Action group urges people to oppose 1,600 homes plan

3:00pm Friday 29th August 2008

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A NEWLY-formed action group has urged Malvern people to stand up and be counted over plans to build 1,600 new houses in Newland and Madresfield.

Action for the Future of Malvern slammed the proposals outlined in the South Worcestershire joint core strategy for its lack of options.

Heather Jeavons, action group member, said: “Our elected representatives are being bullied by central government into believing that they have no choice but to cave in.

“Well, Malvern Hills District Council does have a choice.

“It can throw this plan out and substitute it with something more responsive to local needs.”

Mrs Jeavons and fellow member Charles Eden questioned the wisdom of locating the houses in areas that lack sufficient infrastructure and would mean a shift from Great Malvern being a town centre. Mrs Jeavons said: “Do we really want to vote for a lingering death for our historic town and to replace it with a glorified retail concrete jungle?”

A public consultation will run from Friday, September 19, to Friday, October 31, with questionnaires available at customer service centres, public consultation events and at malvernhills.gov.uk.

“If the present proposals are passed, building could be underway from 2011, condemning all the residents of Malvern and the surrounding areas to 15 years of hell,” said Mrs Jeavons.

Roger Hall-Jones, district councillor and the portfolio holder for the joint core strategy, said: “We do want to have a really good response to the consultation paper. The sort of numbers we are dealing with, in terms of houses, we do not have a great deal of choice about, but what is open to debate is the location of them.”

For further information about the Action for the Future of Malvern group, call 01886 832061 or 01684 832061.