CONTROVERSIAL plans to build a giant chicken farm on the edge of Malvern have come under further fire after a ‘horrific’ car crash just yards from the proposed site.
A woman was trapped for more than an hour after two vehicles were involved in a collision near the Wellington Inn in Colwall last Monday (September 14) while another incident saw a car crash into a house on August 20.
This has led to concerns from residents who fear an increase in heavy duty vehicles along the A449, which could come with the development, will lead to more accidents.
Proposals are set to include four chicken sheds which will house 200,000 chickens on land at Chances Pitch in Colwall.
Resident Ian White told The Observer he was worried how the development would affect similar incidents on the 60 miles per hour road.
“This accident was quite horrific,” he said. “We are concerned as residents about these incidents because they are getting quite frequent and the severity is quite high.
“And with the broiler unit application there will be an increase in slow moving, large vehicle waiting to pull off that road and into the actual site.
“It is a fast road, people tend to travel quite quickly along it and this accident was pretty close to the entrance.”
The plans have been objected by Ledbury Town Council and Tracey Elgar, a resident of the area, also called the road an ‘accident blackspot’.
“People come down here at 70, 80, 90 miles per hour, they hit the bend and when they straighten up there is very little time to recover,” she added.
“That is why traffic is top of the agenda in our objections. One part is a safety angle but the other is the sheer volume of traffic.
“There is also mud on the road which is always a problem for rural communities.”
The design and access statement on the application revealed there would be a reduction of five HGV’s per year taking wheat from the farm and Herefordshire Council highways confirmed any traffic study would need to be undertaken by the developer.
The Observer tried to contact applicants Phillip and Richard Houlbrooke but they were unavailable for comment.
