Dear Editor, On December 17th 2014, Herefordshire Council refused a 35 house planning application in Bridstow by Fortis Living. "Why?" I hear you ask. Well, access to the site was considered unsafe for the increased traffic as it was located along a narrow country lane and the 'estate' would be detrimental to the Wye Valley AONB as it would not be in keeping with the local housing patterns nor Government legislation.
Strong reasons for refusal you would think, but obviously, not to the Developer. So, this week Fortis Living lodged an appeal with the Planning Inspectorate to overturn a decision that was welcomed by both residents and the statutory bodies that exist to protect our environment for now and the future.
So, is this just a problem for Bridstow? Well, our neighbours in Lea and Weston-under-Penyard, to mention just two local villages, are facing a similar battle which brings into question the Government's emphasis in the Localism Act 2011. The Act intended to give communities the power to determine their future as 'they are the people who know best what they need.'
In fact, most of the local parishes are busy producing their own development plans which would reject the majority of these larger-scale developments. I fully support appropriate growth but by my own reckoning there are now over 700 houses on the cards within five miles of Ross-on-Wye (Tanyard Lane nearing completion and proposals at Over-Ross, Hildersley, Lea, Weston-under-Penyard and Bridstow in various stages of consideration.)
Whilst Herefordshire Council is trying to manage the deluge of inappropriate developments there appears to be no mechanism to 'pause' these proposals to allow Herefordshire to implement its Core Strategy, which is close to completion, and enable local volunteers the time to establish their own development plans.
Developers are sprinting in a race against local communities and the Council - at the moment, they are winning!
Whether Fortis Living wins in Bridstow is up to the residents and the Council to convince the Planning Inspector that the Developer is wrong. A Hearing will be held by the Planning Inspector on July 22nd, 2015 in Hereford – let the battle commence!
Graham Thwaites, Bridstow