LEDBURY'S cricketers can celebrate their most important victory of recent times after a planning battle today went their way.

The town's cricket club was last month granted permission to relocate to a new home on the edge of town.

But they were left on a sticky wicket as the move could only go ahead if plans for 100 homes at their current home, at the back of the Full Pitcher pub on New Street, were approved.

This matter was deferred until this morning when Herefordshire Council's Planning Committee gave the homes idea the thumbs up.

Club chairman Rob Yeoman, who is also Ledbury's deputy mayor, told committee members the move was vital for cricket in the town as well as junior football as Ledbury Swifts will be offered use of a football pitch at the new facility off Orlham Lane.

"It will transform the lives of cricketers and young footballers," he told the committee before they voted.

"But all this requires approval of the new homes.

"Since the last meeting there have been about 40 letters of support.

"This land is not public space as has been suggested. Dog walkers have no right to be there."

The homes plan was submitted by the Silverwood Partnership and Enterprise Inns who had agreed to relocate the cricket club to Orlham Lane should the idea be approved.

The cricket club, who are tenants of the land, wanted to move because they are reluctant to spend money on ground improvements as they only have a short term lease.

Ledbury Town Council didn't support the homes idea with chairman Keith Francis saying members "strongly objected".

"Access is very close to a major roundabout," he said.

"Has a study even been undertaken into traffic flows?"

He also said a town Ledbury's size should have about 60 acres of open space but only has about 25 acres.

It was initially intended to create a right turn into the site for cars approaching from the west but this has now been dropped from the plans.

Instead, alterations are set to be made to the nearest bypass roundabout by narrowing access points on its 'arms', including the New Street turn.