Green light for 502 new homes in Evesham (From Evesham Journal)

Green light for 502 new homes in Evesham

11:09am Friday 1st March 2013 in News By Freya Leng

THE final draft of plans to build more than 500 new homes in Evesham have been given the go-ahead despite concerns over a new design.

Wychavon District Council’s planning committee approved the reserved matters application, which deals with details such as layout and scale, to build 502 houses on land west of Offenham Road at their meeting yesterday.

Eight members votes in favour of the plans with one against and five abstentions.

Outline planning permission for the development was granted at an earlier meeting along with a previous reserved matters application from Millers Homes.

But the new design of houses and housing mix, put forward by new developer Barrat, Bovis and Taylor Wimpey who took over the scheme, proved a sticking point with members.

Phil Radford, of Taylor Wimpey, said the new application, which includes a mix of one to five bedroom homes and 151 affordable homes, was “very similar” to the previous development.

“I know a number of objections have been received by the residents in Lichfield Avenue. I can assure you the type of dwellings that back on to those properties are the same to the approved scheme.”

But Councillor Judy Pearce said: “I’m mystified. It isn’t the same at all. There’s a definite intensification of larger houses on this site.

“The number of two-bedroom dwellings which we want people to get on the housing ladder they’ve gone down by six. Three beds have gone down by 18.

“It’s reminiscent of a sardine can. There’s no room to breathe along these houses at the back of Lichfield Avenue.”

Bengeworth ward member councillor Emma Stokes said: “My only reservation is and always has been it’s not a site where you fall in love with it. It’s an acceptable site in every way.”

Case officer Jonathan Edwards said: “Compared to the scheme looked at by this committee the actual split and mix of units here are a lot better than those.”