ABOUT 80 residents of Powick crowded into the village hall on Wednesday evening to protest against the latest plan to build houses in the village.

Selbourne Homes of Hagley has applied to build up to 61 new houses on land to the east of Hospital Lane.

This week's public meeting was arranged by local district councillors Elaine Newman and Tom Wells to brief residents about the application.

Cllr Newman said: "The clear feeling that we got from local residents is that they have had enough. They feel that Powick has taken big hits already and that enough is enough and the village shouldn't have to take any more."

In recent weeks, a plan by Bovis Homes for 45 houses on land behind the Crown pub was approved on appeal, after Malvern Hills District Council turned it down. This site is only a few yards from the current application.

And another plan, for 39 homes off Sparrowhall Lane, on the other side of the main road, was approved by the district council in April.

The Selbourne scheme has already attracted written objections from Powick residents.

Jill Budd said: "After all the wrangling about access to land to the rear of the Crown and the limitations on the junction with the A449 it surprises me that you want even more houses in this area. My family have lived here for more than 40 years and have witnessed the increase in traffic flow and the noise which is constant."

Chris and Lavinia Bathory of Montgomerie Close say: "A significant area of this land regularly floods, and although the application clearly states that the flood area is not to be built on, it is central to the area shown with houses on in the submitted plans."

And Jeannie Harris of Hamilton Close said the site had previously been ruled out for development because it had been used for landfill. She said: "A huge amount of waste from the former Powick Hospital lies under the grass. In addition, other waste from a development at St. Wulstans Hospital in Malvern was also dumped on this site."