THERE was a large turn out for a public meeting meeting at Brampton Abbotts village hall on Monday evening (October 1st) to discuss the PGL planning application for its activity centre at Hole-in-the-Wall. The meeting, organised by Brampton Abbotts and Foy Parish Council, went some way to reassure residents – though not completely.

In August PGL submitted plans to Herefordshire Council for the proposed conversion and re-development at the company's Court Farm site. This included new low cost affordable dwellings and changing Court Farm activity centre to residential usage. The combined effect of these applications will turn what were seven conventional homes in 1967 into 23 new residences in 2012.

Local residents however, have been concerned that the present infrastructure would be unable to cope with a development of this scale and the apparent lack of provision for rare species in the planning, such as bats.

While there was support for the converting back of seven houses as well as creating three starter homes, residents suggested that the plans submitted for the remaining affordable housing were of 'urban design. They were worried that they did not comply with the Herefordshire Development Plan that says: 'there will be support for developments that would enable the locality to remain rural and that should not prejudice the current environment,' and that: 'the scale of additional traffic that would be created by this scheme in its entirety would be unsustainable.'

Traffic safety for the many people who walk in this area was also a matter of concern.

Any interested parties wishing to comment further can do so by October 10th at http://www.herefordshire.gov.uk/housing/planning">www.herefordshire.gov.uk/housing/planning