A PLANNING inquiry to decide whether or not planning permission should have been granted for a 321 house estate, to the south of Ledbury, will begin next week.

The appeal of Gladman Associates is expected to last for six days and will start at 10am on Tuesday, February 9.

The appeal will be held at Assembly Hall, Town Hall, St Owen Street, Hereford.

Herefordshire Council refused planning permission last year for an estate south of the Ledbury bypass, and between the Deer Park estate and Parkway.

Under its planning blueprint for the next two decades, the Core Strategy, Herefordshire Council wants to see significant housing development to the north of Ledbury, beyond the viaduct, and not to the south of the town.

Herefordshire councillor for Ledbury, Cllr Liz Harvey said: "This application if approved, would be in addition to the 800 houses planned for Ledbury in the Core Strategy. It is not an alternative to the viaduct site already identified for 625 houses or the outline already granted for 100 homes on the Cricket Pitch.

"Ledbury’s current Town Plan makes it clear that community views are that development beyond the bypass is unwelcome."

She added: "The Town Council has been consistent in supporting Herefordshire Council’s planning officers’ recommendations to refuse the application, and the ward councillors for the town, Emma Holton, Andrew Warmington and myself, Liz Harvey, are unanimous in their support for the refusal to be upheld."

All three ward councillors will be attending the inquiry, with Cllr Warmington and Cllr Harvey representing the town council during the six days of the hearing.