TUESDAY 30th SEPTEMBER 2008BP Want Longer Hours
BP have asked the District Council to allow extended opening of their new forecourt and facilities at Rush Green.
Building of a new filling station, car wash and M&S Simply Food is currently underway on the site. A condition of the planning approval states that the facilities could only open from 7am to 10pm during the week and 9am to 8pm at weekends.
The condition was specified to prevent nuisance to local residents during the early morning and late evening.
BP have submitted a new application asking for these hours to be extended to 6am to midnight seven days a week.
SUNDAY 28th SEPTEMBER 2008Riverside Retreat
Bircherley Green have launched their own website, billing the shopping centre as Hertford's Riverside Retreat.
The site features information about the centre's retailers, news, events, offers and competitions
However, the home page wrongly refers to the location of the centre as "right by the scenic heart of the River Ware".
FRIDAY 26th SEPTEMBER 2008Hertford's Banksy?
Echoes of the work of renowned graffiti artist Banksy can be seen in the town centre.
An unknown artist has created the work at the rear of retail premises in the heart of town. It features five men in eveningwear, two of whom are wearing monocles and three with hats.
THURSDAY 25th SEPTEMBER 2008Community Voice
There's a Community Voice meeting this evening at the District Council's Wallfields Offices.
Items to be discussed include the results of a retail study in the town and the council's Local Development Framework, a set of policies that will replace the Local Plan.
The public meeting will start at 7:30pm and end by 9pm.
WEDNESDAY 24th SEPTEMBER 2008Committee Meets
EHDC's Development Control Committee meets this evening at Wallfields.
Councillors will be making decisions on plans for the refurbishment of sheltered housing at Bircherley Court. Tesco's new store on Ware Road and the conversion of the old Balls Park Mansion to flats.
Planning Officers have recommended that permission be granted for Bircherley Court and refused for Tesco and Balls Park.
Hertford councillors in the committee include Beryl Wrangles (Kingsmead) and Suzanne Rutland-Barsby (Castle).
MONDAY 22nd SEPTEMBER 2008Smith's Folly
Hidden away behind the sheltered housing in Port Vale is Smith's Folly, a faux ruined tower constructed in the mid-nineteenth century.
Thomas Smith lived in North Road House and came from a long line of architects. In 1837 he was appointed County Surveyor.
It is believed that the tower may have had a practical purpose - a sales brochure from 1897 mentions a large water tank in the tower
SATURDAY 20th SEPTEMBER 2008Film Unit At Balls Park
Location shooting for a BBC4 drama is currently taking place at Balls Park.
Walter's War tells the story of Walter Tull, the first black officer to lead British troops during the First World War.
Walter's life is seen through flashbacks, from Walter's childhood at an orphanage, through his success as a footballer, to the horrors of the Battle of the Somme.
The drama is part of the BBC's line-up to commemorate the 90th anniversary of Armistice Day in November,
FRIDAY 19th SEPTEMBER 2008Tesco Plans On The Skids
Tesco's plans for a new store on the Ware Road site are on the skids after planning officers recommended refusal of the planning application.
Poor design, scale, traffic concerns and lack of affordable housing were just some of the reasons contained in planners' recommendations.
The District Council's Development Control Committee meet on Wednesday to discuss the proposals and make a final decision.
FRIDAY 19th SEPTEMBER 2008Police Out In Numbers
Police will be keeping a high profile in the town tonight to prevent a repeat of last week's trouble on Hartham Common.
Mobile metal detectors will be deployed to catch anyone carrying knives or other offensive weapons.
Last Friday saw large numbers of youths descend on the fair, many of whom are beleived to have come from outside the town.
THURSDAY 18th SEPTEMBER 2008No Alfresco Latte
Caffè Nero have been refused planning permission for external seating outside their Salisbury Square coffee shop.
Planners decided that there was not enough space for the seating and that it would cause an obstruction to pedestrians.
There were also concerns that the application submitted by the coffee chain did not contain enough detail to merit planning approval.
WEDNESDAY 17th SEPTEMBER 2008Bengeo Post Office Saved
Bengeo Post Office has been saved from closure after a six week consultation on PO closures in the area.
