Plan for 16,600 homes discussed

A council is set to support plans for 16,600 new homes to be built in Herefordshire over 12 years.

Herefordshire Council is discussing the government proposal for homes in the county at a meeting later.

Cabinet members are expected to back the proposals, which would see half the homes built in Hereford, but will make a number of provisions.

The council's Dave Nicholson said no sites had yet been chosen and the impact on the city would be considered.

The cabinet will aim to respond to the Phase Two Revision of the West Midlands Regional Spatial Strategy (RSS).

Its response is likely to include that the provision for Hereford of 8,300 homes be expressed as a maximum.

Mr Nicholson, the council's forward planning officer, said at this stage it was ideas and "not proposals".

"What we will have to do is to go through a planning-making process so we can decide where the future directions of growth are for Hereford and the market towns before we decide on the actual sites.

"So there's still a lot of water to flow under the bridge yet."