A CONTROVERSIAL scheme to build 33 homes next to the railway line at Malvern Wells has been delayed from going before district councillors for the second time in two months.

The plan, submitted by Landmark Sites Ltd, for the Old Railway Yard off Peachfield Road was due to go to the Malvern Hills District Council southern area development control committee for a decision on Wednesday January 16 but has been put back due to unresolved issues over the development. It was already postponed from the committee's December meeting.

The council's development control manager Duncan Rudge said: "It is a complicated application and we want to make sure we scrutinise it properly.

"It is simply not ready to be presented to the committee. There are outstanding issues we still need to work through."

He said the two main stumbling blocks are the number of affordable homes included in the development and how the drainage will be dealt with.

"Our requirement is 50 per cent of affordable housing and they are not offering that. We also need to look in more detail at the drainage.

"The process will continue until we are content it is ready to go to committee," said Mr Rudge.

The proposal prompted an avalanche of objections from neighbours, who packed Malvern Wells Parish Council meetings convened specially to debate the development and wrote in to the district council.