Herefordshire Council are building a road to an industrial estate at Rotherwas on the south-eastern side of Hereford. It will make no improvement to city traffic, in fact, consultants argue it will increase local traffic levels.

The government are refusing to fund it because it is 'poor value'. The planning inspector said that the need to expand the estate has been 'grossly exaggerated' and consultants said less damage would be done with alternatives such as locating the road nearer to Hereford. The road and expansion is unnecessary when nearby industrial estates remain half empty.

The Council are seeking to fund the road - which has already started construction - partly through funding from major housing development which has not yet been agreed. The Unitary Development Plan inspector stated that this housing, at Bullinghope, was 'an unjustified incursion' into the countryside and out of Hereford's natural southern boundary. It was taken out of the plan but the Council ignored this and put it back in. This decision was foisted on councillors, combined as it was with other decisions at a chaotic meeting in January which was interrupted by the public when they were not allowed to speak.

Local campaigners Dinedor Hill Action Association are taking Herefordshire Council to the High Court on this, believing that the Council cannot use money from a development that gains no benefit from a road to somewhere else, and that they should not have gone against the planning inspector.

Even on these grounds the road should not be being built. But the discovery of Hereford's Stonehenge surely means the road must be stopped?

Don't believe it. Hereford's Conservatives are determined to literally plough ahead and bury our heritage under concrete. When will they learn to conserve?

More information on the campaign against the road can be found on www.dinedorhillaction.co.uk

ROAD FLAWED FROM THE VERY START - technical information