Major housing developments, a controversial waste plant, plans for homeless accommodation, and a school relocation proposal were among the planning issues making headlines across Worcestershire in July.
Homeless accommodation approved in Worcester
SHELTER: Worcester City Council approved plans to turn Barrington House into temporary accommodation for homeless families (Image: Worcester City Council)
Councillors approved plans to convert Barrington House, a Georgian townhouse on Henwick Road in Worcester, into accommodation for homeless and vulnerable people.
The scheme will create 10 self-contained units in the building, which has previously been used as a private residence, a bed and breakfast, and accommodation for University of Worcester students and lecturers.
The decision followed an earlier move by Worcester City Council to buy the property as part of efforts to increase accommodation for people facing homelessness.
Waste plant given green light despite objections
APPROVED: The proposed site of Stenergy’s Anaerobic Digestion Facility at Court Farm, Hindlip, near Worcester (Image: Newsquest)
One of the month’s most controversial planning decisions saw Worcestershire County Council approve plans for an anaerobic digestion plant near Worcester.
The facility will be built at Court Farm in Hindlip Lane, close to the headquarters of West Mercia Police and Hereford & Worcester Fire and Rescue Service.
Despite concerns about odour, increased HGV traffic, and the potential impact on police forensic operations, councillors backed the scheme.
PLEASED: Keith Warburton of Stenergy said approval of the scheme was good news for Worcestershire (Image: Stenergy)
The plant will process up to 48,000 tonnes of household waste a year, generating biomethane gas for the national gas network.
Digestate, a by-product of the process, will be sold as fertiliser to farmers.
Developer Stenergy Worcester welcomed the decision, describing it as good news for both the company and the county.
Claines residents challenge 800-home proposal
DEBATE: Claines councillors Jessie Jagger, Karen Holmes and Mel Allcott met with residents to discuss plans for up to 800 homes at Church Farm (Image: Worcester Lib Dems)
One of Worcester’s largest potential housing developments continued to attract significant attention.
Developer Summix is preparing plans for up to 800 homes on a 48-hectare Green Belt site at Church Farm in Claines.
The plans, which could also include a school, shops, and open space, prompted a packed public meeting attended by residents eager to hear more about the proposal and voice concerns.
No formal planning application has yet been submitted, but one is expected later this year.
Opposition grows to Malvern College relocation plans
COURTS: Tennis courts on the land proposed for the relocated prep school (Image: Phil Wilkinson-Jones/LDRS)
Plans by Malvern College to move its prep school and nursery closer to its main campus sparked strong opposition from local residents.
The college wants to relocate The Downs prep school from Colwall to land behind The Lees in Great Malvern.
Residents fear the development would worsen traffic congestion and road safety issues, with a petition against the plans attracting hundreds of signatures.
The college has maintained the move would not expand pupil numbers but would instead bring the school’s junior and senior sites together.
Affordable homes proposed on edge of Evesham
AFFORDABLE: An artist’s impression of new housing estate (Image: Stonebond Properties)
A further affordable housing scheme emerged in Wychavon during July.
Stonebond Properties submitted plans for 70 affordable homes on farmland south of Pershore Road in Evesham.
The development would sit between homes off Stratford Grove and the Merry Brook and follows another affordable housing project by the developer on land opposite the site.
Stonebond said the scheme would help address local demand for affordable housing.
Housing dominates planning agenda
Housing remained the dominant planning theme across Worcestershire throughout July, with major proposals the subject of debate in Claines and Evesham.
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But the month also demonstrated how planning debates extend beyond housing, with the approval of the Hindlip waste plant and opposition to Malvern College’s relocation plans highlighting wider concerns around infrastructure, traffic, and the impact of development on local communities.
Several of the schemes are still in the early stages of the planning process, meaning they are likely to remain at the centre of debate in the months ahead.
