Many residents have lodged objections to the proposal by the Ross Alms House charity for a development on land adjacent to Cawdor Gardens and Old Market Close, in Ross-on-Wye. Their main concern is regarding access to the site, which would be through a former railway arch.

The planning application is for permission to build 32 new homes and sale of this site would allow the charity to provide more affordable homes in Ross.

A previous application for this site included the demolition of the railway bridge to allow for access, but in this new application the bridge will be retained and protected.

The application states that the proposed site is accessed via Homs Rd, and up Cawdor Arch Road, through a tunnel. As some of the objectors have pointed out there is a very clear pinch point at the archway. The width of the arch is not thought to be large enough for delivery vehicles or emergency vehicles.

The application is for 32 dwellings, of which 13 will be affordable homes, an ecological corridor, a separate public open space and provision of access enhancements.

Several of the letters already included with the information about the planning application refer to the problems of access and also that the route, which would become the main access, is already heavily used by pedestrians, including children walking to school. Parents are among those who have lodged objections as they are concerned about their children’s safety when using this as a route to school.

The design and access statement which accompanies the application states that the developer is aware of the issue but not how they intend to deal with it. The applicants have suggested that Herefordshire Highways Department will need to improve the junction at Homs Road.

The Ross Gazette asked Herefordshire Council’s planning department how vehicles used in the construction of the development would access the site. A spokesperson for Herefordshire Council said, “It has been proposed that construction vehicles would access the site via Cawdor Arch Road beneath the restricted bridge that is to be retained. Herefordshire Council as local planning authority has not yet formed a view as to the suitability (or otherwise) of the vehicular access arrangements.”See the full story in this week’s edition of the Ross Gazette, or subscribe to our online edition here