Hereford could lose chunk of Merton Meadow car park weeks after season starts

Drivers in Hereford are set to lose a large chunk of the Merton Meadow car park - just weeks after the new National League North season starts on 9th August.

The car park, one of the city's largest and right next to the MandM Edgar Street Stadium, is set to become home to a wildlife oasis to beat flooding.

The north section of the Merton Meadow car park might be little used in the week, but is packed on matchdays

It's all part of Herefordshire Council's plan to press ahead with its government-funded flood alleviation scheme in the Merton Meadow area of the city – a precursor to wider redevelopment including up to 400 new affordable homes.

The planning application, with several technical reports attached, said the city has “experienced a vast amount of flooding in the past, largely driven by the watercourses in the area”, as well as from “intense rainfall”, according to a statement with the application, supported by copious technical reports.

The new basin planned for the north section of the Merton Meadow car park

One of three new basins along the Widemarsh Brook will be in the north section of Merton Meadow, which is regularly packed on matchdays - including Tuesday evenings when shoppers aren't around - as more than 2,500 fans head to Edgar Street.

Hereford fan Colin Butler, who has already voiced his concerns regarding plans for housing on the car park, said the currently fenced-off section of the main part of the car park, once home to a Covid-19 testing centre and more recently a circus, could be reopened.

He said there seems to be people that believe that there won't be any loss of parking at Merton Meadow until a new multi-storey car park is built at the County bus station in Commercial Road. Parkopedia currently has the capacity of the car park as 800, and Herefordshire Council only allows lorries to park up on the north section.

However, he points out that Herefordshire Council wants its contractor Buttress to start the flood alleviation work in September, echoed in a recent report by the Hereford Times.

He said: "It will be a shock when people try to park up on the first Saturday match day after the work starts!"