Credenhill 250 Homes: MoD Raises Concerns, Drainage Objects

Herefordshire Council’s own drainage engineers have formally objected to plans for up to 250 homes in Credenhill, about four miles north-west of Hereford. Its senior landscape officer has lodged a “Substantial Landscape Objection” too.

The Ministry of Defence, whose Stirling Lines base sits next to the site, has sent two letters. Neither is a formal objection. One lists concerns about security, traffic, noise and flooding, and asks for conditions if the council approves the scheme.

The council’s target date for a decision is Thursday 22 October.

The application

The outline plan, reference P262019/O, covers land north of Granary Cottage, off the A480. Only the access is being decided now. Layout, landscaping and house types would come later, in a reserved matters application.

The council’s drainage response describes the site as about 10.6 hectares of arable farmland. It names the applicant as James Spreckley Ltd.

The key dates on the council’s file are:

• received on 9 July 2026 and validated on 23 July
• public comments invited until 27 August
• target determination date 22 October 2026

The file lists about 130 objection letters from residents, a few of them follow-ups from the same people. Credenhill Parish Council extended its own deadline to 17 September so it could debate the plan at its meeting the night before.

What the MoD actually said

Some coverage of this application has described the MoD as objecting. The two letters on the council’s file say something more specific.

The first, from the Defence Infrastructure Organisation’s safeguarding team on 26 August, confirms the site lies inside the statutory safeguarding zone around MOD Credenhill. It then says: “the MOD has no safeguarding objections to this proposal.”

The second, from the DIO’s estates team on 25 August, says the MoD “has a number of concerns”. It does not use the word objection. Instead it asks for conditions “should the Council be minded to approve”. Its points are:

• Security. Homes close to a defence site can increase “potential for visual intelligence gathering” and the risk of trespass. The MoD wants any layout condition to require the developer to engage with it.
• Landscaping. Planting along the western boundary could reduce overlooking, but “trees can potentially create a climbing aid”.
• Traffic. On a normal working day about 1,700 vehicles arrive at the Garrison before 9am and a further 1,100 after. Queues can reach back to the Roman Road and Stretton Sugwas roundabout, causing “20-30 minute delays”. The proposed access sits where traffic starts to overtake that queue.
• Road improvements. The MoD says it is investing in improvements to ease the risk to personnel, but these “do not cater for an additional 250 dwellings”.
• Noise. The Garrison runs 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, with helicopters, firing ranges, “the camp attack alarm” and generators. The applicant’s noise survey covered about 24 hours, which the MoD calls insufficient.
• Flooding. The letter says the A480 floods and “the Garrison experiences water flowing into the camp”.

If the council approves without more noise evidence, the MoD wants a note on the decision warning future residents that it “would not accept responsibility for any future complaints”.

Where the other consultees stand

Drainage

The drainage objection is the most technical, and for neighbours it may matter most. The engineers say soakaway and groundwater testing is needed now, at outline stage, for a scheme this size.

They also warn about the planned balancing pond. It relies on an embankment, and homes on the neighbouring estate “may be at risk of flooding in the event of embankment failure”. If the pond’s outlet blocked, the overflow “would disperse across the existing estate causing flooding”. They want modelling that runs downstream as far as the Yazor Brook.

Landscape

The landscape officer calls the scheme “over development of the site” and suggests a lower density would suit it better. The officer objects to a water feature close to Credenhill’s Commonwealth War Graves cemetery, and asks for a bigger gap.

The response also notes that the new entrance would mean removing the mature A480 hedge and moving a milepost beside the road.

Highways

The highways officer calls the lack of walking, cycling or bus improvements “disappointing for a development of up to 250 dwellings”. The response also says:

• the officer does not agree with the applicant’s 95% walking route score
• the junction would probably need a right-turn lane, not the simple junction proposed
• the transport assessment does not mention the “severe queuing” towards the Stirling Lines entrance in the morning peak
• the 71 bus could be diverted into the site hourly, for a developer contribution of £25,000 a year

The council would also seek transport contributions per home. These range from £1,674 for a flat to £3,932 for a four-bedroom house.

The parish councils

Credenhill Parish Council says the plan “cannot be supported in its present form”. It says Stretton Sugwas primary school, Weobley High and St Mary’s High are at or near capacity. It also describes NHS primary care as “already struggling to meet demand”.

Stretton Sugwas Parish Council raised traffic on minor roads, existing drainage and flooding problems, and pressure on local services.

Why the plan is being made

Credenhill Parish Council said in April that Herefordshire must build 27,260 homes by 2046, and that Credenhill’s share is 285. This one site would supply most of that.

The MoD’s letter also notes that a revised National Planning Policy Framework came into force on 17 August 2026. It points the council to policy P6, which gives “substantial weight” to defence sites. The applicant’s agent has filed its own note on the updated framework.

What it means for you

• The formal comment period closed on 27 August. Every document, including the letters above, is on the council’s planning file.
• A decision is due by 22 October. The council has not yet said whether officers or the planning committee will decide it.
• Several consultees want more work first. The drainage and highways teams have both asked for new information, so revised plans may appear on the file before then.
• If you live on the neighbouring estate, the drainage response is the one to read in full.

For other applications around the city, see our Hereford planning news page. Our roadworks and travel page covers the A480 and the bypass works.