THERE has been fears affordable homes could be built on the outskirts of the city where there are poor transport links and few school places.

Parents already struggle with school places in north Worcester but there are worries 75 new affordable could add to the problem.

Living Space Housing has secured a 7.6-acre site in Bevere, near Claines, which was formerly part of Gwillams Farm and next to two new housing estates.

City Councillor Mel Allcott (Claines/Lib Dem) said worried residents had already been in touch about the potential plans.

"I have had people get in touch even before it was published in the Worcester News.

"People are concerned about the development and think there will be a big issue with school places and a lack of public transport."

She pointed out that more affordable homes were currently being built on Old Northwick Farm where concerns were also raised over schooling and transport.

The land off Bevere Lane has a draft allocation for 74 homes within the South Worcestershire Development Plan Review.

It is also adjacent to Bellway’s recently completed Cherry Tree Place and Cherry Orchard developments.

"When the Bellway homes were being built we had a lot of objections from people in Bevere and now we have the people in Bevere and Bellway upset about the new plans.

"We definitely need more affordable housing but people feel this is not the best place for it.

"We have schools which are full and it is right on the fringe of the city with no great public transport links.

"People absolutely just feel it is completely in the wrong place and there isn't the infrastructure to support it."

The plans will retain the open parkland setting of the neighbouring historic properties, which lie within the Bevere Conservation Area.

Living Space Housing will shortly be undertaking pre-application consultation with Wychavon District Council and key stakeholders, prior to preparing a planning application in 2022.

Paul Breen, managing director of Living Space Housing said: “The county of Worcestershire is an exceptionally popular place to live, particularly homes within easy reach of the cathedral city of Worcester.

"Bevere is only three miles away from the centre of the city, and the range of local amenities, schooling and bus services nearby ensures this charming hamlet is a sustainable location for new housing.

“We are looking forward to working collaboratively to bring forward the development plans for this site next year.”

The development design will be tenure-blind meaning there are no explicit external indicators of tenure type in the design and layout of a development.