Land North Of Kington Medical Practice, Eardisley Road, Kington, HR5 3EA

Overview

Land
Property Type

1.1
acres

Description

Location

High levels of amenity nearby

Recently constructed medical centre adjoining

The land is located in Kington, a historic market town and civil parish located in the county of Herefordshire, in the West Midlands region of England. Nestled just 2 miles (3.2 km) from the Welsh border, it lies on the western side of Offa's Dyke and is traversed by the River Arrow. The town is situated at the foot of Hergest Ridge and is crossed by the A44 road, placing it approximately 19 miles (31 km) northwest of Hereford, the county town. The current population of Kington is approximately 3,240 residents.

Strategic Land for Option or Promotion Agreement.

The red edged land (part of the wider ownership outlined - 20.5 acres / 8.3ha) extends to 0.44 ha (1.1 acres) and comprises greenfield land which is currently in agricultural use. Current agricultural access is available from the A4111 (Eardisley Road) in the north-western corner of the Site. The Site is enclosed by urban development to the south and west, a block of mature trees to the north and a partial hedgerow to the east.

It is located on the south-eastern edge of Kington and in walking distance to its services and facilities, via the existing footpath along the Old Eardisley Road. The Site is generally flat, with a gentle gradient which slopes downwards to Kington Brook on the eastern boundary, an ordinary watercourse which forms a tributary of the River Arrow.

The Site is located in a partly developed area at the southern end of Kington. Kington Medical Practice is located to the south of the Site, whilst Kington Household Recycling Centre and a builders merchants (Arrow Plant & Tool Hire and Kington Farm Supplies) is located west of the A4111, which borders the Site. East of the Site is agricultural land, which slopes gently upwards. The residential area of Kington lies just north west of the north-western corner of the Site, located west of the A4111 and either side of Old Eardisley Road.

The Site is crossed by a public right of way (PROW ref. ZE20). Overhead power lines on timber poles cross the Site from south-west to north-east.

Local Plan Review - The Draft Herefordshire Local Plan (Regulation 18) Consultation (2024) and review is ongoing, however, the council decided to cease further work on the Draft Regulation 18 Local Plan because a new spatial strategy is required to address the significant uplift in housing growth.
In the Reg 18 consultation (2024) and against the former housing requirement, Kington was identified with a target number of 150 dwellings. Already delivered are 22, providing a net target of 128 units. The new Standard Methodology is expected to increase this number significantly.
The larger landholding edged green is referenced by Herefordshire Council as P122-K18 in the Council's draft HELAA. There is no reference to site P122-K18 in the Draft Local Plan consultation; this is despite the Council's draft assessment, which considered site P122-K18 to be potentially suitable for residential development (subject to a landscape appraisal). A SHLAA was undertaken in 2012 of the wider parcel which was rejected on landscape grounds under ref. P122.

A representation to the Regulation 18 consultation was submitted in 2024. This insisted on an assessment of the site edged red, independent from the larger landholding and on its own merits.

The site could be considered as a site allocation in addition to the preferred draft allocated site in Kington. With a strategic site on Land to the east of Kingswood Road proposed to provide up to 50 houses (draft Policy KING2), this leaves a figure of 100 houses.

As of May 2024, this left a residual housing figure of c.30 dwellings which had not been accounted for in Kington. This shortfall is now expected to be larger due to the increased Standard Method requirement for Herefordshire. Whilst there are five 'reasonable alternative sites' identified in the consultation's Appendices Document, which are stated to be suitable for housing, we understand that these sites would fall under 'windfall', given the absence of a made NDP. The housing shortfall is recognised in the Reg 18 consultation, where it is stated that the combination of the proposed strategic allocation at Kingswood Road along with the five identified 'reasonable alternative sites' are unlikely to achieve the housing target of 150 alone.

The site is available for promotion via an Option or Promotion agreement and parties are invited to submit terms .