Decision on 350-home city plan *could* be imminent

The fate of a controversial scheme to build up to 350 homes at a sensitive spot on the edge of Hereford hangs in the balance.

The scheme put forward by STL Group in March for an area between the east of the city south of the A438 Ledbury Road and the Lugg Meadows flood plain has brought widespread public opposition, with over 1,000 formal objections submitted, an almost unprecedented number.

Herefordshire Council has given itself until December 20, this Friday, to decide on the application – though this target has slipped before, after Herefordshire Council asked STL’s agent, property services firm Savills, for more information on its bid, which otherwise could “not be supported”.

Such time extensions “are not uncommon” in such large and complex cases, and can be added to indefinitely if both parties agree, according to Ollie Jones, the council’s planning officer on the case.

Savills said in October it would drop the reference to a “potential primary school” from its proposal, and would lower the upper bound on the number of houses – though it did not say by how much.

It also proposed to “revert” some current farmland to a traditional, publicly accessible hay meadow – “creating a surplus of informal recreation provision” with the scheme.

Savills also proposed changes on pedestrian and cycle access to the site said it would submit a further study on flood risk, adding that “a reasonable delivery programme would involve construction starting in later 2026 / early 2027”.

But Mr Jones wrote back in November to say the travel connections and green space “remain serious unresolved matters”, adding it was “imperative” these and other issues “are satisfactorily resolved within a reasonable timeframe”.

The council would also “require a robust comparison of flood risks associated with the site versus alternative sites”, he said. And to allow further consultation on any new proposals, “we would need to discuss revising” the December 20 date.

The timeline for the actual development should meanwhile be “realistic given where we are in the process”, Mr Jones added.

While there have been objections to the impact from the scheme on local transport, schools and other infrastructure, and over the flooding issue, most opposition has focussed on the potential harm to the Lugg Meadow nature reserve immediately east of the site.