ONE of the biggest employers in the county has objected to the 1,200-homes proposal in Three Elms in Hereford.

Heineken, which employs 296 people at the Cider Mills in Plough Lane, Hereford and a further 350 within the local supply chain, objects to the proposal to build the homes on a site which is bordered by the A4103 Roman Road to the north and the A438 Kings Acre Road to the south.

Strongbow, Woodpecker, Scrumpy Jack and Bulmers is made at the cider production facility.

In the objection letter, a law firm writing on behalf of Heineken, said: "Water is a critical ingredient in the production of cider and our client has licences to abstract groundwater from the Kings Acre, Red Barn and Longlands borehole groups.

"Water abstracted from these boreholes accounts for approximately 80 percent of the water used at the Cider Mills.

"Welsh Water mains supply accounts for the other 20 percent but there is no capacity for the mains system to provide any more water to the Cider Mills.

"Any threat to either the quality or quantity of water it is able to abstract therefore jeopardises the continued operation of the Cider Mills, which would have a devastating effect on the local economy as well as on our client's business."

The letter adds that Heineken believes the new development will pose a risk to local groundwater supplies and to the mains water supply, as well as pose a flood risk.

It also adds that Heineken commissioned a consulting company to review the application and said their report showed a number of deficiencies and omissions from the application and the supporting material.

Outline planning permission is being sought by the Church Commissioners, the financial wing of the Church of England, to build the homes at Three Elms.

Herefordshire Council allocated the site for a Sustainable Urban Expansion in its Herefordshire Core Strategy and the land is predominantly being used for agriculture, with the settlement of Huntington lying at the centre and the Yazor Brook running through the land.

A planning decision has not yet been made. A spokesman for the Church Commissioners said it would not be appropriate to comment at this stage.