Campaign Launched To Oppose Mass Housing Plans

9.10.00am BST (GMT +0100) Wed 6th May 2009

Residents from Kempsey, Hallow, Broadheath, Newland and Malvern have joined together to fight mass housing proposals for South Worcestershire.

The campaign was launched at a meeting organised by Liberal Democrat parliamentary candidate, Richard Burt and Councillor Tom Wells, and was held at Bank House Hotel in Bransford last night. Around 80 people attended.

Richard Burt, who chaired the meeting said: "Residents spoke with real passion from each of the five areas most affected by the proposed location of these so called 'urban extensions' - developments, some the size of Pershore, grafted onto existing towns and villages.

"Over thirty volunteered to take the campaign forward as SWHAG - South Worcestershire Housing Action Group; campaigning to say 'No' to mass housing and to provide an alternative vision for sustainable housing growth in South Worcestershire that local people can support.

"Everyone agreed that the current Regional Spatial Strategy should be suspended; that a locally driven plan should replace it, and that we should work together to lobby councillors, ministers and officials to ditch the current proposals."

Heather Jeavons from Newland said that the current plans were "developer and planner led. This is housing by numbers, rather than considered, locally focused, sustainable development." She said that the process was like a "runaway train" and had to be stopped.

Maurice Wedd from Lower Broadheath said that plans to expand Worcester were based on unrealistic employment growth and that the surrounding villages would be faced with planning blight if the plans went ahead. He said no notice was being taken of residents' objections.

Dean Clarke from Hallow said that a funding shortfall for infrastructure had been identified that would mean local taxpayers "forking out an extra £1/4billion to complete the work, because neither developers nor government intended to pay."

Tom Wells said the current plans amounted to "environmental vandalism" and that councillors were facing "their biggest decision for a generation" when they voted in October.

He said that Liberal Democrats on Malvern Hills District Council would vote against the plans.