POLLUTION on one Leominster road which continues to breach EU law should be taken more seriously, a council committee was told.

The comments were made by Councillor Felicity Norman as planners debated two separate applications for a total of 35 new homes in Leominster.

The schemes – for 12 new homes with garages on land off Ginhall Lane and 23 new homes on land at and west of West Winds, Cholstrey Road – both received objections from Leominster Town Council and the town's Civic Society.

The applications were deferred at a meeting in December so consideration could be given to the two sites being served by one access point off Cholstrey Road.

The committee heard that Leominster Town Council was concerned about the impact that the development could have on the Bargates, where pollution levels already regularly exceed the national target. The road is monitored monthly.

Ward member, Councillor Felicity Norman, said: "The air pollution on the Bargates is already very serious indeed. We have the prospect of 420 plus houses being built at Baron's Cross and 1,500 homes proposed for the southern urban expansion site.

"The Bargates has been an air quality management area for some time and contravenes the EU directive."

The committee heard that Herefordshire Council's core strategy states new development proposals would be encouraged in Leominster where they did not exacerbate air pollution levels at Bargates.

"We have been waiting for over two years for some work to be done on our traffic lights to ensure they are smart and respond to traffic as it's coming and going," Cllr Norman said.

"We are still waiting. We are told in recent reports that poor air quality has led to 40,000 early deaths in the UK. We really have a serious problem here and I don't think we are taking it sufficiently seriously."

The committee also heard that developers had not engaged in discussion with Leominster Town Council or the community about the plans.

The proposed sites were not listed in the emerging Leominster Neighbourhood Plan (LANP) as potential future sites for development, the committee was told, and there were also concerns about the impact on the landscape and green corridor and road safety issues.

The committee approved the scheme for 12 homes but refused the subsequent plan for 23 new houses.