A PLANNING inspector has been told that an "unwanted and aggressive" housing development earmarked for Ledbury should not go ahead.

Gladman Developments has seen two bids to build 321 homes on land south of Leadon Way rejected by Herefordshire Council in the past year.

In a bid to make it third time lucky, the Cheshire-based firm appealed to the Secretary of State with a six-day inquiry beginning at Hereford Town Hall this week.

Planning Inspector Jennifer Vyse said she was "aware that local feelings are running high" in relation to the proposed housing.

County councillor Emma Holton, who represents Ledbury South, told the inquiry the town doesn't need "unwanted and aggressive planning developments like this".

"This application would do nothing but cause chaos to an already strained road system," she said.

"This is a thriving, historical town that needs careful, considered development."

Much was made of Herefordshire Council's Core Strategy - the authority's planning blueprint for the next 15 years - which concluded last year that 800 new homes should be built in the town, with about 600 of those going north of the viaduct.

Objections were also heard by Cllr Liz Harvey, who was representing Ledbury Town Council.

"We are concerned about the connectivity this site has to the rest of the town," she said.

"It's very likely to encourage road trips to the town by car.

"Ledbury has been starved of employment land coming forward for at least 20 years and likely longer.

"More than 40 per cent of our residents commute to work elsewhere.

"Having no employment land on this site will exacerbate that. To be a dormitory for those that work elsewhere is not what you aspire to as a town."

Martin Carter, on behalf of Gladman, told the committee that despite the Core Strategy adoption, the council was still unable to demonstrate a five-year housing land supply.

"The council has to be right on all its judgements in terms if supply," he said.

"They will have to use greenbelt land to demonstrate the land supply.

"This would create economic benefits through job creation, council tax and other factors."

He said any suggestion the Gladman scheme would harm the Ledbury viaduct plan was "baseless".