At the Ross-on-Wye Town Council meeting on Monday, April 8th, Joyce Thomas MBE asked Mayor Harry Bramer if he would endorse the ‘opinions that are coming forward from the people of Ross-on-Wye’ that the grounds of The Chase Hotel should be designated as a Local Green Space in the Neighbourhood Development Plan.

Councillor Bramer said: “Yes. I fully believe that the grounds at the Chase Hotel meet the criteria for a Local Green Space designation in all five aspects as set out in the National Planning Policy Framework.

“The grounds at The Chase Hotel are in close proximity to the community of the town and are held in high regard by the community because of its beauty, historic significance, recreational value and richness in wildlife - not to mention the tranquillity they afford.

“I will be putting a motion to the new council at our May meeting after the elections are finished.”

Local Green Space designation allows local communities to protect green spaces of local importance, and these can be identified through neighbourhood plans. This helps to protect land from housing developments, but a green space cannot be awarded once planning permission has been accepted.

Joyce Thomas and Marie Ward will be out an about in Ross-on-Wye on Thursday, April 11th with a petition to ‘Save The Chase Hotel’, and they also hope to collate more views.

Residents are invited to express their views about this. You can write to Samantha Banks, Herefordshire Council, The Neighbourhood Planning Team, Plough Lane, Hereford, HR4 0XH. Or, alternatively, write to Councillor Bramer, The Corn Exchange, 7 High Street, Ross-on-Wye, HR9 7HL.See this week’s paper for more stories like this, available in shops and as a Digital Edition now.