Month: April 2022

As of Wednesday 27 April, the survey is now live and will run until Wednesday 25 May. It is open to anyone aged 16 and over who lives or works in the county.

The survey, which is required as part of the Department for Transport Access Fund, will seek to provide data on changes to travel patterns, including changes during and post-pandemic, and the impact of more widespread home working.

The data will support future travel and transport planning and will be shared with the Department for Transport. The survey also includes three questions on Climate, to gain insight into people’s levels of interest and engagement. These questions will be repeated annually to track changes, and will be published on the consultation page.

Cllr John Harrington, Cabinet member for Infrastructure and Transport, said: “We want people to tell us about their everyday journeys, about what matters to them. The feedback we receive will help to inform future travel schemes and infrastructure, as well as how we promote active, sustainable modes of travel, so I encourage everybody to take part and have their say.”

You can complete the survey at Herefordshire.gov.uk/travelsurvey

In a matter of days, over 1,100 people have expressed an interest in helping people from the war-torn country. This figure includes 94 ‘sponsors’ – residents who have agreed to open their doors to provide a home for Ukrainian guests. So far, 25 guests have arrived in Herefordshire and a further 248 have registered their interest in moving to the county.

We are now in the process of ensuring the accommodation on offer meets criteria set by central government for housing the new arrivals.

We are also working with a number of local support services and community groups who will help make the transition to life in the UK as easy as it can be in such challenging circumstances. We’re helping promote events including ‘Big Eat Ukraine’, which takes place at the Kindle Centre in Hereford 10-2pm, Saturday 7 May. We’ve updated our Talk Community webpages to provide detailed information on services and support in different areas of the county. We’ve also prepared a staff training guide to help people better understand the needs of the new arrivals.

In addition, we have created new webpages to guide and support guests as well as the sponsors interested in hosting them. We hope more will come forward and register their interest in providing a new home for Ukrainian guests.

Paul Smith, Herefordshire Council’s acting director of community and wellbeing, says:

“Having fled from unimaginable circumstances, Ukrainian arrivals need to be welcomed and supported. Thankfully, that’s exactly what many residents – as well as businesses and local community groups – have done. The response so far has been fantastic. We are asking for more people to come forward to offer accommodation.

“We also urge local businesses to think about offering employment opportunities to people from Ukraine. It’s worth remembering some of the arrivals have lost almost everything they had or cared for. They are arriving here with next to nothing. Regular work will not only help them financially, it will also provide them with a new structure as they learn to adapt to their new lives. Our new webpages also provide contact details for those who wish to volunteer to help, including information for interpreters. Thank you for the kindness you’ve shown so far. Please continue to stand with Herefordshire Council and support the people of Ukraine.”

Councillor David Hitchiner, leader of Herefordshire Council, says:

“The response from the whole Herefordshire community to help people arriving from Ukraine is astounding. I am very proud of the amount of support being offered to make a difference to people arriving here in such desperate circumstances. There is so much great work going on in the background to help Ukrainian guests settle in. I am very grateful to everyone involved.”

As part of the preparation of a new Local Plan for Herefordshire, our existing planning policies need to be re-assessed to determine their effectiveness, consistency with national planning policy and to consider whether they would help to deliver key aspirations of the Herefordshire County Plan.

The Local Plan 2021-2041 Policy Options consultation will run for 6 weeks from Monday 4 April to 16 May 2022. It sets out a summary of the context around each of the policy areas and includes range of possible approaches that the new local plan could include.

The policy options within the consultation paper cover general and county-wide matters. Consultation on the policy options for specific places and areas, including the rural settlement hierarchy will take place later this year.

Cllr Liz Harvey, Cabinet member for finance, corporate services and planning, said: “A number of key policy topics will be presented in this consultation with the idea being to ensure we are on the right track, if not what needs to change and take on board any ideas about other considerations.

“The policies will be key in determining planning applications and so it is important that this consultation provides the opportunity for everyone to have their say early in the process of plan making. The responses received, together with a number of other studies, will help form the draft Local Plan, so I would urge everybody to get involved and have their say.”

More information about the Local Plan 2021-2041 Policy Options is available on the website.

If you need further assistance, please email ldf@herefordshire.gov.uk or phone 01432 383357

The market towns are a critical part of Herefordshire’s economy and play an important role as focal points for housing, employment, retail, tourism, leisure, culture, business investment and growth.

Last week, Cabinet approved economic development investment plans for each of the market towns, which provide direction for future economic development and will be used to guide the council’s capital investment as well as seeking government funding, to support economic recovery.

Each of the market town economic development investment plans have been developed following extensive local engagement. They set out a shared longer-term vision for growth and identify a range of potential projects and funding opportunities.

The plans provide a firm foundation for parish and community-led applications for grants to funding bodies, with clear evidence showing how each project will contribute to the economic development of the town, improving the likelihood that such applications will succeed.

Councillor Ellie Chowns, Cabinet member for economy and environment said: “These plans set out a long-term vision for investment in our market towns, recognising their important role in the county, to help create the conditions for future growth and development. The council will now be working with the town councils and other local stakeholders to help take forward projects and seek funding to turn the plans into a reality.

“One key area for attention is the demand for additional employment land. We will work with the market towns to identify where there are suitable opportunities for funding from the Council’s capital allocation for ‘employment land and incubator space in market towns’ (ELIS) funding.”

“We will also be actively looking for opportunities to access new government funding sources to support market town investment ambitions in order to help our whole county’s economy thrive.”

To view the cabinet decision please see the council website.