CONCERN that development of QinetiQ and the Science Park will eat away at public land has been raised by Malvern Hills Conservators.

Large-scale redevelopment of QinetiQ and plans lodged for eight new office buildings at the neighbouring Science Park will increase the number of people working at the two sites from around 2,700 to 4,000.

To cope with increased traffic, QinetiQ plans to pay for the upgrading of the Barnards Green roundabout, a key junction for entrances in St Andrew's Road and Geraldine Road. There are also plans to widen the entrance to Geraldine Road.

The alterations would take place on land owned by the Malvern Hills Conservators. The board's management committee last month voted to approve the move "in principle". But, at a meeting of the full board last Thursday, there was disquiet expressed that the planned development would not be the last.

Board member Sue Thetford said: "Originally we were told that they wanted to make those alterations at Geraldine Road and that was it, so I grudgingly voted for it."

Mrs Thetford said that she had since been told that more work could be undertaken in three years' time, with the prospect of a roundabout or traffic lights at the end of Longridge Road and Poolbrook Road.

"A lot of us are very much opposed to that, it's a very rural area," she said. "They keep eating bits of common land and our job is to conserve that land for the public."

Board chairman Richard Graves said that permission had only been given in principle.

"We need to know precisely what's wanted now and precisely what's wanted in the future," he said.

The Conservators' director, Ian Rowat, said that all the board wanted was to be told exactly what would be happening and when.

"It's always difficult balancing the economic benefits with the environmental ones," he said. "What worries us is that they are going to come back in three years time. Let's have it all up front now."

Wendy Jackson, funding manager at the Science Park, confirmed that further improvements would probably be needed after those in Barnard's Green. She said that representatives from QinetiQ and the Science Park were due to meet with the highways authority yesterday (Thursday) to discuss the matter.