Hereford allotments plan narrowly approved

At Herefordshire Council’s planning committee on March 18, Hereford Allotment and Leisure Gardeners (HALGs) chairperson Pauline Shannon pointed out that lawful use of the enclosed land, between the Ross Road Medical Centre and Our Lady’s Catholic Primary School, as allotments had already been established.

The meeting, which was not streamed or recorded due to a technical issue, was therefore only required to decide whether the additional facilities proposed – sheds, a composting toilet, fencing and access onto the A49 Ross Road – were acceptable.

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But Roy Manwaring of Canon Frome urged councillors to consider whether the proposal as it stood aligned with the council’s recent commitment to become a “Child-Friendly Herefordshire”.

HALGs' proposed layout (inset) and the alternative proposal for more public space at the allotment site (from submissions)

“The plans show a very small area of open space, and stipulate that play will be prohibited,” he pointed out.

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Rather than the narrow “accessible area with bench” to the north of the half-acre site, campaign group Friends of Redhill Green Play Area put forward an alternative design for a larger public space to include play area, fruit trees and “communal growing space” separate from the allotments.

Following a debate, the committee narrowly backed planning officer Amber Morris’ recommendation to approve the proposal, on condition HALGs first has plans approved for open space at the site, “in accordance with the (council’s) adopted standards… and retained in perpetuity thereafter”.