Consultation

Consultation discussed at the meeting on 7 May 2024 –

a) Consultation on the Herefordshire Local Plan 2021- 2041. Deadline 20 May.
See Response from the Parish Council being submitted (also copied below).   
Comments/responses may be emailed rather than filling in the online consultation. 
The address is ldf@herefordshire.gov.uk

 b) Consultation on a new Local Transport Plan 2024-2041. Deadline 21 May.  Councillors and residents are encouraged to complete this consultation as individuals. 

a) Full text:

Yarpole Parish council comments on Draft Local Plan (regulation 18) consultation

This document represents the response of Yarpole Group Parish Council (YGPC) to the draft Local Plan produced by Herefordshire Council.

In considering our response the parish council has reviewed the Yarpole Neighbourhood plan 2011- 2031, the draft Herefordshire local plan and its supporting documentation, attended roadshows and on-line meetings with Council planning representatives as well as consulting with residents.

  1. DESIGNATION

Yarpole has been selected as a Service Settlement with Environmental Constraints -, the constraints being that a considerable amount of the village is included in a conservation area.

Yarpole is scheduled to accommodate 15 additional dwellings between now and 2041.

The Parish council acknowledge the point system is based on figures provided in October 2022, however we would challenge some of the services that have been included and would ask for them to be reconsidered.

SERVICES

  • Community village hall. 2 halls have been counted. Yarpole has one Parish Hall. The village also has a church, St Leonards, which hosts the occasional event such as music concerts but it is first and foremost a religious building which in our opinion, should not be included.
  • Public House. The Bell is a community owned pub. This has just been reopened and being run purely by volunteers from the village. It has had 3 unsuccessful tenants and closed Nov 2023. The villagers have successfully run the pub for the few months. Its future at this stage is uncertain since it is not a commercial venture.
  • Village shop. The small village shop is housed within St Leonards Church, and is also run by volunteers.

These three services depend entirely on the dedication and contribution of volunteers to continue. It is inaccurate to characterize Yarpole as having numerous services, given that the permanence of many of them is not guaranteed.

  • Public Transport. Yarpole is served by a very infrequent bus service and in the opinion of YGPC does not constitute a regular service especially for those seeking to use it to commute to work.
    • The 490 to Leominster picks up at 07:54, 09; 34 in Yarpole on weekdays and provides one return journey at 15:01.
    • Saturdays the 490 does not come into Yarpole but stops at Bircher which is a mile walk up a narrow county lane.
    • The 498 goes into Hereford only on a Wednesday at 09:43 returning at 14:38.
    • The 489 bus leaves at 09:11 only on Tuesday and Fridays to go to Leominster returning at 12:24.

The infrequency of this service means that villagers are reliant on using their own vehicles for work, shopping (The nearest shops are in Leominster), leisure activities and for other services i.e. health care.

The continued use of private cars due to lack of public transport and local services is not conducive to Herefordshire councils aim for carbon neutrality.

  1. DEVELOPMENT AREA 
  • Development Area Redefinition

Yarpole neighbourhood development plan 2011-2031 included two parishes of Croft with Yarpole and Lucton covering the three settlements Bircher, Lucton and Yarpole.

In the new local plan Lucton and Bircher have been designated as Open Countryside where residential development is restricted to limited exceptions.  Hence whilst the development target remains based on the previous base, the area designated to fulfil the quota is restricted as it effectively limits growth to the Yarpole Settlement only.

Yarpole village itself consists of approximately 150 houses. Over the last 5 years it has experienced development of over 20 new houses (main developments Mulberry meadow 7, Lowermead 8, Croft Crescent 5, plus additional single houses). The proposed increase of further 15 houses represents a further 10% increase. It will be very difficult to accommodate this large increase of housing within the agreed settlement boundary.

  • Property Diversification

These most recent developments within Yarpole have been of predominantly large, detached properties, which require a considerable amount of land per property.  Whilst attractive to people moving into the county who we welcome as new neighbours, these developments have done very little to address local housing need. The development of varied housing stock is crucial to the future sustainability of this village with its dependency upon volunteer efforts. Local communities have a re-active role to planning applications and their abilities to pre-define properties required is limited.

