Council leader welcomes Labour pledge for new town

The new Chancellor's announcement that she wants to accelerate a stalled housing project in Worcestershire has been welcomed by the leader of the local authority.

Labour's Rachel Reeves said there would be a new task force to speed up developments, including a new 10,000 home town planned for the area around Worcestershire Parkway station

Chris Day, the Conservative leader of Wychavon District Council, said the plan had taken "a little bit longer than we would have hoped".

He said he hoped the promise would come with more funding and added: "I welcome her enthusiasm".

The plan to build a settlement at the point where two railway lines meet, close to the parkway station, has been ongoing for five years.

Mr Day said it was the "perfect place really to build new homes", because of the nearby rail station and its proximity to the M5.

The council leader said: "It allows development to happen in Wychavon, but without expanding out current towns, which we think are at capacity."

The plans, he said, were currently being examined by planning inspectors and he believed they would be finalised by January next year.

"We are more than 90% of the way through what has been quite a long journey," he said.

Once the plans are finalised, he said he hoped work could start within 18 months, but there would be a lot of infrastructure, including roads, needed.

"Developing a new area is going to be expensive," Mr Day said, adding he was "fully in favour of anything which accelerates it".

He also said he hoped the new Labour government would not overrule the views of people in the area.