CALLS have been made for a referendum on the future development of south Worcestershire.

Proposals for more than 20,000 new homes have attracted a wave of interest, with more than 10,000 people having their say on a controversial development plan which maps out how the area will grow by 2030.

A list of all the responses to the South Worcestershire Development Plan (SWDP) are published online, with many citing fears about congestion, a lack of government cash to add to the infrastructure and Evesham becoming a “commuter town like Redditch”.

Plans are being put in place to revise the target up to about 23,360, with an updated version of the document going out to the area’s district councils in July.

One of the responses said: “This is precisely why major new development is unwelcome – if there is insufficient funding to deliver improvements to key infrastructure, the plans must fail the test of sustainability.”

Another said it felt like “a sales pitch” and called for a “local referendum”.

The responses also included many backers of development, with some saying new housing is “a must”.

A favourable respondent said: “I agree a development plan is needed to prevent developers from unbridled building on any land they can get their hands on.”

In terms of the arguments about housing numbers, figures mentioned called for anything from 7,000 to 55,000.

The proposals touch almost every town and village in south Worcestershire, from Kempsey to land around the Malvern Hills.

l Council meetings, open to the public, will take place on Tuesday, July 3, in Worcester, Malvern and Pershore.

The city council’s meeting is at the Guildhall from 7pm.

Malvern Hills District Council meets at the same time at its HQ in Avenue Road, while Wychavon District Council meets at 6.15pm at the civic centre in Pershore.

Responses to the consultation can be seen at swdevelopmentplan.org