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eek. seems no sense to run a whole project on town center future without knowing what is going to happen with bircherley green!

I've spoken to a few people today and no one understands this at all - including I might add Savills (the managing agents, not Cordea Savills) and Diageo.

On Tuesday Savills take back the Bircherley Green car park, toilets and lifts. It was always on the understanding that it would happen only if Waitrose remained. EHDC paid a peppercorn rent for the lease and took a lot of money in fees (dig down deep enough in the accounts) but handed it back. Savills are going to put in ENPR pay on exit and season tickets. One, Wrenbridge couldn't knock down the centre unless they had control of the car park etc and two, why would you want a facility that over time is not going to give you any return because there is no anchor store and footfall. Everyone thought the Van Hages thing would be refused.

Diageo need an A* client in place of Waitrose. Waitrose want out and the only people investing is Aldi and Lidl. What's wrong with one of them. It made me smile that the good people of Lymm in Cheshire thought that the supermarket taking over waste land on a car park was going to be Waitrose or Sainsburys. Shock, horror it is Netto. No riff raff here please. I would have thought anyone would be welcome as long as they pay rent to Diageo. If not Diageo lose rental income when Waitrose leave and will become liable for the rates. The trustees of Diageo Pension Fund need to look after their pensioners and not make a loss on the operation of a small shopping centre. Waitrose was always central to that and to Wrenbridge plans and to the town as a whole.

Can i just say that Aldi are superb.

If they came to Bircherley Green I think a lot of people will be surprised.

Can i just say that Aldi are superb.

If they came to Bircherley Green I think a lot of people will be surprised.

Really? I've tried to like them but everytime I've been to the Hoddesdon branch the "experience" is awful and the food tastes weird. Good for cheapish ale and the odd bit of cycling/camping gear though.

Hugo Kane wrote:Can i just say that Aldi are superb.

If they came to Bircherley Green I think a lot of people will be surprised.

I think a lot of people will start to wonder when Hertford slowly turns into Hoddesdon.

Ewoowar wrote:

Hugo Kane wrote:Can i just say that Aldi are superb.

If they came to Bircherley Green I think a lot of people will be surprised.

I think a lot of people will start to wonder when Hertford slowly turns into Hoddesdon.

If you consider that Hertford had a Wetherspoon before Hoddesdon, perhaps the people of Hoddesdon should be worried that their town is turning into Hertford.

Hugo Kane wrote:Can i just say that Aldi are superb.

If they came to Bircherley Green I think a lot of people will be surprised.

If Aldi come to Hertford they should take up the empty plot on the Ware road which at the moment is a buddleia plantation. You could park up a KFC next door to them as well.

mdja wrote:

Hugo Kane wrote:Can i just say that Aldi are superb.

If they came to Bircherley Green I think a lot of people will be surprised.

If Aldi come to Hertford they should take up the empty plot on the Ware road which at the moment is a buddleia plantation. You could park up a KFC next door to them as well.

Maybe you'd prefer the Waitrose site to remain empty and for Bircherley Green to become a complete ghost town?

Perhaps you should write to Fortnum & Masons or Harrods and ask them if they'd like to open there instead

Hi all, I'm moving to Hertford in the next month or so and wondered if there'd been any news on the redevelopment that you're aware of?
Thanks!

SunnyCM wrote:Hi all, I'm moving to Hertford in the next month or so and wondered if there'd been any news on the redevelopment that you're aware of?
Thanks!

There has not.

As the redevelopment of Bircherley Green is linked to plans for an out of town Waitrose store at Great Amwell, which is likely to be called in by The Secretary Of State (whomever that might be in two weeks), it is unlikely that there will be any resolution of this issue any time soon IMHO.

No planning application has been submitted for the redevelopment of Bircherley Green, although some sources suggest that this may happen soon. However, everything revolves around whether or not Waitrose will leave Hertford. Despite the fact that they have said they will, some suspect this is a merely a negotiating position. If their proposed out of town store at Great Amwell is eventually turned down, maybe they will change their position.