A FOOTPATH along a busy main road could finally be widened in one Herefordshire town, a decade after plans for a new housing estate were approved.

The footpath along the busy B4214 Tenbury Road, which links the out-of-town Porthouse Rise development with the town, has been a frequent cause for concern in Bromyard, with several locals airing their worries about the path.

Eunice Taylor, who lives in nearby Winslow Road, told the Hereford Times that the footpath is "an accident waiting to happen", warning that it is "impossible to push a pram and hold onto a toddler as the path is so narrow and the hedge is growing over it".

"There are huge tractors and trailers using that road all the time," Ms Taylor said.

Hereford Times: The footpath connecting Porthouse Rise and Bromyard is narrow and obstructed by overgrown hedges in placesThe footpath connecting Porthouse Rise and Bromyard is narrow and obstructed by overgrown hedges in places (Image: Google Maps)

The footpath is frequently used by families living on the estate, which was finally approved plans for a 175-home development on the site were refused at appeal in 2010 and plans for a 127-home development were also refused in 2012 and again in 2013. Outline plans for a 76-home development on the site were approved in 2014, with the homes since constructed.

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A transport assessment submitted to Herefordshire Council's planning department in 2014 noted that the footway on the eastern side of Tenbury Road between Bromyard and the site was narrow at only one metre wide and overgrown by the adjacent hedge. Despite this being noted a decade ago, the footpath remains narrow.

But now a project is underway to widen the footpath, with minutes from a recent meeting of Bromyard Town Council's Traffic Management Committee hearing an update from Herefordshire Council's Gregg Speller on the plans.

Documents revealed that the project will widen existing sections of the footway to allow for better pedestrian safety and access, with new accesses installed for dropped crossings with tactile paving.

The minutes said that the project is still in the early stages of design and has not yet been considered by Herefordshire Council's highways team, with Mr Speller confirming that he would attend the committee meeting in March to update members further.

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"It is anticipated that the groundworks for this project will start by the summertime," the minutes said.

The Porthouse Rise development is currently separated from the town by an area of wasteland, but that could be set to change soon, with plans to develop the site announced by developer Opulent Property Group late last year.

Developers are hoping the land could house extra care apartments, medical facilities, and more according to a dedicated website for the site.