AN angry councillor called it ‘outrageous’ that developer money to improve a notorious city traffic island was ‘secretly’ diverted to another roundabout improvement project elsewhere.
Cllr Elaine Willmore has spoken out after learning that £340,102 of section 106 money went to alleviate traffic congestion at the A4440 Whittington Island roundabout instead of being spent where it was originally intended – on improving another roundabout.
The cash (£331,894 plus indexation) from Bloor Homes was originally earmarked for improvements to the A44 Redhill junction (the roundabout at Whittington Road/Spetchley Road/London Road by the Oak Apple pub). But instead it went to improving Whittington Island, which lies outside the Worcester city boundary, in Wychavon.
CHANGES: Documents show the section 106 cash transferred from the A44 Redhill junction to the A4440 Whittington roundabout (Image: Supplied)
The Labour councillor for Nunnery says improvement is needed for the Redhill junction where traffic is regularly backed up on Spetchley Road as drivers try to join London Road.
Some have even suggested that the bus stop near the Oak Apple could be turned into a filter lane, but Cllr Willmore said she was ‘aghast’ that such an important decision about the money being redirected could take place behind closed doors.
She said: “Residents of Spetchley Road have been fobbed off by the county council for years. Every plea for improvement has been met with excuses and empty reassurances that the situation was “being monitored.
IMPROVEMENTS: The money went to improving Whittington Island, pictured here (Image: Google)
“To now discover that the county council has quietly siphoned off money that was explicitly intended to make improvements to Spetchley Road to an entirely different area – without informing the city councillors or the people it was meant to benefit – is nothing short of outrageous.
“It is underhand, it is disrespectful and it shows a shocking disregard for the community who have been ignored time and time again and who now feel utterly betrayed.
DIVERTED: The section 106 money was diverted away from the Redhill junction in Worcester towards the Whittington Island (Image: Supplied)
“The county council must be held accountable. They cannot continue to dismiss the needs of this area, refuse investment for years and then secretly divert funding behind closed doors. We are now demanding a full explanation, the immediate return of the section 106 funding to the ward it was allocated to and a full commitment to finally deliver on improvements to Spetchley Road without further delay.”
The S106 funding was originally secured in 2019 as part of a planning agreement with Bloor Homes.
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The money was secured as part of a planning application for 256 new homes including a proportion of affordable housing, new vehicular access off Walkers Lane and Spetchley Road.
Approximately £380,000 was also earmarked 10 years ago from Section 106 money from the eastern end of Spetchley Road, Bloor Homes/Persimmon housing development, to modernise and improve the safety of the roundabout and relocate the bus stops to nearer and better locations.
A letter of agreement later signed between Worcestershire County Council and Bloor Homes on June 4 last year which prioritised the money for easing congestion at the Whittington roundabout, extending the deadline for its use until September 10, 2029.
Ms Willmore claimed the reallocation happened in secret and directly contradicted years of requests from residents for action on Spetchley Road.
She said traffic has increased significantly since new housing developments were built in the area, and that the county council had actively decided not to pursue any improvements or mitigations on Spetchley Road despite repeated pleas for action from residents.
A spokesperson for Worcestershire County Council said: “The Section 106 contribution from the Kilbury Drive development was secured to mitigate the transport impacts of that development.
“Following ongoing traffic assessments, it was identified that the most significant impacts were being experienced within the local highway network. In 2025, it was therefore agreed with the developer that the funding could be used to support transport improvements in the area.
“This remains fully compliant with the purpose of the Section 106 agreement, as the funding continues to be used to address the transport impacts arising from the development. Traffic conditions on Spetchley Road and the surrounding network continue to be monitored and assessed.”