A PARISH council has opposed plans to build 85 new homes on the outskirts of a village, citing traffic fears.

The parish council submitted a 10-page response to Malvern Hills District Council, listing a variety of reasons it feels would be problematic for the village.

In the response, a loss of biodiversity, increased travel by car, views of the local landscape being compromised and increase strain on drainage and other local services are all listed as reasons why the council thinks the project is “unsustainable”.

The application,submitted by Lioncourt Homes, proposes to construct 85 “residential units”, consisting of 51 houses available for “market housing”, 21 houses and four flats available for “social, affordable or intermediate rent” and nine houses for “affordable home ownership”.

Worcester News: Chairman of the Martley Parish Council, Dr Stuart Cumella. Chairman of the Martley Parish Council, Dr Stuart Cumella.

Chairman of Martley Parish Council, Dr Stuart Cumella, said: "Speaking personally, I strongly oppose this plan to cram 85 houses into a field outside the village.

“This would increase commuter traffic down already-crowded country lanes, make flooding worse, destroy our views of the beautiful English countryside, and remove 3.9 hectares of good agricultural land from food production.

“None of these things make any sense at a time of global warming and impending food shortages."

The site for the application is adjacent to playing fields and the skate park and takes the shape of an irregular diamond of approximately 4 hectares.

In the design and access statement provided by Lioncourt Homes, the summary and conclusions state: “Lioncourt Homes have carried out a thorough analysis of the site constraints and have taken part in a pre-application public consultation with Malvern Hills District Council which involved a meeting and the receipt of comments from other consultees which helped to inform the design solution put forward for consideration.

“This application reflects these matters and seeks to provide a sensitive development that has clear references to the design, density, and character of this part of the village.

“The development provides a strong landscape structure with accessible and usable green space, as well as a permeable layout with multiple access points for pedestrians and cyclists and a clear street hierarchy of connected streets and spaces.

“The development also provides secure cycle storage, in the form of garages and sheds. 7.6 The plans also show the high quality of design that has been prioritised for the development, resulting in a positive contribution to the village of Martley.”

To view the full application details, visit here.