The Launch of Hereford City Futures

Whilst the following article from 'Spaghetti Gazette' doesn't mention Hereford United, it may be of interest to anyone following the debate about the future of Hereford and Herefordshire.

Herefordshire has launched a new partnership to champion the revitalisation of Hereford as an economic power serving the county, the region and mid Wales.

Senior representatives from business, commerce, housing, regeneration, education and the public sector are backing the new partnership – called Hereford City Futures - to oversee the development of the city. The aim is to boost opportunities for local people and ensure regeneration delivers more jobs, affordable housing, higher education, improved leisure and retail, and enterprise starts ups.

Hereford City Futures met for the first time last week (30 October 2009) and comprises Hereford City Council, Herefordshire Council, ESG Herefordshire, South Wye Regeneration Partnership, as well as representatives from further education colleges, the Chamber of Commerce, housing associations and heritage, tourism and leisure. The new partners will be consulted on how regeneration is delivered and agreed to work together strategically to ensure the city and the county prospers from regeneration.

The chair of Hereford City Futures is Councillor Roger Phillips, leader of Herefordshire Council. He said: “A successful Hereford is essential for a successful Herefordshire. And we agreed that it is vital that the public and private sector work together to make sure we do not lose the impetus and the massive investment potentially available to help the city regain and retain its rightful place as an economic and service hub for the county, the region and for mid-Wales. If we can achieve this, everyone will prosper and benefit from more jobs, homes, enterprise and opportunity”.

The partnership learned that regeneration projects like ESG Herefordshire and Rotherwas Futures could potentially bring full employment for Herefordshire. But with average county earnings at £20,300, compared with £25,200 nationally, median house prices in Herefordshire are over eight times the average wage, so more needs to be done to encourage affordable housing builds. Herefordshire Council is meeting its targets for affordable housing but Hereford City Futures is backing the building of hundreds of new, well-priced homes proposed for the city’s new urban village, as part of the 8,300 new homes proposed for the city as part of the regional ‘spatial’ and economic strategies.

“Associated with this growth in houses will be a significant population increase and the need for additional infrastructure in transport, employment, leisure, education and retail”, said Geoff Hughes, the council’s director of regeneration. “These changes provide an opportunity for Hereford to improve the quality of life for all its residents”.

The partnership also heard that without a ‘critical mass’ in terms of population, it will prove difficult to guarantee a thriving economy, enhanced higher education services and the future of key public services, whose viability depends on there being enough local users of the services.

Growth in housing and ‘planning gain’ will also part fund a much-needed bypass for the city, which, combined with the proposed new link road from Edgar Street to Commercial Street, will ease congestion and avoid the gridlock predicted by recent traffic modelling studies.

The partnership were told that the ESG development is going forward as a top priority for the West Midlands, and that Hereford has been reaffirmed by regional development agency Advantage West Midlands as an important ‘investment location’.

Progress on the regeneration of Hereford has accelerated in recent months, with the new livestock market due to be built next year, freeing up the old dilapidated market for a new multiplex cinema, restaurants, high quality shops and department stores. Three cinema groups are now talking to the ESG Herefordshire team about building a complex in the city, and talks with household name department stores are progressing well too. The council’s planning committee has voted for the ESG flood alleviation scheme that will protect homes and businesses in the city.

Hereford City Futures will, for the first time, bring together a large number of organisations and partnerships that have an interest in the development of Hereford.

Herefordshire Council works closely with regional partners to draw down funding to invest in the key infrastructure needed to support Hereford’s role as a growth point and main employment and service centre. Hereford City Council is the parish council for the city and committed to delivering regeneration for the benefit of city residents. Other regeneration partnerships and projects active around the city include ESG Herefordshire, the Rotherwas Futures initiative, South Wye Partnership as well as large projects, which include the proposed outer distributor road, the Learning Village, the new livestock market, park and ride and a number of heritage and culture led initiatives. Hereford City Futures will be the dedicated citywide partnership to oversee these different strategic initiatives and ensure that they are co-ordinated as a cohesive package for the city.

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