The Secretary of State for Defence has backed the MoD’s objection to the planning application for more than 200 new houses in Hildersley.

The proposal is an application for approximately 212 houses to be built at Hildersley Farm, including affordable housing, public open space and associated works.

The site is near to land owned by the Ministry of Defence, but the MoD said that this statement is slightly misleading. They said:?“The MoD firing range is not just within close proximity of the application site, it immediately adjoins the western boundaries of the application site.”

The MoD published full details of its concerns on January 24th, mainly regarding how noise will affect new residents and questioning the agent’s record of the frequency the firing range is used. They request that the Local Planning Authority refuse planning permission for the proposed development.

Ross Town Council has reiterated its request for a roundabout to be installed to allow access to the site and to ensure that traffic approaching Ross along the A40 slows down.

In their comment submitted to Herefordshire Council on January 18th, 2017 the members of the Planning Committee at Ross Town Council said:?“Members reiterate again their concerns about access to and from the A40 and are of the opinion that a roundabout would be the safest means of access and would ensure that traffic approaching Ross slows down. Having made this request twice before, the council would like to know whether this has been considered or if and why it has been rejected.”

NHS England asked for a contribution of £54,256 in capital contribution to enable the delivery of services to the new residents, when the application was for 250 houses in 2015.

The consultation ends on Thursday, February 9th. There have already been many responses from interested parties and many local residents.

Before the original application was submitted the project team from RPS Planning and Development held a public consultation event at the Larruperz Centre in November 2015, which more that 80 people attended.

Many visitors welcomed new homes being built but the main issues raised were the potential impact on local services such as schools and GP surgeries. The site is identified in Herefordshire’s draft core strategy as a strategic urban extension to Ross-on-Wye and suitable for development.

If you would like to comment visit the Council’s website at www.herefordshire.gov.uk and search for the planning application 150930.