A Withington homes proposal for up to 250 dwellings on land north of the A4103 has reached Herefordshire Council, which is inviting comments until 22nd October 2026. Gleeson Land is asking whether the scheme needs a formal environmental impact assessment. The council has not granted planning permission or recorded its screening decision.
The land is on the eastern edge of Withington, beside homes in St Peter’s Field and South Bank, and is currently used for growing turf. The request covers approximately 11.5 hectares, with a proposed road access from the A4103. For people living nearby, this is an early opportunity to examine the environmental case for a substantial expansion of the village.
I would keep two questions separate here: whether the proposal needs a formal environmental assessment, and whether 250 homes should be allowed on this land. The council is considering the first question now. Even if it decides that the assessment is unnecessary, the developer would still need planning permission before building the homes.
Where the Withington homes proposal stands
The council’s original planning register identifies the request as P262949/EIA. It was received and validated on 5th October 2026, publicised on 8th October and has a target determination date of 26th October. That is a target, rather than confirmation that a decision will be issued on that date.
Pegasus Group submitted the request for Gleeson Land. Its screening letter is dated 2nd September 2026 and is signed by Fergus Sykes. The complete original screening letter sets out the applicant’s reasons for arguing that a formal assessment should not be required.
The Withington homes scheme is described as a future outline planning application, with all matters reserved except access. In everyday terms, the developer envisages asking for agreement to the principle of housing and the access arrangements first. Detailed layout, appearance, scale and landscaping would then require later approval if outline permission were granted.
What the environmental check actually decides
Environmental impact assessment, usually shortened to EIA, is a formal process for assessing projects likely to have significant environmental effects. Screening is the preliminary decision about whether that process is necessary. It does not replace the council’s eventual consideration of the planning merits.
The letter identifies the proposal as an urban development project exceeding both the five-hectare and 150-dwelling screening thresholds. Exceeding those thresholds triggers consideration of the environmental effects; it does not automatically mean a full assessment is required. The government’s guidance on environmental impact assessment explains that distinction.
Pegasus argues that the effects of the Withington homes proposal would be localised, understood and capable of mitigation through normal planning documents. Its letter concludes that the proposal is not likely to give rise to significant environmental effects
. That is the applicant’s assessment, which the council must consider, rather than a finding already made by the authority.
Traffic and the A4103
The proposed access is a priority junction onto the A4103. The letter also describes a package including a reduction of the speed limit to 30mph, traffic calming through the village and a shared walking and cycling connection between the site and Withington. These are proposed measures, not works already approved or delivered.
Initial transport work assessed a slightly larger scenario of up to 252 homes. It forecasts approximately 148 additional two-way vehicle movements in the morning peak hour and 124 in the evening peak hour. Those figures are the applicant’s forecasts, not measured traffic from a completed development.
For the Withington homes proposal, the letter says a future application would include a comprehensive transport assessment and travel plan. I would look at how the access, village speed measures and walking route work together, rather than treating the number of homes as the whole transport argument. Construction traffic would also need consideration.
Water, wildlife and farmland
The screening letter places the land in Flood Zone 1, the lowest category of river and sea flood risk. It also identifies a surface-water flow route within the site and a low point along its western boundary. Those are different risks, so the Flood Zone 1 label should not be read as meaning that drainage requires no further work.
A flood risk assessment and drainage strategy are proposed for the eventual application. The applicant also acknowledges nutrient neutrality requirements associated with the River Lugg protected habitat. Put simply, the development would need to address its nutrient pollution contribution, with the effectiveness of the proposed measures examined through the relevant assessment.
The Withington homes documents suggest an attenuation basin could remove approximately 51% of total phosphorus, leaving a residual load of about 4.82 kilograms a year to be addressed through nutrient credits. These are preliminary calculations and a proposed mitigation route. They do not establish that credits have been secured or that the council has accepted the solution.
The letter identifies the land as Grade 2 on the predictive agricultural land classification map, with a detailed survey still proposed. It acknowledges the potential loss of approximately 11.5 hectares of agricultural land. The quality of the land and the consequences of losing it would remain relevant to a future planning decision.
On ecology, the applicant points to hedgerows, associated trees and bat activity, including use of the southern hedgerow. It proposes further application documents and mitigation. The absence of a protected designation within the site does not settle the effects on nearby habitats, wildlife connections or the River Lugg.
How residents can respond now
The register gives 22nd October 2026 as the deadline for comments on this screening request. If you want to respond, use the council’s register and identify reference P262949/EIA. At this stage, useful evidence concerns the likelihood of significant environmental effects, including effects that may arise alongside other development.
I would start with the screening letter and check whether it accurately describes the environmental issue you know about. For example, a specific account of surface-water flows, the relationship with nearby development or the use of a hedgerow is more useful than assuming that the council is already deciding the final housing application.
The next record to watch is the council’s screening opinion. After that, a housing application would be a separate stage with its own documents and consultation. Our planning applications guide explains the wider process. For now, the Withington homes proposal remains an early environmental screening request, with neither the screening outcome nor permission for the housing recorded.
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