In October 2024, Peter Foster of Brockington Developments sought full planning permission for nine new houses immediately west of the A44 through Bredenbury, between Bromyard and Leominster. Among supporters of this scheme, Kirsty Watkins said her family “desperately want to move back to Bredenbury” which “is in need of more housing”. A pair of great crested newts (Image: Bouke ten Cate / Wikimedia Commons, CC-licensed)Both schemes had the support of Bredenbury Group Parish Council, which pointed out the two sites were allocated for new housing in its neighbourhood development plan. The new homes would “support the long-term future” of the village school, it added. OTHER NEWS:But now Herefordshire Council’s planning officer Ollie Jones has refused both applications, ruling that they lacked information on their likely impact on great crested newts, “known to be present within the locality”.