Worcestershire NHS trust wants £1m as part of new homes plan

Construction company Taylor Wimpey want to build 1,500 homes in Woven Oaks, Kidderminster

An NHS trust said it wants £1m from developers to care for more patients if a housing estate is built.

Construction firm Taylor Wimpey wants to build 1,500 homes on former green belt land in Woven Oaks, Kidderminster.

But Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust said hospitals were already over capacity and it would be "unable to meet the extra demand" for care.

The firm said it would be making financial contributions to the local council for facilities in the area.

Ollie Swain, from campaign group Action Against Woven Oaks, which had submitted a petition voicing concerns against the redevelopment, said it was detrimental to the residents living in the area.

He said it was already "extremely difficult" to access NHS services locally.

"I've known people to wait three weeks just to see a GP, it's terrible at the moment," he added.

The estate is the latest addition to development plans in the counties, with plans to build 17,000 homes in Herefordshire, 28,000 in South Worcestershire and 7,000 in Wyre Forest.

Campaign group Action Against Woven Oaks had submitted a petition voicing concerns against the redevelopment

Mark Garnier, Conservative MP for Wyre Forest, said the estate would put "untold pressure" onto the NHS and other services.

"The problem with a new development is you have potentially another 4,500-5,000 people moving into this new Woven Oaks development," he said.

Mark Garnier, MP for Wyre Forest, said the new estate would put "untold pressure" onto the NHS

The Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust said the development would have an "adverse effect" on its ability to provide medical care without delay and its request for more developer funding would offset pressures, and help care for more patients once the estate was built.

"The new population associated with this proposed development will impact significantly on the capability of the service delivery and performance of the trust," a spokesperson said.

"This will result in the trust receiving financial penalties and not achieving performance standards."

A spokesperson for Taylor Wimpey said plans had been considered following engagement with the local community.

It added it would make financial contributions to the council for facilities in the local area, if the application was approved.