THE case for Hereford’s £130 million bypass moves up a gear this week with the strongest possible show of support from the biggest regional business body.

West Midlands Business Council (WMBC) says the new road is nothing short of the highest priority for the future of Herefordshire and the economic opportunities it can offer.

WMBC also makes a strong case for big improvements to the county’s rail links to London, particularly twin tracks on various stretches of the line.

Backing from the WMBC is a huge boost to Herefordshire Council’s bid for an outer distributor road for Hereford which, if given the go-ahead, would be one of the biggest public works ever undertaken in the county.

The bid, including a new river crossing, is now being thought over in Whitehall, having been sent there with priority status by the West Midlands Regional Assembly, which wants the government to cover at least half of its estimated £130 million cost.

Massive transport improvements are accepted as needed in Herefordshire, with some 16,600 homes expected to come the county’s way by 2026 – at least 8,000 in Hereford alone.

The bypass route will largely be determined by where these homes will go, and money from developers will help build it.

Right now, the route will probably cross the Wye from the Rotherwas access road.

To the WMBC, the number of new houses means a fundamental review of the county’s transport needs with the Hereford bypass/river crossing “one of the highest priorities for planners”.