FOUR out of five people are backing a radical plan to transform Hereford’s congested inner ring road.

That’s according to Edgar Street Grid (ESG) planners, who want to turn Blueschool Street and Newmarket Street into a tree-lined boulevard.

The plans, which will make the city centre far more pedestrian friendly, have been on display around the county as after they were officially launched at the Shire Hall earlier this month.

Jonathan Bretherton, ESG chief executive, said around 80 per cent of the comments had been positive.

He pointed to the success of an award-winning scheme in Ashford, Kent, where the town’s inner ring road was flattened.

The scheme was described as a “model development” at the Royal Town Planning Institute Awards.

“The success of the Ashford scheme makes me even more confident that our plans are moving in the right direction,” he said.

“It will improve the connectivity between Hereford’s historic core and the development of new homes, leisure and retail on the other side of the highly congested inner ring road.”

Planners want the inner ring road to become a “shared space” with a new link road from Edgar Street to the railway station taking traffic away from the city centre.

The pedestrian-friendly scheme is based on European designs and includes new public spaces outside the Kerry and Farmers’ Club.

The continental-style road would have few markings, while westbound traffic would be allowed to turn in Widemarsh Street.

But as ESG admits, not everyone is impressed.

John Bothamley, of St Weonards, believes the continental approach does not suit Hereford while Peter Beresford thinks a new link road will make problems elsewhere.

“It’s the same thinking which produced Blueschool Street years ago,” the Almeley resident said in a letter to today’s Hereford Times.

“It won’t do much to relieve congestion, only move it around a bit, probably to the foot of Aylestone Hill.”