Review: Herefordshire breakfast with Cllr Elissa Swinglehurst
SP Broadway was delighted to welcome Cllr Elissa Swinglehurst, Cabinet Member for Environment and Portfolio Holder for Planning, at Herefordshire Council, as the guest speaker for our latest online Politics of Planning roundtable.
Attendees from Bloor Homes, Marrons Planning, and Innova among others all contributed to the discussion. Topics covered included the need for affordable housing in Hereford and the greater area, environmental factors blocking housing and the challenges that face Herefordshire’s planning department.
Elissa gave an in-depth overview of the challenges facing Herefordshire and an update as to where the council are with their Local Plan. She led a robust discussion on the council’s intention to restart the recently cancelled Western Bypass which will allow for hundreds more homes to be built around Hereford. Elissa also discussed the challenges of the River Wye’s water quality and the detrimental effect that a decrease could have on developments across Herefordshire. She also stated that there was a need to define settlement boundaries more effectively in the county so that more housing can be built responsibly.
Our thanks to Elissa and guests for attending and contributing to such an interesting discussion. Our next online event is with Cllr Matt Furniss of Surrey County Council, Cabinet Member for Transport, Infrastructure and Growth, on Thursday 14th December.
If you would like to attend any of our forthcoming events, please email edward@spbroadway.com.
