PLANS to develop Upton Marina and create a new holiday village have been refused.

One hundred concerned people from Upton-upon-Serven and nearby Ripple attended a special meeting at Hanley Castle High School to hear the fate of two separate applications for the site.

Malvern Hills District Council southern area development committee was the latest chapter in Tingdene Marinas Ltd's bid to expand the marina, doubling the basin size, raising a hill to the east of the site using the excavated soil, and building new holiday lodges, waterside apartments and houses, and commercial and community buildings.

Malvern Hills District Council was inundated with objections to the proposals, citing over-development, the risk of increased flooding and congestion, and the impact hillside lodges would have on nearby homes in the Beeches.

The council's head of planning, David Murray, said that because outline permission was granted in 2004, members were deciding on the details of the applications, and not the principle of the development.

Marcia Proffitt, vice-chairman of Ripple Parish Council, said single-storey lodges in the outline plan had been replaced by two-storey buildings, which could raise the site 34ft above the current level in parts.

"These plans bear no resemblance to what was proposed originally, and are obviously totally unacceptable," she said. To applause from members of the public she added: "We will fight them from the Beeches."

Representatives from Upton Town Council and Upton Rowing Club, also spoke against the plans.

Ripple district councillor Roger Sutton said he was unsure that the development would benefit Upton's economy. "I am convinced that in the long term this will not be of benefit to the charming town of Upton and its surrounds," he said.

Both applications were refused over concerns at the form of buildings, a perceived harmful impact on the riverside environment, and a lack of provision for sustainability measures.

Mrs Proffitt said the outcome was the best possible.