PLANS saying where the thousands of new homes should go have “sidelined” elected members, according to a leading councillor.

Coun Tom Wells who leads the Liberal Democrat, Independent and Green group alliance at Malvern Hills District Council, has blasted the process which led to the South Worcestershire Development Plan preferred options strategy.

The strategy, which goes out to consultation in September, includes land allocations for the 12,000 new homes which must still be allocated by 2030 – 1,831 in the Malvern area, 3,910 in Wychavon and 5,200 in Worcester (and 1,000 windfall homes).

Mr Wells – also a county councillor for Powick – says he and other councillors have had no chance to look at the strategy before its publication this week.

The strategy has been overseen by the nine-member joint advisory panel (JAP), chaired by Malvern councillor David Hughes, with technical evidence gathered by planning officers at Worcester city, Wychavon District Council and Malvern.

“How can it be that councillors from other authorities in Worcester and Wychavon can have any say in where houses should be built in the villages like Powick that I represent, when I myself have no say?” he said.

“We were also in this farcical situation where at the last advisory panel meeting other councillors weren’t allowed in, even to observe.

“Councillors have been side-lined by this process and that cannot be either democratic or right – it’s outrageous.”

He also said the plan had been “rushed” but Coun Hughes said the panel had had to spend months reviewing its evidence although there was “urgency” to get the strategy agreed to prevent “planning by appeal”.

Mr Hughes said the only closed meetings had been “workshops” and a meeting on May 24 when a draft report was pulled together.

“It wasn’t appropriate to have non-JAP members on a few occasions,” he said. He added the panel was “cross-party” with Liberal Democrats, Labour and Conservative councillors and three members from each council.