ENGLISH Heritage has fired a shock warning of Worcester coming under serious pressure from new housing - saying the city is facing the "worrying threat" of too much development.

The nation's leading organisation for protecting England's character and history says too much unwanted housing is "the biggest and most worrying threat" facing the country, specifically citing Worcester as one of the cities facing problems.

The stark comments, from English Heritage chief executive Simon Thurley, come in the same week when a controversial blueprint for 28,370 homes across south Worcestershire was backed by all of its three district councils.

But Mr Thurley has even fired an ominous warning that the city and its surrounds will come under more "huge pressure" to go even further as the population grows.

His comments have been leapt on by parish councils, who say it is proof that national bodies are starting to pick up on the ill-feeling over the South Worcestershire Development Plan (SWDP).

Mr Thurley has singled out Worcester alongside a handful of market towns as an area that concerns him.

"If we think there has been pressure to build houses already, we have seen nothing yet," he said.

"This expansion is happening without due thought and attention being given to things like traffic, schools, the health service, hospitals, and all those other things.

"I think the biggest and most worrying threat we have at the moment is these huge identikit slabs of housing being tacked on places like Worcester, Henley, King's Lynn, Dorchester, Chichester, without properly thinking about how to do it."

The SWDP originally earmarked land for 23,200 homes before a Government inspector asked it to be increased.

The new plan, which also includes land for 30,000 jobs, has been backed by councils in Worcester, Malvern and Wychavon and is expected to be signed off in early 2015 by inspector Roger Clews.

Its backers say the blueprint will stop developers placing homes anywhere they like by securing planning permission on appeal.

Worcester Councillor David Wilkinson, a member of the Joint Advisory Panel who helped draw it up, said: "Potentially, it is a concern (what Mr Thurley is saying) but we are well aware of the situation and because we have a plan, we are in a position to control it.

"We are absolutely prepared to defend the essential nature of Worcester, and its heritage is very high on our list.

"If the plan was to damage our heritage and cause problems, I'd be the first jumping up and down.

"Given the number of houses proposed for Worcester in the plan (around 10,000) compared to the current population of the city, I don't think it's sufficient to cause any damage to those essential qualities of the city.

"The hope is that the inspector will approve the current plan, and I'm confident that's what will happen."

RALLYING CALL TO PROTECT THE CITY

COMMUNITY leaders in Worcester have leapt on the comments from English Heritage - saying they fear the character of the city being "spoiled".

Councillor Pam Clayton sits on St Peter's Parish Council, where more than 2,000 homes are earmarked between Crookbarrow Way and Kempsey under the SWDP.

She said: "I came to Worcester in 1959 as a student and before I knew it, the old Lychgate had been ripped out - all those years on, do we ever learn?

"I agree that all this new development is invading the integrity of that heritage which makes Worcester the city it is.

"Worcester has character, history, tradition. I know we need new housing but in an area like St Peter's, the drainage isn't good enough now - never mind the roads.

"I am very concerned, because I cherish what Worcester already has."

She added: "We've all been badly treated really, as we haven't been party to a whole vision for the city.

"I feel we should have one clear vision for Worcester that we can either accept or reject, instead we've had all of this piecemeal development and that's not good enough.

"I don't know, for example, what the rationale for the north of the city is at all.

"We all know new houses are needed. But we cannot allow this to spoil what we've got."

Amanda Bullock, 57, of Main Road, Kempsey, said: "It feels like we're under this intolerable pressure to build houses regardless of local feeling.

"How many cars will come with those 28,000 homes? If its another 40,000, what will that do?

"We need to conserve our great historic cities, not expand them."

But Worcester MP Robin Walker insisted the alternative to having no plan was too risky.

"I do absolutely share the concerns if we get housing without infrastructure," he said.

"But by having a locally-driven plan, it means we can get investment in the roads, schools, doctors surgeries, which would otherwise not be possible.

"I recognise where he (Mr Thurley) is coming from, I don't want to see Worcester change completely and actually think we should look at creating more areas of green belt to the south and west.

"But the alternative to this is having developers build houses on appeal and the councillors have done a good job in creating it."

Of the 28,370 homes in the SWDP just under 10,000 are in or around Worcester. The population is currently around the 100,000 mark, one of England’s smallest cities.

The blueprint also includes more than £320 million of investment in roads and schools.

Mr Thurley's comments were made during an appearance at the Henley Literature Festival.

During the talk he said some market towns face doubling in size in future decades, to cope with the country's continuing population rise.

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