A proposal to consult on plans to build three major new settlements across South Worcestershire, to meet future demand for new housing, is set to go before councillors.
The Preferred Options document, produced as part of the review of the South Worcestershire Development Plan, sets out how a Government requirement to build another 14,000 new homes across Malvern Hills District, Worcester City and Wychavon by 2041 will be met. This is on top of the need for 28,400 new homes by 2030, more than half of which have already been built, set out in the current plan.
Planners have assessed more than 900 sites put forward for potential development against a range of technical criteria and have made a series of recommendations about the most sustainable locations. These include:
- A new town at Worcestershire Parkway delivering 5,000 homes by 2041, with the potential for another 5,000 after that
- A new town at Throckmorton Airfield delivering 2,000 new homes from 2030 with the potential for further expansion in the future
- An expanded settlement at Rushwick delivering 1,000 new homes from 2030 once a new railway station has been secured
- Plans for 810 new homes on various sites around Worcester, 730 at Droitwich Spa, 200 in Evesham, 880 in Malvern, 600 in Pershore and 60 in Tenbury Wells.
- More than 900 new homes earmarked for villages across Wychavon and 390 within Malvern Hills District
On top of this the document contains plans for providing another 273 hectares of employment land to allow for the growth of businesses and job creation.
The vast majority, 140 hectares, has been allocated within Wychavon with 55 hectares planned for Malvern Hills District. Another 70 hectares is planned to be split between the three major proposed development sites at Worcestershire Parkway, Throckmorton and Rushwick.
Councillors in Worcester City will consider the proposals on Tuesday, 22 October, Wychavon Wednesday, 23 October and Malvern Hills District on Tuesday, 29 October. If each council approves then a six week public consultation will be held from 4 November. Details of the consultation will be released should the proposals be approved by all three councils.
Cllr Lucy Hodgson, Chair of the SWDP Joint Advisory Panel, said "This is an important step in the process to ensure our local plan continues to allow the three South Worcestershire Councils to meet the Government's requirement for new housing, as well as providing opportunities for companies to invest, grow and create jobs.
"A huge amount of work has gone into selecting the proposed sites and I'd urge residents to read the document in full, understand the reasoning behind these recommendations and – should they be approved – get involved in the consultation."
The Preferred Options document is available to view on each of the council's websites.
