AFTER two decades of waiting, work has finally started on the town’s new Enterprise Park at Model Farm.

While the formal cutting of the sod ceremony to indicate building work has begun is a few weeks away, work to create a road infrastructure on the 17-acre strategic employment site that includes access roads, utilities, drainage and estate roads will be constructed first.

It is hoped that the Ross Enterprise Park will become one of Herefordshire’s largest business hubs.

As part of the initial stages there will be road restrictions in the Hildersley area, including a 30mph speed limit.

Ross County Councillor Ed O’Driscoll said: “The Enterprise Park has been a long time coming but I’m hopeful this will bring much needed employment to our town.

“I’ll be doing my best to minimise impact (to local residents) while the work is being done.

“I’ve visited the site, met the manager and I will stay closely involved to ensure disruption for nearby residents is kept to a minimum.

“This project has been a long time in development. If delivered well it offers the prospect of skilled employment opportunities for younger people in the town and space for ambitious local firms to expand with interest from businesses has been encouraging.”

Herefordshire Council has made a £7.25 million investment into Ross Enterprise Park, which will provide vital office and light industrial space.

It will also help local firms expand, attracting new investment, and creating hundreds of new high value jobs in the county.

Councillor Harry Bramer, cabinet member for community services and assets, said that council was investing for Herefordshire’s future.

He added: “We’ve worked hard to resolve various obstacles, and after many years of planning, it’s finally all systems go.

“We’re moving at pace to create this vital asset for Ross-on-Wye and the whole county’s economy.

“It is expected that businesses will be able to build bespoke light industrial or office-based facilities and move in from late 2027.”

The first phase of the site offers four one-acre development-ready plots, comprising of 77,000 to 100,000 square feet of space. This initiative tackles a decade-long shortage of employment sites in the Ross area.

The entire site is in Herefordshire Council’s ownership and vacant possession is available on providing the small holding tenant requisite notice.

The site already benefits from planning permission approved by the planning and regulatory committee on in February 2018, and that consent remains in place as the physical work on site has already commenced just before the deadline expires.

The first phase also includes all public highway, creating a proper access to the site from the A40 to satisfy planning obligations.

The wider site infrastructure and highways work will subsequently be developed in future phases that meet the market demand.

Councillor Graham Biggs, cabinet member for economy and growth, said: “This major development will boost the local economy and create more better paid jobs. Providing the right conditions is essential to developing our key growth sectors, attracting inward investment, and retaining local talent.”