MOD understood to be withdrawing use of firing range on the edge of a Herefordshire town
Ross-on-Wye town and ward councillor Ed O’Driscoll has told town colleagues he has “been informed that the Ministry of Defence (MoD) is exploring options to cease use” of the site
The Ministry of Defence is understood to be withdrawing from a firing range it has used for many years on the edge of a Herefordshire town – making the area safer and more accessible for the area’s new residents.
Ross-on-Wye town and ward councillor Ed O’Driscoll recently told town colleagues he had “been informed that the Ministry of Defence (MoD) is exploring options to cease use” of Ross Ranges, also known as Tank Meadows, next year, “and is considering future opportunities for the land”.
Lying immediately east of the town beyond the former southbound railway track, now the Town and Country Trail, the range has been the source of gunfire and even helicopter noise, including at night, for many years, Coun O’Driscoll said.
But its continued use conflicted with promises to residents of the recent 210-home Orchards development off the A40 immediately to the north that they would get a footpath linking the estate with the Town and Country Trail.
This route “would provide a much safer pedestrian link to Ross-on-Wye, avoiding the need for residents to use the busy main road”, according to Coun O’Driscoll, who has been pressing the issue on behalf of residents.
The news from the MoD “may help unlock progress on the long-awaited footpath project”, he added.
“At the moment there is just a path to nowhere.”
The MoD objected to the planning application finalising the layout of the Orchards development five years ago, saying noise from the firing range “will generate complaints from the new occupants, which will impact on use of the range”.
But Coun O’Driscoll said he understood that once decommissioned, the range site could itself become a candidate for housing development, as the town continues to expand.
The MoD did not respond when asked about its plans for the Ross Ranges site.