THREE hundred new houses switched from north Hereford to south could be heading back "home".

Plans for the suburb were first set for Holmer before being sent over the Wye to Bullinghope when Herefordshire Council drew up its Unitary Development Plan (UDP) in 2004.

This week a Government planning inspector said that the homes should stay in Holmer to help secure road and rail improvements for the area.

A fierce political battle broke out when the homes were switched. Supporters said the move would help find funding for a Rotherwas access relief road.

Critics claimed a new South Wye suburb would worsen existing traffic problems, destroy an area of great landscape value and lose the provision for affordable homes that the Holmer development had.

Both sides are waiting to see what the council will do with the inspector's recommendation.

Councillor Phil Edwards, cabinet member for environment, said all objections would be considered prior to the plan being adopted next year.

He added it was expected that changes to the plan would be needed.

"These will be published in the autumn for representations to be made," he said.

The inspector's report on the UDP - which follows a public inquiry into objections last year - also proposes four new city sites for future housing at Broomy Hill waterworks (36 homes), Greyfriars (22 homes), land off Yazor Road and north of Whitecross school (148 homes) and land at Whitecross Road (47 homes).

Overall, the report recommends more new housing in the county, increasing provision from 11,700 to 12,200 up until 2011.

In Leominster, that would see the number of homes proposed for Baron's Cross rise from 360 to 425, reflecting the current planning application for the site. The town also gets a "zone of interest" for a future bypass.

At Ross-on-Wye the report supports plans for homes at Tanyard Lane and Merrivale and the creation of employment opportunities at Overross.

Little change is proposed to plans for Ledbury and Bromyard but Kington's planned "employment site" north of the B4355 gets the thumbs-down.

The inspector instead recommends a fresh look at the potential of Hatton Gardens industrial estate.