Persimmon Homes (South Midlands) Ltd have submitted their affordable housing proposals for their development of North Site.

Their report states that the current housing stock in Malvern is not in line with the average in the West Midlands region. Apparently 44 per cent of dwellings in Malvern are detached, more than twice the regional average; and 25 per cent are terraced or flats, just over half the regional average.

It appears that Persimmon Homes are planning to correct this imbalance and want to build a significant proportion of the site as smaller units.

Over 50 per cent of the development will consist of one and two bedroomed flats and two and three bedroomed houses. In addition, the size of these dwellings will be restricted, again as a move to "directly address the issues concerning the housing stock and the undue preponderance of larger more expensive homes in Malvern".

Persimmon Homes propose to build 390 houses on the site, 168 (43 per cent) of which will be "affordable housing", with another 28 per cent being smaller and terraced houses. Apparently, other developers bidding for the site had planned to build around 327 dwellings, with a mix that included larger dwellings.

Whilst I totally appreciate the need for affordable and low-cost housing in Malvern, I think these plans need to be considered with extreme caution.

It should not be a matter of cramming as many small boxes, and people, onto the site as they can. Consideration should be given to the environmental beauty of the site and also the quality of life of the people who will live there.

Many of the homes will not even have a garden, "they will be located close to the new public open space.....removing the need for individual amenity space."

Is this what we want for both North Site and for Malvern?

Jo McFarlane, Newtown Road, Malvern.