PLANS to install permanent glass panel walls to prevent flooding along the southern bank of the River Wye near the Old Bridge in Hereford have been withdrawn pending further negotiations.

The Environment Agency wanted to replace the demountable flood defences currently in place along the footpath in front of the homes next to the Saracens Head and also on a section next to Greyfriars Bridge.

But planning committee chairman John Hardwick told last week’s meeting that the application was withdrawn from the committee.

“Further negotiations are currently ongoing,” he said.

The proposals, which include floodgates, aimed to reduce the whole life cost of the defences and reduce the risk of failure to deploy during flooding.

The new passive defences would be located entirely within the footprint of the existing wall and were designed to fit into the existing supports.

When open, the floodgates would maintain current access for pedestrians and maintenance.

However, Hereford city council along with ten residents objected to the proposals.

They said the new flood defences would not be in keeping with the area’s aesthetics and could be painted with graffiti.

“The area already suffers from high levels of graffiti due to the low amount of lighting and pedestrian traffic at night, and glass surfaces such as this would only serve as ideal space for more graffiti,” Connor Powell, a city council spokesperson said.

“The glass nature of the new defences is also out of touch with the local atmosphere; while the Left Bank is a modern structure, the riverside itself is of a quaint and rustic aesthetic, and is a quintessential ‘Hereford’ location, which would not be well served by clashing modern glass decoration.”