Unpopular plans to build almost 400 homes approved

Bloor Homes says 93of the properties built will be affordable

Plans to build nearly 400 homes and a sports centre as part of an urban extension of Worcester have been given the green light.

Part of the housing project will see 372 homes built on land off Martley Road, along with a sports pavilion, grass and artificial pitches, a pump track that can be used for cyclists to train on and a play area.

Residents have raised concerns about a lack of GP surgeries and schools in the area and fear roads will be “gridlocked” with so many houses being built.

Bloor Homes' plan represents phases three and four of a larger development of 1,400 homes, with access to it from both Martley Road and Oldbury Road.

Outline planning permission was granted by Malvern Hills District Council in 2020.

Last month, the latest proposals, which give more details on this phase of the scheme, were approved by district planners.

Elgar Park sports hub will have a sports hall and changing facilities, plus two full size pitches

They noted the developer’s efforts to make a feature of a crossroads, the fact that different parts of the estate will have different characteristics and the intention to make the site’s spine road a “tree-lined avenue”.

Bloor says that of the 372 homes, 93 will be affordable. The housing will be a mix of terraced, semi-detached and detached houses, and apartments.

There will also be a 10-metre high sports centre with a sports hall and changing facilities, plus two full-size pitches – one grass and one artificial turf.

The sports centre would be served by a car park with space for 120 cars and two minibuses, plus overflow parking and a drop-off and pick-up area.

Neighbours had objected to the scheme, with Andrew Sherwood saying: "There is no mention of the developer building new schools, doctor's surgeries, or any expansion of the already overwhelmed Worcestershire Royal Hospital.

"The increase in congestion on the outlying roads, primarily the roads into the city, which with all these new developments will become gridlocked."

David Heywood said the plans "will lead to traffic problems on Martley Road".

This news was gathered by the Local Democracy Reporting Service, which covers councils and other public service organisations.