Council elections – May 2nd 2019
Doesn’t time fly by! It’s nearly four years since your current parish councillors were elected in 2015 and the next election is on Thursday 2nd May 2019. Like many parts of the country, we don’t usually have contested elections for parish councillors in Breinton. Over the past few years just the right numbers of local people have stood for the six places available but there is no reason why that should not change in May. Most of us have been councillors for a good few years so if you had ever thought about joining Breinton Parish Council, it’s a good time to do it now. If you are interested in any way please contact an existing councillors or the parish clerk to find out what is involved. Breinton needs good people to stand up for its interests. We can certainly promise you that the next four years will be very busy
Of course Herefordshire Councillors will also be elected on May 2nd. Breinton is part of the Credenhill ward. The polling station will be the village hall as usual. It will be open all day and we will publish the exact times on this website. They will also be on the polling card that will be delivered to you towards the end of April. The Parish Council pays Herefordshire for these cards which are not automatically provided anymore. We pay because we believe that every effort should be made to publicise elections and maximise the turnout. Please do vote for the candidate of your choice.
Planning issues
There have been a number of planning applications recently, mostly for extensions to houses. These have not produced many concerns locally. We continue to push for the speedy resurfacing of the lane from Breinton Common towards Stretton Sugwas past the former Boat Inn. This work to make good the badly damaged road surface was a condition of the planning permission for the new factory but has been delayed time and time again. The businesses concerned now want further delays to suit their seasonal work.
At long last there appears to be progress on the tree preservation orders (TPO’s) for the avenue of lime trees on King’s Acre Road. Apparently all the legal work is finished but we are waiting for the final confirmation. TPO’s on their own will not prevent the proposed bypass going ahead if it eventually gets through all the stages I outlined in January’s Planning News but they could reduce any damage caused to this lovely landscape feature.
Herefordshire Council continue to develop their Hereford Area Plan. Essentially this is the Neighbourhood Plan for the city. The results of a consultation on future housing and employment sites have now been published. It is becoming obvious that many more new houses will have to be built along Kings Acre Road if the City is to take the number that Herefordshire’s Core Strategy includes. Quite simply the north-west part of the city just to the north of Breinton has the most space left. What has also emerged is a masterplan for the Church Commissioner’s land behind the crematorium, around Lower Hill Farm and down to Kings Acre Road. This borders Breinton at Adams Hill. No decisions have been taken yet on which sites become the preferred development areas before 2031. Parish Councillors are happy to explain what this might involve to any local residents.
Finally there has also been a consultation on the options for pedestrian, cycling, bus and public spaces in Hereford. Apparently most of these changes require a bypass that takes traffic away from the city and frees up more road space. The Parish Council disagrees and thinks that the vast majority of these proposals are possible without a bypass and that money would be better spend on public transport as well as persuading people to leave their cars at home more often. We have told Herefordshire this and our response is elsewhere on the website.