Joyce Thomas MBE attended the Town Council meeting on Monday, June 10th to express her concerns about potential development on the Chase Hotel site.

She said: “Although this Council cannot directly affect the decision to close The Chase Hotel, it does have a direct responsibility to oversee any new development proposals relating to the hotel and its grounds.

“The development allocation for The Chase Hotel in the draft Neighbourhood Development Plan (NDP) is based on a scale of five houses possibly rising to 12 if both North and South areas are exploited.

“As the NDP is unlikely to have passed all of the obligatory approval stages, before a formal planning application for The Chase Hotel site is made, can I urge this Council to reject it completely.

Joyce has been out and about in Ross-on-Wye collecting signatures in support of protecting The Chase Hotel from development, but wished to urge residents that they must write letters of objection themselves to planning officers.

Joyce described the proposed development as a ‘gross over exploitation of the site’ and said it would provide far more dwellings than are required adjacent to the Town Centre. Joyce said: “The implications for traffic congestion are overwhelming, with Gloucester Road likely to be grid locked.

“The loss of green space close to the Town would further diminish the quality of life of those living in the proximity of The Chase grounds.”

Councillor Jane Roberts said: “We will certainly take great care with all planning applications that come to us but we cannot predetermine any decision we may make without prejudicing that decision.”

Chair of the NDP, Melvin Reynolds, has posted letters about the Chase Hoitel consultaions through over 80 residents’ doors around The Chase Hotel.

Find out about planning applications that affect you by visiting the Public Notice Portal.

Residents have until June 28th to respond to the consultation. which is available on the Town Council’s website. There are also paper copies at the Corn Exchange.See this week’s paper for more stories like this, available in shops and as a Digital Edition now.