Over 60 local residents, two dogs, and a horse came out to protest the potential for development at a site in Greytree on Sunday, September 30th.

The site, which is currently owned by multiple charitites, has been put forward for inclusion in the Neighbourhood Plan. This inclusion would allow for a potential planning application to be put in for residential housing at some time in the future.

There was a Public Meeting held on Thursday, September 27th, in which Proctor Chartered Surveyors attended. This company was formed by its two main directors, Sarah and Simon Proctor.

Simon, who specialises in planning and development project management, told the Ross Gazette: “Ross-on-Wye is developing a Neighbourhood Plan. This plan is going to be brought forward for the public to comment on. We think this site should be included in the Neighbourhood Plan, so we are here to find out people’s opinion. The Neighbourhood Plan is there to allow locals a say in the type, style, and size of development, and where it goes. It is about giving local people more say."

Many locals who attended the Public Meeting felt that the promise that locals could be involved in such decisions was false.

Mr and Mrs Leney, of Brampton Road, said: “We were told that development was coming whether we liked it or not, and that this scheme was of a lower housing density than any other that might be proposed, therefore we should be grateful.”

One key concern expressed to the Ross Gazette was that Second Avenue is the proposed access route. One resident said: “It cannot cope with the current volume of traffic, let alone more. With a development of 35 houses, we can expect at least 70 cars. This is not sustainable.”

Herefordshire’s Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessment (SHLAA), 2011, corroborates this view. With a view to planning and development, Herefordshire Council state that: “Access off First and Second Avenue would not be suitable. Brampton Road requires improvement and substantial works to make this acceptable for transportation.”See the full story in this week’s edition of the Ross Gazette, or subscribe to our online edition here