Herefordshire Council recently approved a Local Transport Plan for the next five years which, in my view and that of long established local business

people, experienced engineers and surveyors, will fail to deliver the long- term solutions for both our transport problems or future growth of the local economy.

Recently, planning permission was granted for a new road to link the A49 and A465 road at Belmont. I have said repeatedly that

this stretch of highway would never deliver value for money or greatly reduce the traffic flow along Belmont Road, unless it were part of an eastern link road, and this has been confirmed in numerous reports by our own officers. I think it can safely be assumed that the present

administration has merely got their eyes set on the financial returns to be achieved from developing the council small holdings at Grafton, and this

road is to be the first stage of a western relief road to help deliver a further six thousand homes at Kings Acre and Holmer.

The problem is that even if the western relief road is constructed, it will do little to address the flow of traffic along Belmont Road into the city centre, because

motorists will not travel approximately ten miles via Kings Acre and Aylestone Hill as there will be total gridlock in those areas due to the

extensive developments proposed.

There may well be a case for infrastructure improvements both to the east and the west of the city in the future, but we should at present be concentrating on what is affordable and of most benefit to the local economy, and pursue an eastern route with immediate effect.

Most business people will tell you that the only chance of the Enterprise Zone being truly viable in the long term is to have a clear flow of traffic out to the M50 motorway at Ross on Wye, and this can only be achieved via a dual carriageway or greatly improved A49.

It would appear that far too much effort is being concentrated on building

thousands of new homes, without considering the necessity to obtain the secure jobs which are so desperately needed to pay for them. The public will recall that just over three years ago, this

administration assured us that within five years, the enterprise zone would

deliver five thousand plus well-paid jobs. To date it has only provided around 100 from outside the county, and those are mainly as a result of the extremely

generous conditions being offered to new businesses.

I have grave concerns about the plan being achievable without the infrastructure improvements mentioned above.

Bob Matthews

Credenhill Ward.