Hereford city industrial units plan dropped

Plans to turn a vacant triangle of land in Hereford into light industrial units have been withdrawn following criticism from residents and officials.

Birmingham-based Avenbury Estates wanted to redevelop the currently overgrown half-hectare site east of Mortimer Road off the main A49 through the city. The 11 new units would have ranged between six and ten metres in height.

National Highways, which manages the A49, at first recommended the plan not be approved until the applicant provided more information on how traffic from the new units would impact on the immediate road network, particularly the A49/Mortimer Road junction. But this was later addressed by the applicant.

The council’s own transport officer also queried whether large lorries could realistically access the site, while its ecology officer said the given the site’s flood-prone location, access to vehicles and pedestrians should be ensured even during floods.

The council’s senior landscape officer Mandy Neill said the plan would be “much improved” if the “large, dull” business unit nearest the houses on the west side of Mortimer Road were removed, allowing instead a “green frontage” to the site.

However economic development manager Nadine Kinsey said: “We are supportive of the size, type and location of this development within the city, and that it supports the objectives within our recently approved Big Economic Plan.”

Fifteen objections were lodged by residents, for reasons including “will be a traffic nightmare ”, “would put our parked cars at risk of damage”, “noise from extra traffic”, “nowhere for storm floodwater to go”, “buildings are far to close to our homes”, “lack of landscaping to soften the appearance”, and “development more sensitive to residents and local area would be nice”.