Lugwardine's £398,792 traffic calming contract, overtaking limits included, was signed off in July. Objections to the A438 overtaking ban close 18 September.

Herefordshire Council has hired a contractor to calm traffic on the A438 through Lugwardine, about three miles east of Hereford. The contract is worth £398,791.59, rising to £438,670.74 with a contingency.

The decision was taken on 15 July 2026. It lists “overtaking restrictions” as part of the scheme. The council only asked the public about an overtaking ban on the A438 at Bartestree and Lugwardine on 27 August, and objections close at 12 noon on Friday 18 September.

The record of the decision was published on 3 September.

What the Lugwardine scheme includes

The contract goes to Velta Construction Ltd. The council’s decision record says the work is meant to lower speeds on the A438 and make the village safer to walk around. It lists:

  • enhanced school safety measures
  • gateway features at the entrances to the village
  • improved road markings
  • traffic calming surfacing
  • pedestrian crossing facilities
  • speed awareness measures
  • overtaking restrictions

The record says the council consulted ward members for the Bartestree with Lugwardine Group Parish. It does not give a start date for the work.

Where the money comes from

Chart showing the £438,670.74 allocated to the Lugwardine traffic calming scheme: £300,000 Local Transport Grant, £106,787.48 Levelling Up Fund and £31,883.26 Section 106. A timeline shows the contract decided on 15 July 2026, the A438 overtaking ban advertised on 27 August, the decision record published on 3 September and objections closing at noon on 18 September.

Three funds pay for it, according to the decision record:

Fund Amount
Local Transport Grant £300,000.00
Levelling Up Fund £106,787.48
Section 106 developer contributions £31,883.26
Total £438,670.74

The Section 106 money comes from two housing sites. The record names them as Cotts Lane, Lugwardine, and Land South of A438 Bartestree. Together they carry £85,579.26 for Lugwardine traffic calming, of which £31,883.26 was still available.

The Local Transport Grant share draws on £750,000 the council set aside this year for projects that are part funded by developers.

The overtaking ban you can still object to

The draft order would ban overtaking on the A438 between two points:

  • 163 metres south-west of the centre line of Tidnor Lane
  • 19 metres south-east of the centre line of Weston Beggard Lane

The contract does not make that ban law. The council still has to consider objections before it decides whether to make the order.

One detail in the paperwork is wrong. The Statement of Reasons at the end of the consultation pack describes the order as a “Prohibition of Motor Vehicles (Except for Access)”. Its own title, and every other page, say it is a prohibition of overtaking. The two reasons it gives are avoiding danger to road users and improving the amenity of the area.

Two Hereford schools get £202,000 of road works

The same contractor won a second council contract on the same day. It is worth £201,930.81 for work near two Hereford schools, paid from the Levelling Up Fund “Safer Routes to School” money. The decision record splits it like this:

  • Lord Scudamore Academy, which the record places on Friar Street: £125,109.31, or £143,875.71 with contingency
  • Riverside Primary School on Belmont Avenue: £76,821.50, or £88,344.73 with contingency

The record does not describe the works. Belmont Avenue and Friars Street are both in the council’s separate draft order for new no waiting and no loading lines. We covered what that order proposes, and the deadline is the same: noon on 18 September.

What it means for you

  • If you drive the A438 between Hereford and Ledbury, expect a no-overtaking stretch through Bartestree and Lugwardine, and slower-speed features in the village, if the order is made.
  • If you want a say on the overtaking ban, write to the Traffic Management Team at ADL Traffic and Highways Engineering by 12 noon on Friday 18 September. Email info@adltraffic.co.uk, or post to ADL House, Oaklands Business Park, Armstrong Way, Yate, Bristol BS37 5NA. Give your reasons. Letters of support count too.
  • If you have a child at Lord Scudamore or Riverside, work is funded near both schools, but the council has not published dates.

No start dates have been published for either contract. When closures are needed they will appear on our Hereford roadworks page.

Sources