The Hereford Issue

Powys County Council has admitted it should not have granted planning permission for a vast broiler unit after local campaigners crowdfunded a judicial review. The council initially opposed the legal challenge, brought by grassroots environmental group Sustainable Food Knighton. But the authority has now admitted that permission for the planned 110,000-chicken farm should not have been granted after a high court judge gave the go-ahead for a full judicial review hearing. This is a significant decision. In Powys an explosion in the numbers of intensive poultry units is linked to the deterioration of rivers in mid-Wales, most significantly the River Wye. Last summer saw algal blooms turn the Wye into a 'pea soup', a phenomenon damaging to biodiversity caused locally by phosphates from livestock manure running into waterways. Sustainable Food Knighton spokesperson Camilla Saunders said that cheap food demanded by supermarkets is having a damaging effect on local environments. “The

“The future is not some place we are going to, but one we are creating. The paths to it are not found, but made; and the activity of making them changes both the maker and the destination.” Peter Ellyard

Of all the images from last week's floods, it was the photo of Hereford's Eign Road that hit me most. It's a road I know well. The lower part between the Brewer's Arms pub and Hampton Park Road floods very occasionally but this is the second time in less than 12 months that it's happened. It's worrying because we know that if Eign Road is being flooded more often then there are hundreds of other places around the county that are now suffering where they haven't done previously. England has experienced a major flood almost every year since 2007, leaving about 100,000 properties damaged. And we know that one of the major threats of climate change is flooding. Dr Michael Byrne is a lecturer in climate science at the University of St Andrews has warned that future storms will bring more rain due to climate change. “Storms are nothing new. But, because we are now more than 1C warmer as a whole versus pre-industrial times, every degree means 7 per cent more water

One thousand oak trees were distributed last week in the first step of a plan to plant a million trees across the Marches. The project is a partnership between Extinction Rebellion, Herefordshire Wildlife Trust, local landowners and parish councils in the Marches and was inspired by #StumpUpForTrees in the Brecon Beacons. “Over the next decade we’re hoping to double the number of trees we plant each year, so that together we'll plant a million trees by 2030,” said project coordinator David Gillam, from Golden Valley Extinction Rebellion. Herefordshire Wildlife Trust’s Andrew Nixon said: “It is great to be part of this initiative to give advice on the hows and whys of tree planting. From urban and garden trees to orchards and woodlands we’re certainly keen to see more trees in Herefordshire to tackle both the climate and ecological emergencies. "The Herefordshire landscape should be a mix of beautiful, wildlife-rich habitats – meadows, wetlands, orchards, heaths and woodlands –

Next month Herefordshire Council will decide whether to raise council tax by a proposed 4.99%, as it tries and plug a potential budget gap of up to £16 million caused by the coronavirus pandemic. The raise is broken down as a 1.99% rise in core council tax and a precept 3% rise to support vulnerable people. For the average band D property this means an extra £6.54 a month. The raise would create a budget of £320 million for the coming year, including spending of £80 million on council-maintained schools. But the proposed rise comes at a time when many households are also struggling because of the coronavirus pandemic. People on furlough have had their wages cut and many others have been made redundant. The little increases we see here and there can add up to a lot and council leaders have to think carefully about the proposed increase in tax. THEY NEED TO DO THREE THINGS: 👉 Broaden the scope of eligibility for council tax reductions, to include those people who have been furloughed fo

Later this month, Herefordshire Council are expected to decide on the future of transport issues in Hereford and determine whether the bypass will go ahead. The Hereford Issue believes a bypass should not yet be approved. Local studies have shown it will make little to no difference to Hereford traffic, making it is a huge gamble. For the first time, Herefordshire Council needs to put serious effort into prioritising other measures, such as improved public transport and cycling. We cannot rip up our countryside and exacerbate the climate crisis all for a road that the evidence shows won't work. Let's try something else first.

Private developers have been allowed to call the shots for decades, building many homes that local people didn't need. But Herefordshire Council's current leadership are now showing their intent to put affordable housing back at the top of the agenda. Recently they have agreed plans to provide 2,500 new council homes over the next 10 years, the first time Herefordshire Council has owned housing stock since 2002. In December they announced plans to build 180 affordable homes in and around what is now Hereford's Merton Meadow car park. And grant money has been accepted from central government to buy and refurbish homes to house rough sleepers. This is great news. A home is a fundamental human need and a basic moral right, as vital as education or healthcare. Under the previous Conservative administration house-builders were allowed to ignore the smaller and affordable homes that Herefordshire needs. The lack of housing availability pushes prices up, creating more barriers

"Multiple government agencies are investigating damage to a protected riverbank carried out by a farmer with a 16-tonne bulldozer in November on a stretch of the River Lugg near Kingsland, Herefordshire," reports Private Eye magazine, in their latest issue.  "…In a furious interview with the Hereford Times, he [landowner John Price] reportedly warned that officials should lose their jobs if they take him to court over the works, stating that 'they don't know who they've taken on here'.  "Fighting words. Except the local Environment Agency SHOULD know who Mr Price is, given that it has previously taken him to court for, er, illegal river works.  "EA staff carrying out a routine low flow inspection about five miles from Kingsland in 2007 noticed that Stretford Brook was dry because a dam had been built to allow extraction of water despite the low flow.  "Price pleaded guilt to damming the brook illegally and was fined a total of £10,000 for