OPPONENTS of plans to build more than 100 homes off Lower Howsell Road are angry that a recommendation for refusal has been reversed.

Halkin Development Ltd wants to develop the site, currently an open field owned by the Madresfield Estate.

Worcestershire County Council's highways department initially said the plan should be refused because the applicant failed to demonstrate no adverse impact on the junction where Lower Howsell Road meets Worcester Road.

But in a later submission, the highways department says it had received more information from the applicant, causing it to withdraw its objections.

And this week the county council said the developer has agreed to pay for improvements worth more than £191,000 if the application is approved.

Ron Harris, who founded the Malvern Link Forum, said: "They are talking about this junction where Lower Howsell Road meets Worcester Road, but no-one's talking about the junction from the development site itself on to Lower Howsell Road.

"In 1993 or 94, Bovis Homes applied to build on this site and it was refused because the highways authority said that junction was dangerous. Now they are not mentioning that junction at all, and the applicant is offering all that money."

A spokesperson for Worcestershire County Council said: "After county council highways initially recommended refusal, further clarification of the traffic data was provided by the developer. Based on that, we were satisfied that the traffic associated with the development could be accommodated on the highway network, in particular with the addition of more than £191,000 of improvements to the roads and local infrastructure which have been agreed with the developer."

The improvements would include a £98,540 upgrade of the A449 Worcester Road, £57, 645 to improve bus services, a £25,000 boost for cycle paths and £10,000 to improving pedestrian access from the site.