A controversial plan to build 118 homes by a Herefordshire town has been refused.

Muller Property Group’s bid for a new housing estate west of Leominster attracted widespread local concern, drawing over 200 formal objections, and was strongly opposed by the town council.

Now Herefordshire Council has formally refused permission for the scheme on land south of Barons Cross Road.

Among its reasons it gave is that although the area is identified as a “strategic urban extension” to the town, this “needs to be master-planned” rather than being developed “piecemeal”.

It also said the bid failed to demonstrate that it would “not be of detriment to the local highway network or highway safety” and that it would “encourage and promote the use of sustainable travel modes”.

The document said that the access to the new estate, by knocking down a bungalow in what is currently a cul-de-sac, “has the potential to result in a detrimental increase in noise and disturbance to residents”.

It added that the application lacked the information needed to assess the scheme’s impact on air quality in the area – particularly given its nearness to Bargates Junction which has an identified air pollution problem.

Planners also said that Muller Property Group's application failed to show that the scheme would not give rise to water pollution which would harm the protected River Lugg catchment, and the plan also failed to prove the risk of flooding would not be higher.

They added that a development on such a scale would require at least 25 per cent of homes to be affordable housing and would have to meet other planning obligations – but the bid lacked a “Section 106” agreement committing to carry out or fund wider infrastructure improvements.

Reaction to the announcement to follow.