WELLINGTON Heath parish councillors are unanimous in their objection to 625 homes to the north of Ledbury viaduct, and worries over access are high among their concerns.

Cllr Frank Rozelaar, chairman of Wellington Heath's planning committee said of the 3000 plus word response produced by the parish council: "We have spent considerable time assessing the planning application for the north of the Ledbury viaduct site.".

The building of the estate is likely to have a considerable impact on Wellington Heath residents, because under current plans, access to the both the estate and Wellington Heath would be off the Bromyard Road.

Heading from Ledbury towards Bosbury, access to Wellington Heath is at the turns for Beggars Ash and Burtons Lane, and parish councillors fear an increase in bottlenecks, especially during rush hours.

Access to the new estate would be off a mini-roundabout on the Bromyard Road.

Wellington Heath Parish Council's official response to the planning application states: "There is already an unsatisfactory bottleneck at the railway station junction at Ledbury; this correlates with the reality on the ground. Traffic jams extend from the station junction to Beggars Ash at peak times.

"It is clear that there are considerable worries about the access to this proposed development from the Bromyard Road."

Wellington Heath Council is asking why Herefordshire Council, when identifying the north of the viaduct site for a housing estate in its planning blueprint for the next two decades, The Core Strategy, appears to shelved the idea of the main access coming from the Hereford Road, under the viaduct.

The parish council believes that people who responded positively during consultation about the estate did not realise that the main access point would be changed from under the viaduct to the Bromyard Road, and this could raise questions over the validity of the consultation process itself.

The parish council's response states: "Consultations which selected this site in preference to others at Ledbury presumed access from the roundabout at Hereford Road and Leadon Way bypass. Therefore a high standard of satisfactory access is required because without that the selection of this site for development ahead of others would no longer be valid."

Herefordshire Council planners have refused to confirm or deny rumours that they are calling for two access points to the new estate.

When pressed on the matter, a Herefordshire Council spokesman said: " “Herefordshire Council cannot comment at this juncture as the application is currently under consideration; however we wish to reassure everybody that the council will carefully consider all transportation issues, including matters of access.”