THE latest stage of a huge development to extend the city by building thousands of new homes is set to be discussed by council planners.

Decisions on two plans to build up to 130 homes and add two more units to a business park on a parcel of land between Taylor’s Lane and the A4440 Southern Link Road around the edge of Worcester will be made by councillors in Malvern.

Despite the homes being built around the edge of the city, the applications will be discussed by Malvern Hills District Council’s planning committee as the land is actually under the jurisdiction of Worcester’s neighbouring authority.

Council planners have nevertheless recommended to the committee that both applications are approved when it meets in Malvern on June 7.

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The developer St Modwen already has permission to build up to 255 homes and is moving ahead with the second phase of its plans and will be waiting for a decision on its plans to build the remaining half of the homes.

The two units would be added to the five already approved for the Broomhall Business Park and are likely to be eyed up as potential warehouses and distribution centres because of its ‘prime’ location with easy links to the M5.

The report by the council’s planners said the development contract is expected to be in excess of £7 million and bring 95 new jobs once finished. The business rates for the building are believed to be more than £300,000 alone.

The council has also pushed for more units to be added to the business park because of a lack of suitable sites for warehouses and distribution centres across the Malvern Hills district.

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But allowing more units would mean the developer exceeds the amount of employment land agreed for the whole site in 2019 with the existing five units already taking up nearly 14,000 square metres of the 15,000 permitted – with the latest two potentially adding another 6,700 square metres.

The new units would also be taller by a number of metres than previously agreed - but St Modwen has argued that making the building smaller would prevent it from being used by lorries and other delivery vehicles and turn away the very kind of potential businesses that the council is trying to attract.

The ‘urban extension’ of the city to the south towards Broomhall and Norton will eventually see up to 2,600 homes built.

The plans also include a care home, hotel, schools, a leisure centre and outdoor sports facilities, offices and employment space, allotments, parks and green space, a gym, shops and restaurants.