HEREFORDSHIRE Council's Cabinet will next week discuss a new road strategy for Hereford.

This, it says, will including the recommendation to prioritise a western bypass.

What is needed

As outlined in the Core Strategy and emerging draft Local Plan, Herefordshire Council says the county needs to develop the infrastructure needed to:

Support growth in the county

There is a requirement to develop around 16,100 new homes in the county by 2041, with many of these being planned for Hereford. The council says that delivering all these new homes is not possible without strengthening its local infrastructure.

"Reducing congestion and improving journey times will be a boost to local businesses and improve residents’ access to work, education, training and services," it says.

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Improve transport connections and strengthen the resilience of the network

"Vehicles travelling north to south through the county mostly go through Hereford to cross the river," says the council.

"Creating another road bridge across the river Wye will reduce reliance on Greyfriars Bridge and the A49 through the city, improving journey times and improving resilience of the network.

Promote better health and wellbeing for residents

The council says: "Reducing the volume of traffic on roads in the city creates the opportunity to deliver improvements to walking, cycling and public space in the city.

Improve local air quality and public places

The council says: "Reducing congestion will help improve air quality in the city making it a cleaner more attractive place to visit and spend time."

Cabinet members will be discussing the road development options and deciding which can best deliver on the Local Plan and support the county to achieve its economic potential.

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Councillor Philip Price, Cabinet member for transport and infrastructure, said:

“The decision we’re taking at our Cabinet meeting next week is an important one for the future of our city and our county. It’s vital we build the infrastructure to support much-needed housing development and economic growth, as set out in our Local Plan.

“We need to look at the information we have in front of us, including the feedback gathered through the Hereford Transport Strategy Review from local residents and businesses, and make the right decision.

"We need to make sure we choose a road strategy that strengthens the resilience of our network, delivers more reliable journey times and improves road connections across the city and county. We need to strengthen links for people and businesses.

“Alongside this, we also need to consider how we can best deliver a wider range of travel choices to make alternatives to private car journeys more attractive.

"We need more accessible and improved public transport, walking and cycling infrastructure, which will be developed in future.

"This in turn will further help to reduce congestion, improve air quality in the city and enable our residents to lead healthier and more active lives.

“There is the potential for a road and river crossing to the west of Hereford to bring many more benefits, so this option has been explored further.

"We now need to make a decision based on the priorities for our new road strategy for Hereford. We will be fully consulting with residents and businesses as we progress.”