Grandmother, 79, at war with council over plans to put £45m bypass at end of her garden

A GRANDMOTHER is at war with her local council over plans to put a £45million bypass at the end of her garden. Jean Harris has been left fuming at the proposals which could see the major road built just metres from her home in Allensmore, Herefordshire. A grandmother is at war with her local council over plans to put a £45million bypass at the end of her garden Credit: SWNS Jean moved into the three-bed bungalow in 2003 Credit: SWNS Ms Harris, who moved into the three-bed bungalow in 2003, told the Daily Mail the council-backed scheme would be an “absolute nightmare”. According to the outlet, the council hope to commence work on a three-kilometre, 60mph single carriageway in December. Sign up for The Sun newsletter Thank you! But Ms Harris is refusing to sell a section of her garden as she fears the plans will devastate the local wildlife, including a 500-year-old oak tree. She says she will also have to contend with “road noise” at all hours of the day. The major route will be built just metres from her home in Allensmore, Herefordshire Credit: SWNS Jean says she will also have to contend with ‘road noise’ at all hours of the day Credit: SWNS She added that the vibration from the roads will be ‘horrible’ Credit: SWNS The council plan to start work on the three-kilometre, 60mph single carriageway in December Credit: SWNS She said: “Lorries or big vehicles will create lots of loud noises, the vibration will be horrible. It will be horrendous.” The grandmother-of-three explained that the bypass would “effectively be right next to the house” as the road’s embankment would be at the end of her garden. She believes the road will make little difference to the traffic around Hereford despite the staggering £45million price tag. But her primary concern is how it will damage the surrounding wildlife, saying losing it would be “catastrophic”. Most read in The Sun She added: “Then there’s the oak tree. It’s very old, about 500 years or so, and in perfect condition, why would you want to ruin that?” Ms Harris also has concerns around the value of her £575,000 home, saying it will “certainly depreciate”. The area of Ms Harris’ land the council requires for the bypass to go ahead is 385-square-metres at a value of around £58,000. However, she says she has refused to enter into any negotiations with the council and has no plans to sell the property. Herefordshire Council could impose a compulsory purchase order to obtain the land as they look to start the first phase later this year. The road would be built south-west of Hereford city centre and would link the A465 and A49. But Ms Harris has doubts about the scheme saying all it would do is “save minutes on their journey into Hereford” and won’t “get them there any quicker”. “It’s destruction, it’s total destruction really, and for what,” she said. Ms Harris, who lost her husband earlier this year, previously told the BBC that she was feeling “very vulnerable” and didn’t want the “pressure on me”. The Sun has contacted Herefordshire Council for comment. Comment now