PLANS for 61 new homes on greenfield land, a stone’s throw away from Worcestershire Royal Hospital are set to be approved next week.

The Elan Homes development sits on land off Newtown Road between Ronkswood Hill Meadows Local Nature Reserve and Aconbury Orchard and behind houses in Aconbury Close and Chesterton Gardens.

Of the 61 homes, 24 will be designated as affordable housing - the obligatory 40 per cent target for the city council.

Concerns have been raised by a number of neighbours during the consultation process including the further risk of flooding to homes and gardens, the problem of more cars on Newtown Road and the use of the estate as a car park for patients and staff at Worcestershire Royal Hospital.

In an online objection to city council planners during consultation, Noel Neath of Chesterton Gardens said his property regularly floods during storms and on two occasions since 2005 his kitchen has flooded.

He said: “During such occasions of rainfall it is noticeable that a river of water comes from the south west corner of the proposed site into both my neighbours and my own back garden and subsequently passes across to my neighbours.

“With the proposed building and the loss of further permeable land to soak up such surface water I am concerned that the situation will only get worse.”

Linda Ruane, of Aconbury Close, also feared the flooding in her garden would become worse.

She said: “It is obvious to us that there is already insufficient drainage away off the land so the addition of hard standing areas can only exacerbate this situation. This needs serious consideration and additional drainage installed.”

In light of objections concerning access to the development and the increased amount of cars and congestion on Newtown Road and near the hospital, the highways department at Worcestershire County Council raised no objections.

The 5.48 hectare site overlaps land south of Leopard Hill earmarked for 100 homes as part of the South Worcestershire Development Plan.

A new road would have to be created to give access to the homes as the only current access to the site is through a single lane track off Newtown Road which runs only for a few hundred yards.