CONTROVERSIAL plans to build 28 homes on a former golf course have been rejected.

Developer Tustin Holdings had put forward proposals for more than two dozen affordable homes on the site of the old Tolladine Golf Course in Darwin Avenue, near Newtown Road.

But neighbours complained the plans would lead to a loss of widely-used green space.

Worcester City Council has refused to grant planning permission, saying the proposals would result in “overdevelopment of the application site that would appear cramped and not respect the character of the surrounding area”.

City planners were also concerned about the level of amenity space that would have been provided for future residents of the proposed homes.

READ MORE: Tolladine Golf Course Darwin Avenue plans for 28 homes

A previous scheme for 50 homes by Bromford Developments was rejected in 2021.

The vision behind the latest proposal had been to create a “distinctive and high-quality place, which enhances the qualities and character of Ronkswood”, a spokesperson for the applicants told the Worcester News in January.

But the scheme attracted dozens of objections, with residents saying it would destroy a “frequently used local green space”.

They also raised concerns over the proposed access to and from the 28-home development.

The access road proposed by Trustin Holdings is an existing footpath that leads to the former golf course from Darwin Avenue.

“Latimer Court Care Home is sited on the one side of the proposed access and a row of three terrace properties is sited to the opposite side,” planning officers said in their decision report.

Officers said the old golf course and paths connecting it to Ronkswood Hill Meadows Nature Reserve and Aconbury Orchard are widely used by residents including dog walkers.

The council also said the site sits within a larger parcel of land that is included in the South Worcestershire Development Plan (SWDP), the planning blueprint for the southern part of the county.

According to the decision report, the larger plot (called Land South of Leopard Hill) had an overall indicative capacity of 100 homes. Elan Homes have already built 61 of these.