THE secretary of state for transport has set a public inquiry into Herefordshire Council’s proposals for the Southern Link Road.

Transport secretary Chris Grayling has appointed an inspector to open the inquiries into the £29m project that would connect the A49 Ross Road with the A465 Abergavenny Road.

The inquiry comes after several objections were made to the compulsory purchase orders for the land along the proposed route.

It is set for at 10am on October 30, 2018, and is expected to last a total of seven days.

Councillor Philip Price, cabinet member infrastructure, defended the scheme and said it would boost the local economy by allowing greater access to Hereford Enterprise Zone.

He said: “Herefordshire Council can confirm that the Department for Transport has confirmed a date for a public inquiry into the Southern Link Road.

“The Southern Link Road will be key to promoting growth and active travel in the South Wye area.

"It will boost the local economy by allowing greater access to Hereford Enterprise Zone, as well as improving journey time and quality through reduced traffic congestion and delays.

“The scheme will also help to promote health and wellbeing in Hereford, addressing traffic emissions and noise, reducing accidents and encouraging physical wellbeing through active transport.

"The council will be presenting a robust case for the road to the inquiry.”

The land required for the construction of the road is mainly agricultural land with no homes or buildings being acquired to deliver the scheme.

The council previously said it was working with all landowners to try and reach agreement for the acquisition of land and has already agreed terms with a number of landowners to purchase their land.

Herefordshire Councillors granted permission for the road in June, 2016.

All affected parties were served with an order to acquire the land necessary for the delivery of the Southern Link Road scheme, which sets out how side roads and access will be affected by the new road.

A CPO is needed to give the council certainty that it can assemble all the land it needs if agreement cannot be reached.