Exercise fell flat

As a resident of Summerfield Road I attended the public consultation meeting at Dyson Perrins School. Over 300 local residents turned up to protest about the latest proposals. Much to the disappointment of Bovis Homes, no one spoke in favour of its plans, the feeling was emphatic and as a public consultation exercise it fell flat.

To say we were ungrateful not to want 100 houses built on our doorstep on land designated by MHDC as Public Open Space is laughable.

The development would cause further traffic congestion in Summerfield Road and Lower Howsell Road, in addition to the people by-passing the increasing traffic congestion in Malvern Link.

The recent MHDC report 'Open Space in Malvern' identifies the site as being ideal to fill the shortage of land for sports facilities in the Malvern Link area. It could also be used again for allotments when the Madresfield Road allotments close.

Also the land is not required to meet Malvern's housing need for the foreseeable future.

An expensive public inquiry in 1994 recommended the land be designated public open space and should continue to be used by the local community for recreational use.

The Trustees of Madresfield Estate, not content with developing all the land at Townsend Way, have been trying to build on the Lower Howsell Road allotment site for nearly 20 years. They have purchased and demolished the Carpenters Arms and another property to gain better access to the site, hardly endearing them to the local community. The only reason they have now offered to build houses on half of the site, is because of the above mentioned MHDC report.

On behalf of the residents, I would urge local councillors to continue to oppose the development of this site. Perhaps one day, the Trustees of Madresfield Estate will emulate their forebears who, 100 years ago, leased the land to the community for recreational use.

BRIAN DAWKINS, Summerfield Road, Malvern Link.