Work to begin on £2m flood prevention scheme

The scheme will allow up to 400 new homes to be built in Hereford, according to the council

Work is to begin on a £2m flood prevention scheme that will enable the building of up to 400 new homes in Hereford.

In August, Herefordshire Council's planning committee approved installing ponds to store flood water along the Widemarsh Brook around Merton Meadow in Hereford.

A spokesperson for the authority said cabins would be installed and preparatory work carried out at the sites imminently, with groundwork likely to begin after 20 October.

Council leader Jonathan Lester said they hoped the scheme would be completed "towards the end of the year".

However, councillors heard that concerns remained about the loss of car parking the changes could cause.

The car park next to the brook is near to Hereford FC's Edgar Street ground.

Widemarsh councillor Polly Andrews said she had "been assured on many occasions that there will be no loss of Merton Meadow car parking until a new car park is built elsewhere".

She said the loss was "a great anxiety" to people who use the football club or park there on a daily basis.

Andrews was critical of previous public consultations on the scheme but added that there would now be a further round of consultation at her request.

Parking pledge

Councillor Mark Woodall said he hoped future public communications about the scheme would "engage with the visitors and the local supporters of the football ground".

He added that fans feared the loss of the car park at the ground would "kill off attendance and the takings of retail businesses who thrive off the large crowds".

Lester said Merton Meadow was a substantial car park and any development would have an effect on parking provision.

"It's part of a wider strategy that we must adopt to make sure that we have sufficient parking provision and we're working on schemes to make sure that that is seen as a greater whole," he added.

On the public consultations, he said: "We will do everything we can to make sure that everyone has their say."