Waitrose at Van Hages

News and views on shopping in the county town.
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Steve
Project Leader
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Re: Waitrose at Van Hages

Post by Steve » Sun 13 Mar, 2016 4:18 am

Six months on and nothing from Van Hage/Waitrose.

If they were going to submit a revised planning application surely they would have done it by now.

SloopJohnB
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Re: Waitrose at Van Hages

Post by SloopJohnB » Tue 15 Mar, 2016 9:44 pm

One could also ask what has happened to the Wrenbridge planning application for the regeneration of Bircherley Green. According to their Twitter account and I quote: 'We will be submitting a planning application on the Bircheley Green Shopping Centre in Hertford. A mix of retail, A3, hotel and residential
6:22 a.m. - 15 Dec 2015'. They add: 'Wrenbridge ‏@Wrenbridge Mar 3
Up to 5 planning applications due to go in before the end of June and hopefully 3-4 build contracts too which will total close to 40M.'

One has to ask where this hotel will be placed on the Hertford Monopoly Board.

One could also ask what has happened to the Hertford Town Centre Urban Design Strategy developed by Tibbalds and others which includes amongst other things the following: 2.2.20 Hotels: Requirements registered by hotel operators and collated by AspinallVerdi show that there is known demand for a hotel in the area. Given the limited supply of hotels within Hertford there is likely to be potential demand for a new hotel in the town centre. Provision of a hotel will further support tourism within the town and help to establish the evening economy. Businesses are also likely to benefit from such a facility.

Well that's a surprise given the announcement from Tibbalds - or possibly the other way round.

You may wonder where this Strategy has been hiding (other than in a folder on my home computer). It was presented to the various councils and stakeholders who have contributed to this development (unfortunately not the writer) on Feb 18. On Feb 25 it was presented to the Development Management Control Committee.

If you would like to read and inwardly digest this massive tome of 112 pages (landscape view) as an Adobe reader file then go to

http://democracy.eastherts.gov.uk/ieLis ... 2839&Ver=4
and look for ERPB.

Almost the whole of Hertford had an input into this yet it remains hidden away from public view including it would seem the Fourth Estate or the Hertfordshire Mercury. The relevance of this strategy was conveyed to Council by Planning Officers as such: 'Officers advised on the distinction between an urban strategy and a neighbourhood plan within the context of considering a planning application. The Panel noted that an adopted neighbourhood plan formed part of the development plan, whilst this Strategy did not, although it was a material consideration that could inform a planning application.' Clear as a pub glass. The full minutes are also available as above.

Finally D-Day approaches or June 16th.

Final PS in answer to Steve I believe the Mercury reported that Van Hages would be resubmitting an application once they were certain of a positive response which I assume means redesignation of the Green Belt. This was expected to be later this year. In the meantime Waitrose/Diageo/Wrenbridge/East Herts have to make up their mind as to what they really really want.

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Capitalist Piglet
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Re: Waitrose at Van Hages

Post by Capitalist Piglet » Wed 06 Jul, 2016 4:46 pm

Whatever your views on Britexit may I suggest that for the foreseeable any development of Bircheley (& probably Van Hages) are now dead in the water. Fund managers have got other things on their minds...

newcomer
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Re: Waitrose at Van Hages

Post by newcomer » Fri 16 Sep, 2016 9:33 am

Waitrose halting new stores nationwide

This seems like another nail in the coffin. Now can we stop the disastrous planned closing of the bus station?

highwood38
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Re: Waitrose at Van Hages

Post by highwood38 » Fri 16 Sep, 2016 12:21 pm

That was my thought exactly, though some papers did mention two new stores still going ahead (though I think those were ones already under development). When you read the press release you'd think the Hertford store would be perfect for their new preferred Waitrose store concept of bakeries/wine bars/juice bars/online integration with John Lewis orders...

http://waitrose.pressarea.com/pressrele ... WS_13/7268

Smudger
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Re: Waitrose at Van Hages

Post by Smudger » Thu 22 Sep, 2016 6:53 am

I hope your right, but Waitrose might consider VH's to be a replacement site rather than a new one

Sniffer Dog
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Re: Waitrose at Van Hages

Post by Sniffer Dog » Mon 24 Oct, 2016 6:12 pm

Looks like there's movement on proposals for Bircherley Green. If you go to East Herts Council's website, look under the Council Information heading on the home page for the link to the calendar of meetings. There's one on November 2nd entitled "Bircherley Green Redevelopment Proposals (presentation by owners)".

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