A PROPERTY developer has hit out the planning inspectorate for taking too long to consider his appeal to build five homes in St John's, Worcester.

Joe Flanagan, owner of Orchid Home Developments Ltd, of Upton-upon-Severn, has been told that a site visit to Fern Road will not take place until March 2005, with a decision being made around a month later.

That will be almost one year after Worcester City originally rejected his firm's application to demolish a white-walled house and replace it with four semi-detached houses and one detached one because of fears over road safety.

The inspectorate's 12-week target deadline for a site visit expired at the end of August.

Mr Flanagan said his business couldn't be sustained with these delays.

"The situation we are in is not acceptable to us," said Mr Flanagan. "It's just nonsense.

"The decision is supposed to be guaranteed to be done in 16 weeks.

"We are now on week 22 and they are now saying it will be around April of next year."

In a letter to Mr Flanagan, seen by the Evening News, Katrine Sporle, the Inspectorate's chief executive said: "Our overall handling times have worsened due to the unprecedented number of appeals received."

Mr Flanagan is still angry that he has had to go through the appeal process because city council planners recommended his application for approval.

Highway officers had assessed the proposal and found that there were no problems regarding visibility for motorists.

But in May, city councillors went against the recommendation and rejected the plan, which was also opposed by nearly 150 residents who said the proposed access to the site would be an accident waiting to happen as the road would be too close to a sharp bend on the corner of Fern Road and Comer Gardens.

n If you live in St John's and have a story to tell, contact reporter Sundeep Kumar on 01905 742255 or e-mail: sk@midlands.newsquest.co.uk