However, the Ware Road counter will close by the end of 2008, despite a high profile campaign by local residents.
The six-week public consultation period was extended by a week to take into account the August holiday period.
FRIDAY 12th SEPTEMBER 2008Second M&S For Town
A second M&S Simply Food outlet is to open at Rush Green in November.
The shop is part of a redevelopment of the BP site at the A10 interchange that received planning approval in July.
The Mercury reports that the store will be open 24 hours a day, although a condition of the planning approval states that the site may only be used between 7am and 10pm during the week and 9am and 8pm at weekend.
The petrol station will be closed during building work, leaving just one petrol station operating in the town.
WEDNESDAY 10th SEPTEMBER 2008Interview With Head Of Music
An interview with Justin Cleverly, the Head of Music at Sele School, has been posted on YouTube.
In the video, Justin talks about drama workshops at the school.
WEDNESDAY 10th SEPTEMBER 2008Free Swimming For Over 60s
The Disctrict Council are to offer free swimming to the over 60s from next April, subject to a two-year government grant
Announcing the decision at last night�s Executive meeting Linda Haysey, Executive Member for Community Development, Leisure & Culture, said: �This move fits with our priority to improve the health and wellbeing of a significant proportion of our residents.
�We hope they will take advantage of this offer as we all know that regular exercise is essential to good health, and exercising in the water perhaps the most beneficial.�
Senior citizens in East Herts currently pay a half price concessionary rate - £1.70 - for swimming at pools in the district.
MONDAY 8th SEPTEMBER 2008Bengeo Hall Campaign
A campaign is underway to prevent a developer building a large house on green belt land south of Ware Park Road.
Wilson Properties are proposing to build the detached house in the grounds of the Hall, with a driveway from Ware Park Road .
It is unclear who is behind the campaign, but a number of yellow notices calling for objectors to contact the council have appeared in surrounding areas. The notices claim that the development will go ahead unless people comment on the plans.
Earlier proposals to build a house were withdrawn, although permission has been granted for the refurbishment of the house.
Bengeo Hall was bought at auction in February by Gary Barton, whose property company has an addess in Potters Bar. The property was put on the market after the previous owners lost a four-year legal battle over plans for the building.
Objectors have until 12th September to submit their views
SUNDAY 7th SEPTEMBER 2008Impressions of Languedoc
The Courtyard Arts Centre are currently running an exhibition of paintings, drawings, photography and video by local artists, following a visit to Southern France in May.
Eight artists worked together on the project and the works on show demonstrate each artist's unique interpretation of the landscape around Paziols and the coastal town of Collioure.
Impressions Of Languedoc is on until Saturday 13th September.
SUNDAY 7th SEPTEMBER 2008Marquee Models To Close
Marquee Models in Railway Street is to close on Saturday 3rd October.
A sign in the window gives no reason for the closure but highlights the fact that their Harlow store will remain open and that they are still trading online.
SATURDAY 6th SEPTEMBER 2008Roadworks at The Wash
A week into gas main replacement in Maidenhead Street, works at the junction with The Wash are progressing.
Earlier in the week, the traffic lights controlling the flow of traffic around the works caused chaos when they got stuck on red. The resulting tailbacks caused almost total gridlock in the town.
WEDNESDAY 3rd SEPTEMBER 2008New Homes for Abbis Site
Planning permission has been granted for 8 new homes and a commercial unit on the site of the former Abbis Garage on the corner of St.John's and Railway Street.
An amended application for three mews houses and a town house of the site has also been approved.
However, it is unclear when building work will start. Developer Parkhall have put the neighbouring Dolphin car park site up for sale, with detailed planning permission for 14 modern flats.
MONDAY 1st SEPTEMBER 2008Future Of The Sportsman
Hertford Town Council meet tonight to discuss the future of The Sportsman in Fore Street.
The pub has been closed since the District Council withdrew their licence after police repeatedly warned the licencees about selling alcohol to underage drinkers.
The pub is a listed building and is in a poor state of disrepair. It was sold by Barracuda Inns in March 2005 for £700,000 to Monir Ali, owner of local Indian restaurant Bollywoods.
Recent reports in the local newspaper have suggested the building could become a Muslim Community Centre.
