A plan has been put forward to build 25 houses at a Herefordshire village, but it has already caused concern locally.

The bid for outline permission, by PlanIT Planning & Development and Arthur Gurney, is for a 1.55-hectare (nearly four-acre) field at Perrys Field on the southeast edge of Wigmore.

The size of the houses has not yet been proposed, but they will be made up of eight homes for “intermediate low cost” and two starter homes, the remaining 15 being for open market sale, the application says.

In an earlier letter delivered to 300 residents, the developers said: “The tenure of the affordable units will be agreed with Herefordshire Council but are likely to comprise a mixture of homes for rent, shared ownership and first-time buyers (sold at a 30-40 per cent discounted price).

“These affordable homes will be offered initially to people with a local connection to Wigmore village.”

Once permission is granted, the applicants intend to sell the land to a housebuilder, “who will submit its own planning application to reach agreement on the design details of the homes”, the letter explained.

The application has been amended in light of pre-application advice from Herefordshire Council.

The plan would require new access onto the main A4110. According to the council’s transport manager, the planned access arrangements are broadly acceptable.

Its education officer has meanwhile confirmed there is enough capacity in local primary and secondary schools.

RELATED NEWS:

The houses would occupy only two-thirds of the site, the rest being taken up with a landscape “buffer” to the east and a sustainable drainage system, which will double as a “greened-up landscape space”, the application says.

The developers presented their plans to Wigmore Parish Council in October last year, and have since run an online consultation with locals.

Among the concerns this yielded are:

  • “Wigmore does not have public transport worthy of note, so people moving into these homes will need their own transport, and there is little opportunity for employment within the village itself, so people will need to travel, thus increasing traffic.”
  • “Narrow roads are already very heavy with traffic.”
  • “Could increase risk of accidents on A4110.”
  • “The neighbourhood development plan allocates only 22 dwellings on this site.”
  • “This area already suffers from flooding.”

Further comments can be made on the application, numbered 221923, can be made until July 22.