A further 49 houses within a large Herefordshire town development have just been approved.

It marks the second phase of Barratt Homes’ Hawk Rise development south of Leadon Way, Ledbury.

The first and larger phase of 275 homes was approved in 2019 and are already being marketed.

The phase two homes, mostly at the east end of the site, take the total for the site to 324, three more than the original 321 granted outline permission on appeal in 2016.

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The initial approval was held up by a High Court case between Barratt and Ornua, owner of the cheese factory across Dymock Road from the site, to secure noise mitigation measures.

The revised second-phase proposals move most of the remaining development away from the factory due to the noise issue, freeing up land here for public open space instead.

To meet Herefordshire Council’s policy requirement of 40 per cent affordable housing, the split among the 49 will be:

  • Rented affordable housing: four one-bed “maisonettes” and eight two-bedroom houses;
  • Shared-ownership affordable housing: six two-bedroom and two three-bedroom houses;
  • Private housing: four two-bedroom, ten three-bedroom and 15 four-bedroom houses.

These will “will fall seamlessly in line” with the existing homes, with which they will share the same materials, the application says.

The council’s planning officer recommended approval, saying residential development of the site was sustainable and supported by the Herefordshire county plan, or Core Strategy, as well as by the Ledbury neighbourhood development plan and by national planning policy.

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The revised layout plans and proposed noise attenuation and mitigation measures mean the development “now meets the relevant requirements in respect of noise”.

With “no technical objections to the proposals”, the officer’s recommendation was to approve them subject to a “Section 106” agreement, under which Barratt would provide or fund local infrastructure improvements.