City residents’ redevelopment concerns

Residents of a Hereford street say they are alarmed at plans to redevelop the vacant land opposite their homes, which they claim to have had no notice of.

Avenbury Estates of Birmingham has submitted plans to turn waste ground on the east side of Mortimer Road into 11 business units.

“We’ve had nothing through the letterbox on this, no signs on lampposts,” resident Margaret Jenkins said.

“ I happened to read about it online. My neighbours didn’t know about it until I told them.”

A Herefordshire Council spokesperson disputed this.

“It is council policy that planning applications are publicised through notices displayed around the site, and for larger applications through a notice within the local newspaper,” he said.

“Both were carried out for this application.”

Residents have other concerns too, Mrs Jenkins said.

“We aren’t happy about having the units just opposite us. The existing units up the road are set well back from the road, not as they want these units to be.”

The planned metal-clad portal-frame buildings adjacent to Mortimer Road will be 6 metres high, the others, 9 or 10 metres high, according to plans with the application.

Residents also fear “horrendous” traffic on the road, as lorries “already have trouble with access”, Mrs Jenkins said.

However a transport analysis with the application claims the impact on traffic will be “negligible”.

There is already “a caustic smell” from the car bodywork shop on the west side of the houses, and with business units at the front as well, “we will be surrounded by more noise, smell and traffic”, Mrs Jenkins said.

She added: “We used to have nice trees to look out at, but they were cut down a couple of years ago.”

The site appears to be owned by local property and self-storage firm the Milton Group, according to its now defunct website. There was no response on its published phone number.

No contact details could be found for the applicant.

Comments on the application, numbered 223093, can be made until tomorrow, November 3.