A NEW development of 44 new homes in Western-under-Penyard has been approved by Herefordshire planners, writes Ella Hamilton.

At last week’s Herefordshire Council’s planning and Regulatory Committee meeting, Oxfordshire-based Lagan Homes were given permission to construct 26 open market dwellings and 18 homes that are classed as affordable housing.

The type of housing will range from two-bedroom houses to five-bedroom houses and will have a density on the site which covers approximately 2.09 hectares of land featuring 11 dwellings per hectare.

The site also contains two sites of scientific special interest for both the River Lugg and for Wigpool and the Ironstone Mine.

The developer has committed to implement eco-friendly aspects to the builds, including electric vehicle charging ports, solar panels and heat pumps.

A public consultation received 47 comments, including objections over the amount of housing and various issues such as the number of car-owing families adding to the traffic on the A40, the risk to local native habitats and wildlife and that the site is atop Roman remains and the destruction this development may cause.

The risk of flooding and the danger for pedestrians was another concern due to the proximity to the A40, which had been previously raised by residents, who highlighted the dangers of flooding for the new builds, but also the exacerbation of the surface water flooding issues to existing houses.

Seventeen supporting comments pointed out that the area is low on housing and the location of the site has the benefit of being close to Ross-on-Wye. Comments also acknowledged the plans respect of the Roman remains.

However the planning committee were concerned about the safety of pedestrians on the A40 and the necessity of a roundabout or a pelican crossing to complement to the development.

Councillor Harry Bramer, Western-under-Penyard ward member (Con) said: “This is a matter of safety of the new residents and existing residents of Western-under-Penyard. It’s not against the development; it is just to make it safe.”

Weston Under Penyard Parish Council told the committee: “A previous application for this site included a controlled crossing. Such a crossing is absent from the current application.

“We also have grave concerns about the proposed form of the roundabout at the site entrance. A mini roundabout of the style suggested is not going to be effective.

“We already have an example of this in the village. A mini roundabout was installed outside the Weston Cross public house, but this has done little to slow traffic.”

The authority’s planning officer observed that there were no other reasonably available sites which could accommodate the development which were at a lower risk of flooding and added: “The development is appropriately flood resistant and resilient such that, in the event of a flood, it could be quickly brought back into use without significant refurbishment.”

The developer has agreed to provide financial contributions to the local area which includes updating the pre-existing play area and the village hall. Additional financial contributions amounting to £260,000 will be set aside for education purposes, post-16 education and special education needs.