A SMALL village could be faced with up to 300 new houses in the next 15 years, it has been claimed.

Anger erupted at Lyonshall’s parish council meeting when residents from Holmes Marsh, a hamlet in the parish, voiced concerns over plans for a “mini estate”.

The proposals for eight homes had already been approved unanimously by parish councillors and have since been rubber-stamped by Herefordshire Council.

Aggrieved that those living in the community of just 30 houses knew little about the plans, the protesters claim the parish council had “buried” its original Neighbourhood Development Plan (NDP). Drawn up after consultation with the parish as a whole, this amounted to just two new houses per year in Lyonshall – making a total of 40 by 2031.

Without guidelines laid down within the NDP, local people are anxious that support for housing applications now puts Lyonshall in line for up to 92 houses in that time.

Figures show that 35 have already been approved by Herefordshire Council, 26 are pending and up to 31 more are considered a possibility.

This level of development represents a 30 per cent increase in just five years, the protesters claim.

By this reckoning, there are real concerns that Lyonshall could be on course to double in size, having to absorb 300 new houses by 2030.

The majority of those living in Holmes Marsh packed Lyonshall memorial hall to voice their protests over the current major housing plans.

In a heated exchange at the parish council meeting, it was suggested that the NDP had been delayed at Lyonshall because Herefordshire Council’s Core Strategy 12 per cent growth indicator – 36 houses for Lyonshall – was too constraining.

One Holmes Marsh man pointed out that by delaying consultations with parishioners about the new NDP, and the number of houses they want, there was nothing to stop the parish council from “encouraging and supporting” new plans.