A MASSIVE development of more than 400 homes will be built on the outskirts of Evesham after planners gave the project the go-ahead.

The housing development off Pershore Road in Hampton - an allocated site in the emerging South Worcestershire Development Plan - has been in the pipeline for well over a year and just nine letters of opposition to the plans have been received by Wychavon District Council.

It will be built in two phases, with developers Bellway intending to build 151 homes as part of the first stage.

Roger Davies, Charlton Parish Council chairman, spoke against the plans at the Wychavon planning meeting last Thursday (June 20). “The village of Charlton has a history of properties flooding by the Merrybrook, which is down stream from the development,” said Mr Davies. “We feel as much as possible should be done to meet the flood resilience team (Environment Agency) requirements.”

But Giles Brockbank, from Bellway, said he was pleased the plans had largely been positively viewed. He said: “At this stage we feel at having only nine objections to a scheme of 400 units is very rare in the circumstances.”

As part of the plans the Hampton Farm Shop will be relocated and a foot and cycle bridge will be built across the river Avon linking Hampton with Boat Lane.

Councillor Judy Pearce said she was concerned the bridge, earmarked to be paid for by Bellway at the beginning of the second phase, would not be built for a number of years leaving Hampton residents struggling to get into Evesham town centre.

She said: “It is not acceptable that the bridge turns up years after people have lived there. We are saying this is going to have a huge impact on the people of Hampton getting into Evesham.”

Coun Pearce also raised concerns about the location of wheelie bins on the site saying the clusters of pick up points were a dangerous “hazard”.

She added that she felt these were issues that could be resolved through conditions being placed on the application and it was important to get the houses built in order to receive Housing Capital Funding for affordable housing.

The application was passed with only councillor Audrey Steel objecting.