We are proud to be part of the team that achieved a successful appeal decision for a mixed-use site on the edge of this market town in Herefordshire.

PJA was appointed by Bloor Homes to reassess the transport planning aspects of this proposed development site after the previous consultants failed to reach agreement with the local highway authority.

The land, to the north of the railway viaduct in Ledbury, was allocated in the Local Plan for the development of 625 homes plus three hectares of employment land.

With the consultants previously appointed by Bloor Homes unable to reach an agreement with the local highway authority on matters relating to access and off-site traffic impact, PJA were appointed to carry out a full review of the scheme and re-engage with the highway authority. PJA’s transport planning and highway engineering teams worked closely with the local highway authority to identify the areas of concern and develop suitable mitigation proposals.

Detailed proposals were prepared in relation to vehicle access, pedestrian and cycle routes, and off-site capacity and safety measures. All matters were agreed with the highway authority and consequently the application was presented to the planning committee with a glowing recommendation to approve the application.

Unfortunately, the application was refused by local Members at the committee, despite the Officer recommendation for approval.

An appeal against the decision was lodged by Bloor Homes and a subsequent Public Inquiry was held. Highways matters dominated the first of the two weeks of the inquiry with PJA’s Joint Managing Director, Nigel Millington, giving evidence and technical support provided by our transport planning and highway engineering teams.

Detailed technical evidence was debated on access for sustainable modes, the traffic impact of the proposals and the suitability of proposed mitigation measures.

Due to the level of local interest the appeal was recovered by the Secretary of State, who subsequently determined that the appeal should be allowed.

Both the Inspector and the Secretary of State supported PJA’s assessment of every aspect of the case.

An award of costs was also made against the Local Planning Authority and the Town Council due to their ‘unreasonable behaviour’.

The successful appeal will now allow 625 new homes (including affordable housing) to be built on the site whilst the accompanying 3ha of employment land has the potential to create hundreds of jobs for local people.

Image: Barton Willmore

For more information on our transport and engineering services, including our expert witness offering, please contact: [email protected]

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