Bid for 350 homes to be refused unless plan revised

The plans for land near Lugg Meadow would be recommended for refusal in thier current form, said planning officers

Plans for a 350-home estate on land bordering a nature reserve will be refused unless concerns over transport connections, flooding and wildlife are addressed, a developer has been told.

Herefordshire Council's principal planning officer Ollie Jones has written to STL Group over its plans for homes, a farm, shop, cafe and workspaces on land east of Hereford.

The proposals, near Lugg Meadow reserve, have drawn more than 145 objections, including from Herefordshire Wildlife Trust.

Mr Jones has asked Savills, the property services firm acting for the developer, to agree to an extension to address a number of points. The BBC has asked Savills how it intends to respond to this.

In his five-page letter Mr Jones set out reasons why the application, for the land south of the A438 Ledbury Road “in its current form, cannot be supported”.

These included the sustainability of the site, transport connections with the city and unaddressed concerns over flooding.

"Some issues identified may be insurmountable through additional information,” he added.

Unless Savills agrees to an extension in which to address these points, or withdraws the application completely, the plan “will be determined in its current form, with a recommendation for refusal”, the letter said.

Mr Jones also confirmed the council had rejected an offer in the application for a new primary school to be built east of the site.

He previously told Land East of Hereford Action Group a further round of public consultation on the estate plan was "likely" given the applicant was looking to submit additional information on issues raised.

This news was gathered by the Local Democracy Reporting Service which covers councils and other public service organisations.

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