  • Conservation Area

The distinctive landscape quality surrounding Yarpole is important. Much of the land surrounding the residential area of Yarpole is still farmed, graded either 2 or 3 according to Agricultural land classification. It still accommodates sheep and cattle grazing and much grazing and arable land has already been lost. The village also borders Croft Castle which is included on Historic England’s National Register of Historic parks.

A large area of Yarpole village is covered by a conservation area and has 14 buildings listed on the Statutory List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest. The Parish council feels that the specified development level is of disproportionate size and will be detriment to its cultural heritage.

It is not clear to YGPC how the figure of 15 has been determined and seems inconsistent with the designation for other settlements

  1. SEWAGE, FLOODING and SURFACE WATER 

Herefordshire Council acknowledge that problems of both surface water flooding and sewage overflow have not been considered strategically within the Local Plan as it is within itself a very complicated issue. However YGPC feels that until the current and severe flooding and sewage pollution issues within the village are resolved then no further development can be progressed.  Villagers have been attempting to get resolution to these health and safety issues and remain frustrated that the two bodies responsible , namely Herefordshire Council and Welsh Water, have failed to work together not only to resolve the problem but also to prevent further deterioration.

  • Surface Water

Yarpole already experiences significant problems from surface water generated from two sources

  • It is regularly affected or cut off as a result of surface water flooding from surrounding fields. During heavy prolonged rain the roads to both Leominster and Ludlow are impassable effectively meaning Yarpole is cut off.
  • Within the village there is no provision for the management of surface water draining from residential properties. As a result this water flows into the sewage system which is already beyond capacity (see below). When it rains significant amounts of water can be seen pouring down the main street and causing flooding at the village junction
  • Sewage
    • Welsh Water has confirmed that the sewage treatment plant at Yarpole is at capacity, partly due to surface water entering the system. This has caused raw sewage to regularly spill onto the roads and into the streams in the settlement.  This health hazard is of great concern and has been raised on multiple occasions for over 10 years with both Welsh Water and Herefordshire council.
    • The sewage system is shared with Luston. Welsh Water has advised YGPC Luston is also liable to hydraulic overload, so additional flows cannot be passed from Yarpole to Luston, and a solution must be found in Yarpole.   As additional dwellings are also expected to be built at Luston, the lack of effective foul drainage will be compounded.

Here is a sample comment from Welsh water on planning application P214309/F March 2024 confirms the situation regarding sewage management.

We can advise that Luston & Yarpole WwTW does not have a phosphate permit, you will need to discuss this matter further with the local planning authority. Notwithstanding this, we have considered the impact of foul flows generated by the proposed development and concluded it is unlikely that sufficient capacity exists to accommodate your development without causing detriment to the existing services we provide to our customers, or in regard to the protection of the environment. There are no planned reinforcement works within Dwr Cymru Welsh Water’s Capital Investment Programme…….

  • Natural Watercourses,

The pollution described above overflow into streams (The Painsbrooke )that have previously passed through Fishpool valley, a designated site of special scientific interest (SSSI) and an area inhabited by White Clawed Crayfish (Endangered species).  These streams then pass through Yarpole and drain into the River Lugg. The Lugg is also a SSSI and a designated Special Area of Conservation (SAC) and is a river already suffering from high phosphates levels.

It is assumed that untreated raw sewage spilling into the roads at Yarpole, in close proximity to watercourses, would not comply with draft Policy EE1. YGPC is concerned that 15 new dwellings have the potential of creating additional nutrient and pollution pathways.

These issues cannot be dealt with by response to individual planning          applications but should be dealt with holistically as a village issue.

  1. Conclusion 

In conclusion,  the YGPC feel that the proposed level of future development of Yarpole village is untenable in both nature and number for the reasons described above and appears contrary to Herefordshire’s Council’s vision and objectives for the future of the County.

Plus a final request………. That when the official version of the Herefordshire Local Plan is issued that it be accompanied by a checklist of the changes which can be used in the NDP review process to support completeness and compliance.

END

 

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