An apparatus and method for controlling access to a memory device

An apparatus and method are provided for controlling access to a memory device. The apparatus has a pending access requests storage that is used to store access requests waiting to be issued to the memory device, and memory access control circuitry is then used to issue to the memory device access requests selected from the pending access requests storage. Access requests are received at an interface of the apparatus from at least one requesting device, and access request evaluation circuitry within the apparatus is arranged to apply criteria to determine, for a current access request, whether to accept that current access request or reject that current access request. The criteria applied takes account of at least one access timing characteristic of the memory device. The access request evaluation circuitry is responsive to determining that the current access request is to be accepted, to cause that current access request to be stored in the pending access requests storage. However, if instead the access request is rejected, it is prevented from being added to the pending access requests storage at that time, and instead a rejection indication is issued to the requesting device that issued that current access request. This provides a mechanism for significantly improving the performance of the memory device by providing more selectivity as to what access requests are accepted into the pending access requests storage.