‘300 Hereford homes plan not environmentally friendly’

Hereford councillors have blasted one of Britain’s largest housebuilding firms for not acknowledging climate change with their plans for 300 south of the city.

Taylor Wimpey UK, who build and sell more than 10,000 homes each year, have set their sights on land north and south of Grafton lane.

But Hereford city councillors said the High Wycombe-based company told them that they would not include environmentally friendly measures such as electric charging points, solar panels and more energy efficient heating in the scheme.

“We had a presentation from Taylor Wimpey who are proposing a substantial development of nearly 300 at Grafton,” councillor Polly Andrews told Hereford City Council’s meeting this week.

“I felt it was quite depressing, I think other members of the committee listening to them would agree with me.

“They seemed to make no acknowledgement of climate change.”

She told the committee that councillors asked if they would be putting in electric charging points, solar panels and more energy efficient heating.

“The answer came, no they would not,” she said.

“I only hope they took notice of our comments and when the substantive application comes before the main planning committee at county council that some acknowledgement of these comments are made.

“It was really quite depressing that they did not seem to appreciate the world had moved on.”

Mayor Kath Hey said she was really concerned and asked for the town clerk to write to the firm on the council’s behalf.

Taylor Wimpey’s proposals for Grafton lane include affordable homes, green space and play and recreation areas.

The scheme would also see a new access created from the A49 Ross road while vehicles will also be able to enter the site from Grafton lane itself.

Architects working on the plans say the proposals for the more than 32 acre site comply with the council’s core strategy and national planning policies

Around 19 acres of the site would be used for housing, this works out at an average density of around 39 homes for every 2.4 acres.

And just over eight acres would be used for public open spaces, a new children’s play area, landscaping and a new network of traffic-free routes.

The proposals would also include pedestrian and cycle links and architects say the housing estate would be benefit from the existing nearby bus stops on the A49.

The site itself currently covers four parcels of arable farmland.

Herefordshire Council planning officers are expected to consider the scheme by November 26, 2019.