Edgar Street Grid - Time for a Rethink?

Mark Richards believes it is time for a rethink before the Edgar Street Grid, which borders Hereford United's ground, gets the go-ahead.

When the Edgar Street Grid was planned the economy was growing and we were told that the cycle of "boom and bust" was over. The last 6 months have shown that this is not the case and experts in the USA are predicting negative growth until the end of 2010 at least. This means that it could be 2015 or even 2020 before we see economic conditions like they were in 2006.

It is from this starting point that I believe the ESG needs to be totally revisited and the experts running it need to rip up most of their plans and start again. What they propose at the moment will never work for the City in the short term and in many Herefordian's opinion do not represent the City that they know and love.

There is a simple principle that I would follow which would actually apply the money and expertise to the "whole city" and look at the grid as part of the plan rather than the total of the plan. That priniciple is to "improve the flow of traffic around the City and unlock the treasures that already exist in the City."

Hereford has many positive points including a beautiful river running through it which is under-utilised. The Left Bank was a great single development but it was not supported by what was around it. Stand alone developments do not work. In that I agree with the idea of a total plan like the ESG. However, the ESG is too big a plan and does not address the real infrastructure problem in the City.

What is wrong with the ESG ?

I see it failing in a number of ways.

a) The experts are applying a retail and development plan that fits other cities eg clone developers - clone shops - clone solutions. Hereford is too unique to plan like a commuter town of Birmingham or London.

b) The retail sector is not needed. Hereford is struggling to fill their current retail space with huge shops like Chadds and Woolworths empty and loads of small shops and even Holmer Road units standing empty for the superstores. A smaller artisan plan is needed.

c) The housebuilding element is too large and would change the character of the City. Both the retail and housebuilding parts of the grid need to be downgraded.

d) It is not value for money for Hereford Taxpayers. At present much money is being spent without any end result and worse than that it has paralysed development in the whole of the City centre because everyone is waiting. Its effect is one of the reasons why the City is currently struggling to attract business and retail (See b).

So what is the answer ?

Hereford never makes enough of itself. A major reason is because there are always factions - people who split away from the mainstream who then want their own stupid idea ( Widemarsh One Way system ) instead of working with what already exists. The grid is partly trying to repair the carnage of the Ring Road which was a bad answer to trafic problems which should have been sorted out with a bypass rather than ripping out a huge part of the City. It is time to deal with the problem directly instead of trying to "cover it up".

An Alternative Plan

The money spent on the grid could have been spend on getting the river properties and developments sorted out and creating a wonderful series of walks and cafes for the summer - and restaurants and party venues for the winter. The LEFT BANK is up for sale. Ideal for the Council to buy and use as a centrepiece for a riverside development.

I would then suggest that the Council used these ideas as a basis to improve the "flow" of traffic around the City by doing the following things. These would improve the life of Herefordians. Allow for the City to be a quieter place with less traffic but provide more for Herefordians to do. It would not be invaded by more big stores that are not wanted or a huge Police Station.

So - if I ran Hereford Council I would cancel the grid. I would use the money to develop as follows :

1. River Crossing at Breinton ready for a bypass which is desperately needed to keep A49 through traffic away from the city.

2. River Crossing at the foot of Eign Hill to take Rotherwas Traffic off the New Bridge. This would stop Tupsley traffic going through the City. It would take the Ledbury Road - Rotherwas link as well taking out a large proportion of heavy vehicles visiting Hereford.

3. Develop the RIVER SECTION of Hereford into more flats and cafes creating a "River Quarter" all the way to the footpath bridge ( Old Glos Railway ) with some hotels as well to make sure it was alive in the evenings.

4. Develop Edgar Street around the Football Ground into a CULTURAL QUARTER with live music - restaurants - possibly museums ( Giantkillers and Alfred Watkins Collection etc ) - and link them to the Courtyard and Football Club. The new library would be here. It would not rival High Town as the centre of Hereford but be complimentary.
Small retail would be the key - with housing above the retail. Meaning people would live above the shop !

5. Edgar Street Grid would be downgraded into purely a housing development because the current recession has proved that Hereford needs no more major retail development. The new road scheme would be looked at in the light of the river bridges development which may take away the need for that by diverting the WORCESTER ROAD and the WELSH ROADS past the City Centre and thus allowing a downgrade of the city centre ring road and A49 without having to build a new road system.

This is all much cheaper and does not need expensive experts.

The ESG is at the moment a gravy train with people who are "professional committee" members - eg they get paid to discuss ideas - of which they have demonstrated none - except to repeat what other Cities or Towns have done. ( we are paying for their experiences )

Hereford is in danger of being wrecked by the ESG because their plans are now holed by the downturn. I would therefore urge the Council to reconsider the development of the City as a whole and ditch the ESG now to save money.

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