A PARISH council is shouting one message loud and clear following a 'tsunami' of planning applications — "Welland is full".

A new planning application for 41 homes at Drake Street in Welland was discussed by Welland Parish Council on Monday night.

The application is one of several that have gone before the council in the last three years.

Viv Nelson, chairman of the parish council, said a line needs to be drawn with planners.

"We have had many applications for new homes in and around Welland in the last three years. Last night we objected to the plan for 41 homes, because we have had what I call a tsunami of applications recently," she said.

"While we object on the grounds of access, drainage and a number of other things, the main reason we are objecting is purely because Welland is now full."

In the last three years Welland has seen a number of applications come before Malvern Hills District Council (MHDC).

In 2013 an application for 50 houses on Lawn Farm was refused but approved on appeal, and work is due to start on those in the autumn.

Outline permission was then sought for another 50 homes on Lawn Farm. This was refused by the council but the application has since been resubmitted.

Last month, following an appeal permission was granted for 24 houses to be built on land off Marlbank Road, and another application for 30 houses off Drake Street is in the process of being approved.

Finally, an application was recently submitted for land in the heart of Welland, for 19 houses, which would include keeping the former Pheasant pub, which closed in 2010.

These applications alone would bring an additional 214 homes to the village.

Mrs Nelson added: "In terms of sustainability, it just won't work. The local school must now be near it's full capacity, and we are writing to the dentist and GP to see how they are coping. We don't have a village pub because that closed five years ago.

"Councils look at each application on its own merits, but you just can't do that. The village will expand at such a rapid rate if all of these applications are approved."

Paul Esrich, Malvern Hills Area of Natural Beauty (AONB) partnership manager, said the cumulative impact of potential planning applications does need to be looked at closer.

He said: "The cumulative impact issue in this area is something we have raised before. We recognise we are talking about land that is outside the AONB but we would still consider any visual impact potential development would have in the area."