A VILLAGE has not moved any closed to finding out whether more than 160 homes will be built despite having already waited more than 18 months for a decision.

Hundreds of villagers in Rushwick near Worcester have been waiting to find out whether Custom Land Ltd can still build 42 homes on land off Bransford Road despite having successfully fought off the plans almost three years ago.

Villagers campaigned against the plan in 2018 and did so again when it reappeared in 2019 only for developer Custom Land Ltd to request a government inspector looks at the decision.

Despite the opposition in the village against the homes and despite Malvern Hills District rejecting the plan twice, the homes could still be built if the government's planning inspector decides to overrule the council.

A decision is yet to be made on the appeal that was submitted a year ago and a fresh appeal was put forward in November last year with an inquiry date set for March.

If given the go-ahead by the government, the homes could accompany another 120 planned for the edge of the village.

Lioncourt Homes wants to build a mix of one-to-four-bedroom homes in Rushwick with villagers registering more than 270 objections with Malvern Hills District Council.

That plan was submitted in September last year and a decision has still not been made.

The homes would be built on fields to the eastern edge of the village between Claphill Lane, Bransford Road and the A4440.

Many objectors complained against the number of homes saying they were not needed and the village did not have the infrastructure to cope.

Malvern Hills District Council planners had rejected the Custom Land Ltd plan in March 2018 because it was outside the village's development boundary in the South Worcestershire Development Plan (SWDP) and it would have impacted negatively on the character of the area.

The same plan was put forward again in 2019 and rejected for a second time by council planners in June last year.

Rushwick Parish Council said no new homes should be built in the village until a proper housing assessment had been carried out.

Hundreds of objections were raised against both plans including a 400-plus petition in 2018.