A plan to build a 230-home estate just south of Hereford has been approved by the narrowest of margins.

Homebuilder Taylor Wimpey had applied for outline permission to develop 10 hectares of farmland along Grafton Lane off the A49, immediately south of the railway.

Speaking on behalf of the Grafton Residents Group, George Hardy urged councillors to reject the plan, calling it “a retro, unimaginative project that will make some people very rich, but will do nothing for people already here”, and which would leave “a damnable legacy”.

“It will attract more vehicles using already congested roads, pour water into the flood-prone Withy Brook, and put further strain on doctors’ surgeries, schools and our hospital,” he said.

Local resident Ben Doouss told today’s (September 28) planning committee: “We already see the A49 queuing right down to the roundabout at the [B4399] relief road, both morning and evening.

“It would be a concern to see 230 units of housing added to that road.”

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Agent for Taylor Wimpey Rob Davies told councillors the plan would “boost the supply of homes for Hereford during a period of historic under-delivery,” adding that 81 of the homes would be classed as affordable.

The plan received no objections from highway authorities or from other technical consultees, and is in accordance with the county’s development plan, he pointed out.

Local ward councillor Paul Rone said he was “on the fence”, having “never been all that keen” on the application, as he felt the railway line served as “natural line” delineating Hereford’s southern boundary. “But I appreciate the need for housing close to the city,” he said.

He appealed to the developer to invest in making the resulting homes sustainable and heat-efficient – “an example of ‘how to’, rather than ‘same old’” – which could save owners thousands of pounds a year on energy bills.

Coun Felicity Norman said: “We must ensure that people are able to walk or cycle safely into town,” and urged that mature trees on the site be retained.

Coun Sebastian Bowen highlighted the loss of grade-two farmland, which Coun Jeremy Milln said was “in conflict with national planning policy”.

But Coun Mark Millmore said the consequences of the council cancelling the southern link road project “are becoming apparent, as we can’t expand the city and give people houses to live in”.

Proposing the committee approve the application, he said: “The lack of objections from the various agencies means I can’t see we can object to it.”

This was “reluctantly” seconded by Coun Polly Andrews, who said: “We would be in great difficulty if we refused it” – a point echoed by committee chair Coun Terry James.

The resulting vote was seven votes for Coun Millmore’s proposal to approve the bid, with six against and no abstentions.