Why are New Homes Needed?

Across Herefordshire, there is a clear and growing need for new homes. It is challenging to meet this need; Herefordshire Council has confirmed there are not enough deliverable sites currently coming forward to do so. Only around 62% of housing need is due to be met by planned housing supply, with a shortfall of almost 3,000 homes over the next 5 years.

Housing affordability is a significant issue in Herefordshire. The ratio of average house prices to incomes has consistently been above the national average since the late 1990s, with homes now selling for almost nine times annual earnings1.

Herefordshire needs 597 affordable homes per year with the largest need being for affordable rented accommodation2. Over the past five years, only 936 affordable homes have been delivered across the county which is less than a third of what is needed and a shortfall of more than 2,000 affordable homes3.

Over the same period, the number of households on the Housing Register has remained high, from 872 up to 1,9724. In 2023/24, 864 households approached Herefordshire Council as homeless or at risk of homelessness, with 177 households recorded as homeless in November 2025 and 149 households living in temporary accommodation in June 2025, including 75 households with children5. This temporary accommodation costs more for the local authority, and ultimately, taxpayers.

Delivering enough homes, including affordable homes, is important because it helps to:

Enable younger people and families to stay in the area and access a home of their own, reducing barriers to important life milestones like starting a family;

Offer suitable housing choices for older residents looking to downsize locally;

Support local services, schools, businesses and community facilities by maintaining a healthy and balanced population;

Reduce homelessness, housing insecurity and reliance on temporary accommodation;

Tackle poor housing conditions and their associated impacts on health and wellbeing;

Help key workers live closer to their jobs and communities;

1 ONS (2025), Housing affordability in England and Wales: 2025. Available at: https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/housing/bulletins/housingaffordabilityinenglandandwales/2025

2 Iceni Projects Limited on behalf of Herefordshire Council (2021), Housing Market Area Needs Assessment.

3 MHCLG (2026), Live tables on affordable housing supply. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/live-tables-on-affordable-housing-supply

4 MHCLG (2023-26), Local Authority Housing Data. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/local-authority-housing-data

5 Herefordshire Council (2026), Herefordshire Homeless Prevention and Rough Sleeping Strategy 2026 – 2031.

Why in Withington?

National planning policy encourages a plan-led approach to meeting housing needs, however, in Herefordshire the adopted Local Plan Core Strategy is out-of-date. Last year, Herefordshire Council stopped its preparation of a new Local Plan in recognition of the significant uplift in housing growth required. The Council now need to begin from scratch, and a new Plan will not be adopted until 2029 at the earliest.

In these circumstances, national policy supports the delivery of housing on sustainable and well-located sites, even if they are not specifically allocated for development in the Local Plan.

Withington is identified by Herefordshire Council’s Core Strategy as a settlement that will be a focus for housing development.

This site is a suitable and sustainable location for new housing because:

It sits adjacent to the existing village, forming a natural extension rather than an isolated development;

It has good access to local services and facilities within Withington and new residents can help to sustain their viability over the long-term;

It can be accessed safely from the A4103, a key local route; and

It benefits from its proximity to Hereford, the main hub of economic activity within the County and just over 5km away.

Importantly, the site is unconstrained. It is within Flood Zone 1 (being the lowest risk of flooding), relatively contained from a landscape and visual perspective, and will have no substantive impact on any nearby designated heritage assets.

The aim is to deliver a scheme that integrates with the village, respects its rural character and provides benefits for both existing and new residents.