A GROUP of Alfrick residents, unhappy at proposed housing developments in the village, have come up with a scheme of their own.

Six individuals, under the banner Alfrick Community Development, have submitted an application for outline planning permission to build 10 "affordable" and four private homes on the site of the village hall.

The group proposes to move the hall to the adjacent playing field and buy a nearby field to develop as a new playing field and tennis court.

If Malvern Hills District Council approves the plan, the group says it would fulfil the village's affordable housing need, while ruling out unpopular plans for similar developments at Leigh Road and Upper House.

Both of these were submitted by Elgar Housing Association which is planning to appeal Malvern Hills District Council's decision to turn them down.

Roger Lagar, a member of Alfrick Community Development, said: "If we can get a scheme of which the village approves and can get it passed at planning, then the other two projects cease to be viable.

"If it's something the village is involved in, it will be in control of who would be living in the houses and so on. It would satisfy the village's housing needs and the village would get a new hall, which it needs."

Mr Lagar said details of how the scheme would operate would be decided once permission was granted.

Alfrick Village Hall Committee, which owns the hall, and the parish council, which owns the playing field, said they were not aware of the plan before it was submitted to MHDC. Both said there needed to be significant public consultation.

Chris Benson, vice-chairman of the village hall committee, said: "There's some merit in it, but there's a long way to go. There hasn't been enough community discussion about it."

Mr Lagar agreed that public consultation would play a vital role.

Any representations on the plan should be made to the district council before February 10.