HEREFORDSHIRE Council could soon be fighting an important planning appeal, for failing to make a decision about a proposed 420 home estate in Ledbury.

At stake could be not only the planned estate but a proposed super sports hub, with pitches for local soccer sides, because the developer Gladman will only provide the sports grounds if it gets a go-ahead for the housing.

But Gladman's planning application for a big new estate off the Dymock Road has effectively been in limbo since January 31, when a decision date came and went.

The Reporter understands the county planning office had asked Gladman for extra information, but none was forthcoming.

However, at a meeting of the full Ledbury Town Council last week, town and county councillor Liz Harvey said Gladman had made a submission to the Planning Inspectorate to launch an appeal "on the grounds of non-determination".

She said that Gladman was favouring a public appeal whereas Herefordshire Council was considering "a paper-based examination or round table examination that does not involve the public".

But Cllr Harvey added: "I think it is probably better to have the appeal made in public."

Cllr Harvey mentioned concerns about infrastructure, if Ledbury continues to expand, including schools provision.

"It does call a lot of points into question and there may be a lot of public interest," she said.

Cllr Harvey also raised concerns over Gladman's plan to have access to the new estate, not off the Dymock Road itself but via the roundabout, off Leadon Way.

This roundabout was built to facilitate Barratt's proposed 270 house Hawk Rise estate.

This would effectively mean that one access point would provide access to almost 700 new homes to the south of Ledbury, a situation which Cllr Harvey said "made the whole application a lot more complicated".

Work on the Hawk Rises estate halted last summer, after Meadow Cheese won a Judicial Review, after raising concerns about the noise levels its nearby factory would cause at the new estate.

Barratt has recently submitted a revised plan, to be considered by the planning authority.

Gladman was unavailable for comment.

A Herefordshire Council spokesman said of the Gladman application: "The outline planning application for 420 dwellings on Dymock Road, Ledbury is currently ‘not determined’ and the applicant has submitted an appeal to the Planning Inspectorate against non-determination.

"The Planning Inspectorate is currently considering the procedural format the appeal should take and will advise of it in due course."