CAMPAIGNERS have expressed their disdain at a Taylor Wimpey planning application to build 1,300 new homes in Perryfields.
The proposal has already received more than 289 opposition responses on the Bromsgrove District Council website with the majority expressing concerns over increased traffic congestion.
Bromsgrove Labour Group leader Coun Luke Mallett said the fears were understandable as it was a ‘massive development which offered little to offset the impact of added vehicles and potential gridlock in the town.
“Local people have been badly let down by the county council which has utterly failed to plan for the housing and traffic growth the plans will create.
“The council doesn’t have any plan for traffic after 2023 and has failed to properly consider a western bypass for Bromsgrove.”
Chairman of Whitford Vale Voice Roy Dixon told the Standard: “Everyone knows how getting from one side of Bromsgrove to the other during rush hour can take half an hour or so.
“As soon as there’s a problem on the motorway the situation becomes much worse and the town is gridlocked.”
Mr Dixon said the traffic across Bromsgrove was expected to be 20 per cent heavier in 2030 than it was today.
“And this is before any new housing at Perryfields or Whitford Road.
“Worcestershire County Council’s plans to improve the situation are woefully inadequate.
“Enough is enough. Bromsgrove needs a western bypass.
“The message from residents is loud and clear, no bypass, no new housing,” he added.
A Taylor Wimpey spokesperson said: “We are currently working closely with the local Highways Authority to determine the most appropriate off-site highways improvements to accommodate our proposed development.”
A Bromsgrove District Council spokesperson said the land at Perryfields was identified for future development in the 1990s and confirmed in 2004 when it was designated as a location for future development in The Bromsgrove District Local Plan.
“We are not doing a ‘rush-job’ on this application, but simply following the normal procedural requirements which seek to incentivise the public to make timely comments in response to consultation, so those comments can usefully inform the process before a decision is made.
“Legislation regarding consultation on such planning applications only requires us to put up a site notice and write to people whose properties adjoin the boundary of the proposed development.
“We have done a combination of both, putting up a number of prominent site notices which are visible from accessible points around the application site and writing to over 600 households who live near the development, so have exceeded what is legally required of us in our role as local planning authority.”
