abstentions (Lib Dem and Independent) and 11 in favour (Tory). Mark Hubbard, Independent was not allowed to attend as it was deemed he had a bias (he is on the committee of Its Our City).