MOST people understand the need for more homes to be built in this country – but hate it when a massive great big development gets the go-ahead next door.

It’s even worse when those residents don’t feel like they’ve been listened to, as was the case in Spetchley recently.

When developers Bloor Homes got the nod to build 256 properties off Kilbury Drive, on the edge of Worcester, it’s fair to say many locals went ballistic.

A massive group of campaigners had been arguing, for several months, about flooding worries, serious congestion concerns and the impact on Spetchley Road, to name a few issues.

The developers got their way, but now The Source hears the campaigners are lodging an official complaint to Wychavon District Council over it.

Central to their gripe is how Councillor Linda Robinson, a Tory who chairs the planning committee, was seen to be pushing fellow politicians into making a decision.

During a meeting of the planning committee in June she was heard to say the matter had been “deferred once already”, which of course was never the case.

One of the campaigners making very, very angry noises both before and after the decision was Coun Richard Boorn, a Worcester politician who represents many of the affected residents.

And just like fate, the two came faceto-face at Warwick University last Saturday after they had both been booked on the same politicians’ leadership course – where Coun Boorn wasted no time in telling her how he felt about the saga. Happy days!

e A COUPLE of weeks ago we told you how public satisfaction with roads in Worcestershire has plunged seven per cent in a year.

Now highways bods at County Hall are considering a novel idea of cheering residents up – by asking workers to take snaps of freshly filledin potholes so they can be e-mailed to complainants.

At the moment, people are encouraged to report potholes by taking a picture with a mobile phone or camera and emailing it to the county council.

The highways department is considering asking workers to return the favour by taking a snap of the newlook road surface, so it can be sent back to the driver.

At one point this year, the authority insisted more than 200 potholes were being filled in daily – if you believe the maths, 1,400 a week.

Isn’t asking all those workers to take pictures of each and every one a flippin’ waste of time and energy?