CEO Comments: Cathedral Quarter Consultation
Today our CEO, Mike Truelove, has written to the Hereford Times, on behalf of Hereford BID members, to express concerns over the current plans for Broad, King and Bridge Street:
It is not that businesses are ungrateful for the recently unveiled vision for Broad, Bridge and King Street – in fact, the hospitality sector (in particular) are delighted that there could be extended paving for a café culture. As for more trees in the ground, what’s not to like? However, what truly worries many is that if you are a retailer, pharmacist, sandwich shop, florist, or estate agent, how are your customers going to pop in to grab items and go if the parking is down the road? Yes, you may well argue (justifiably in some cases) that people ought to park in larger car parks and not on the street, but that ignores those who struggle to walk far and those who, dare I say it, pop into these shops because it is convenient. Take away the parking and you remove a major reason to shop here which equates to shop closures. Suddenly, once popular streets become a hopscotch of empty units; it is as simple as that.
If we are serious about improving the area, everyone needs to be taken on the journey and not leave behind those who have been there for (in some instances over 100 years) and have evolved around the ability to park outside. There must be a compromise. It would also be useful if there was a parallel or even leading plan to improve parking and transport in the city. Where is the vision for new multi-story car parks? Further, High Town and St Peter Street have been discussed for the last 6 years with millions ready to use from the LEP and match-funded by Herefordshire Council. If projects that have funding cannot be implemented, what hope do we have for Broad Street?
One last final point, it is critical that the whole of the city centre is looked at as part of a masterplan – we need streets that flow into each other with a common theme or 'brand' (think of those ugly stainless steels benches in Eign Gate that were recently taken down). Either way, I encourage you to air your views whilst the online consultation is open.
