A DEVELOPER has hit back at claims that a proposed housing plan in North Herefordshire is sited “on top of a pond”.

Development manager at J. Harper & Sons in Leominster, Matthew Brown also challenged local grumbles that current plans for eight new homes at Holmes Marsh, a small hamlet in Lyonshall, included demolition of a 125-year-old disused Mission Room once belonging to the parish church.

Mr Brown said that Harpers had employed a drainage strategist to test the proposed site, who found that it was drained by a large pipe running downhill from Holmes Marsh to a pond.

“The site already had planning, we didn’t do that, we are simply going for reserved matters,” said Mr Brown.

“We went to the parish council who were supportive of the scheme.”

He continued: “This is not on a flood plain; there is no standing water and there’s no risk of flooding. We undertook an assessment with a proper industrial consultant.”

He also countered angry reaction to the proposed removal of the corrugated iron hut on the edge of the site, explaining that Harpers had earlier volunteered to gift the building to the village.

When Lyonshall Parish Council voted against taking over the building, local residents were left unsure about the future of the Mission Room. In their latest bid, residents are fighting to retain the building as a community resource for this small area of 30 houses. Mr Brown said that villagers wanted a “bit of land” around the hut in order to hold local get-togethers, and Harpers agreed to gift that too.

He understood from a planning report that the building was of “very poor quality” and that attempts by one villager to have it listed had failed as it was deemed of “no historical interest”.

Mr Brown said: “There is no secret plan to knock it down. I’m happy to give the building to the community, or knock it down. We will work with the community.” He said he was happy the developer was “under no obligation” to take responsibility for the Mission Room. He

Local resident Jim Clarke has lived at Holmes Marsh for 86 years, having been born at the cottage where he still lives. He and his family remember when the Mission Room, built in the late 1800s to spare residents at Holmes Marsh a long walk to church, was regularly used.

“It’s part of Holmes Marsh, it was always used for services and when it was harvest festival, it would be packed,” said Mr Clarke.

A spokesman for the Holmes Marsh residents’ group felt that the group’s views had been misunderstood in a report following a parish council meeting in February. “Unfortunately, and perhaps because of two changes of planning officer, the only bit that appears to have got through is that we ‘do not wish to own the land and don’t want to pay for any improvement or have any responsibility’. In fact residents stated they would like the hut kept but that it would be “best cared for and utilised as one of the development houses”. The spokesman continued: “Having accepted eight houses are to be built, all we want is to make sure the development includes a mix of facades, green landscaping, retention of the hut and footpath and road widening addition to the community.” He said the other main issue was drainage. “They are still relying on the old 225 mm pipe that is already inadequate for purpose,” he claimed.