THE next steps towards the delivery of a Southern Link Road – and the first phase of the Hereford bypass – have been approved.

Planning permission for the Southern Link Road (SLR) was granted in June 2016 and Herefordshire Council's cabinet has now approved taking steps to acquire land for the road.

The land required is primarily agricultural and the council is seeking to purchase land by agreement.

If the council is unable to purchase the land by agreement, it will consider seeking powers to compulsorily purchase the land in due course.

The Southern Link Road will run from the A49 Ross Road/Rotherwas Access Road roundabout to the A465 and the B4349 Clehonger Road.

The delivery of the road will be complemented by a package of active travel measures in the South Wye area, including proposed bus lanes, improved cycle ways and easier pedestrian access.

Cabinet heard that £27million capital funding allocated for the project was dependent on the council delivering the whole of the South Wye Transport Package (SWTP).

The total package cost is estimated to be £35million, with the remaining £8million to come from an allocation as part of the Local Transport Plan.

Councillor Philip Price, cabinet member for infrastructure, said: “We’re another step closer to the construction of the Southern Link, which is the first phase of the Hereford bypass.

"We’re keen to ensure speedy and efficient negotiation with landowners to avoid any delay to the construction phase. We are committed to delivery of this vital piece of infrastructure and if we can purchase the land by negotiation we will look to construct the road from January 2018.

"The road’s construction will allow us to implement new and much needed walking and cycling measures in South Wye. These measures cannot be delivered as a stand-alone project and must be complemented by the Southern Link Road’s construction.

"We are currently in the process of consulting on walking and cycling measures, which will help to inform what we take forward."

However, the excitement was not felt by all those present at last Thursday’s meeting.

Cllr Anthony Powers said: “This is a post-script to a really wretched decision and an inadequate process towards that but, as you say, this is not the occasion to revisit that.

“Not all of us consider this an exciting opportunity. Many of us claim that it is going to prove to be a comprehensive waste of public money.”

He asked whether it was a ‘wise and proper’ decision to approve the next stages considering the decisions already made on the road are subject a local government ombudsman maladministration review.

However, he was told that the council could not confirm whether a review was under way and, even if it was, the decision could still be made.

The South Wye – Active Travel Consultation can be completed until Tuesday, October 25 at online at herefordshire.gov.uk/south-wye-transport-package