A report has been published recommending the selection of a preferred route for the Hereford Bypass.

Following Cabinet approval of a short list in January a public consultation was carried out in February and March to assess the public view of the Hereford Transport Package, which included active travel measures and proposed bypass route corridors. In addition, considerable technical work has been undertaken to assess environmental, engineering, economic and traffic factors that affect the different routes.

Based on the technical work and the public consultation feedback, more detailed reports have been produced which recommend a preferred route. Based on this assessment the recommendation has been made to opt for the Red Route. If cabinet approve this recommendation the red route will be taken forward for further scheme development and consultation later this year.

This next phase of consultation will then enable stakeholders to comment on the detail of a bypass scheme based on the Red Route corridor and complementary active travel measures. The results of this consultation would then inform a future cabinet decision to confirm the bypass scheme and associated active travel measures.

These reports are now available on the Herefordshire Council website.

Cllr Philip Price, cabinet member infrastructure, said: “Herefordshire Council has had aspirations to deliver a bypass for Hereford for decades, and the project is now beginning to take shape. The Bypass will be key to promoting growth and active travel in South Wye and across the city.

“It will boost Herefordshire’s economy by allowing greater access to Hereford Enterprise Zone, as well as improving journey time and quality through reduced traffic congestion and delays. The scheme will also help to promote health and wellbeing in Hereford, addressing traffic emissions and noise, reducing accidents and encouraging physical wellbeing through active travel.

“We would like to thank everybody who took part in the recent consultation for their valuable feedback - more than half (59%) told us they were in favour of a bypass. The technical work has shown that the Red Route is more appropriate than the alternative routes when considering environmental factors and minimising the impact on people and residences throughout the core strategy corridor.

“We are now letting people know about the next steps to keep local residents and businesses fully updated and involved with progress on the Hereford Transport Package, which will have huge strategic value for the whole county.”

Herefordshire Council’s Cabinet is due to consider reports and recommendations regarding the Hereford Transport Package which will include considering the preferred route for the bypass at a meeting on Friday, July 27th, 2018 at 10am.

In advance of this, the council’s General Scrutiny Committee has called in the decision for pre-decision scrutiny; and will consider the issue on Wednesday, July 18th, 2018 at 10am.

Both these meetings will be held in public at the Shire Hall in Hereford, and anyone is able to attend to observe the proceedings. Members of the public will be able to ask questions in advance of these meetings and the audio of the meetings will also be broadcast live. Details of how to submit a question and how to attend or listen to the meetings online are available on the council’s website.

The report for General Scrutiny Committee and all accompanying information is now available to view on the council website. The Cabinet papers, including a proposed response to any recommendations made by General Scrutiny Committee will be published on or before July 19th.