Housing bid gets go-ahead (From Worcester News)

Housing bid gets go-ahead

6:40pm Monday 19th November 2012 in News

A HUGE new housing estate on the fringes of Droitwich has once again been backed by councillors after it was brought back to committee after the threat of a High Court legal challenge.

Wychavon District Council backed the proposal by 11 votes to three, to put 740 homes and employment land on the greenfield site off the A38 Roman Way, next to Copcut Lane.

It last gave approval in May, but a legal challenge against the evidence was floated by the Save Copcut Group, forcing the matter back to council with updated reports.

Speaking against the bid, ward councillor Tony Miller said it was “a cancer on the edge of Droitwich”.

He also expressed concern over the quality of treated sewage, coming from the new estate, which would be pumped back into the river Salwarpe.

“The water treatment plant is obviously working to capacity already, and I see no evidence that it could be brought up to a standard, putting pure water back into the river,” he said.

Severn Trent Water, which operates the plant, has no objections to the new estate.

John Coleman, for developer William Davies, said work could begin on site as soon as a subsequent follow-on permission was granted for landscaping of the site.

He said: “As soon as we have that we will look to start essential infrastructure work.”

He suggested the process would take six months, including the signing of legal agreements and the further reserved matters application.