Planned new housing estate draws 147 objections

There are fears that the proposed development in Hereford could drive curlews away

Proposals to build a new 350-home estate in Herefordshire have attracted 147 public objections.

The proposed site is on 25 hectares (61 acres) of farmland located south of the A438 Ledbury Road, between Hereford's eastern edge and the Lugg Meadows nature reserve.

So far no messages of support have been published on Herefordshire Council's planning website.

Savills, acting on behalf of the developer STL Group, said: "We will now carefully consider all of the representations submitted and where there are opportunities to make changes which will address the objections and positively improve the proposals we will do so."

Recurring themes in the objections are the likely impact on the nature reserve, a site of special scientific interest (SSSI).

The RSPB objected that the scheme would cause "irreversible damage to the protected and nationally important biodiversity" of the SSSI.

Local wildlife surveyor Stephen Watkins said any damage to the meadows “will cause the curlew to leave, and if that happens, I think we will see the end of curlews in the county”.

Government advisory body Active Travel England objected that the scheme would not "enable, encourage and embed active travel".

It asked for more proposals to encourage a "modal shift to walking, wheeling and cycling to central Hereford and the surrounding area".

And Welsh Water said the local fresh water supply had "insufficient capacity to serve the development", meaning the supply to existing households would be hit.

The water company warned the existing sewerage system lacked capacity, meaning the scheme could impact on existing customers and on the environment.

Savills and STL Group told the BBC: "Very careful consideration has been given to a wide range of matters including biodiversity, flood risk and drainage, transport and movement."

They also said there was an "urgent need" for sustainably designed and constructed new homes in Hereford.

Comments via the planning site close on Wednesday with a decision on the application due in June.

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