BIG changes could be on the way to Hereford, with car parks turned into green spaces and new residential developments, and plans to "bring life back" to the city's historic core.

Herefordshire Council has unveiled its new masterplan for the city, which they say "provides a future blueprint for making the city an even better place to live, work, visit and study".

However, one small detail shown in the plans may be as much of a surprise to the council as it is to locals.

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The draft plan, which has been published following recent initial public engagement, sets out a vision to enhance the character of the city, improve transport connections, boost the local economy and improve green spaces, Herefordshire Council said.

But eagle-eyed readers may have spotted one very strange detail in the plans, with an artist's impression of a future Bath Street appearing to show the traffic system reversed to a more continental style, with cars driving on the right-hand side of the road.

Motorists in Britain are generally more accustomed to driving on the left.

It became law for drivers to keep to the left on all roads in Great Britain and Ireland in 1835, with the introduction of the Highways Act 1835.

Hereford Times: The reimagined Bath Street shows cars driving on the wrong side of the roadThe reimagined Bath Street shows cars driving on the wrong side of the road (Image: Herefordshire Council)

The picture, which shows the Bath Street car park reimagined as a green space with trees, paths, and what appears to be a playground and picnic area, appears in the council's published masterplan and has been used to promote the plans on social media.

Sharing the vision for the area's future, Herefordshire Council's masterplan said the car park occupies a "sizeable urban block in a convenient location".

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But, the plans said, its suitability for any built development is limited due to its archaeological importance and status as a scheduled monument, as the site of one one of the longest stretches of surviving eastern section city wall and one of the longest continuous sections of infilled ditch.

The special historic value of this site should be fully realised by revealing its story through archaeology, design and interpretation, the masterplan said.

The site has also been identified as a key opportunity and destination in creating a city wall trail, with the possibility of incorporating some degree of reinstatement of historic features, such as strengthening the physical presence of the wall or reinstating the ditch or the tree-lined ‘Sally Walk’ and creative interpretation through public art mooted by the council.

The detailed design of any such scheme would need to be developed and agreed upon through ongoing liaison with the county archaeologist and Historic England, Herefordshire Council said.

The masterplan does not, however, make any mention of reversing the flow of traffic in Bath Street.