WINYATES Green residents could be in for another lengthy battle to save a piece of land after a second planning application for up to 250 houses was submitted.

Fields off Far Moor Lane have been designated for development by Stratford Council and now landowners English Partnerships has submitted a second outline planning application to both Stratford and Redditch Councils.

Redditch Council owns land leading to the 12-hectare site, across which two access roads would be need to be built.

Agents for English Partnerships, GVA Grimley, withdrew a similar application in December after Redditch Council officers asked for more information about the type of development planned.

But Winyates Green residents opposed the application and gathered a 1,500 name petition, claiming the development would cause traffic chaos along Far Moor Lane and destroy a natural habitat.

GVA senior planner Darren Cutler said: "The whole site has been outlined on the plan but not all of it will be developed.

"Some areas will have to be left for conservation reasons. All applications receive objections and it's too early to say how this one will go.

"Details regarding access to the site and the effect on traffic have been addressed by highway consultants. The application wouldn't have been submitted if they felt it was unsafe."

Winyates Green resident Gwenda Stephens was active in the last campaign to save the land and was disappointed to find another application had been submitted.

Mrs Stephens said: "I am still dead against it but I feel it may happen this time.

"If we could find a compromise and could put the access roads the other side of the site and leave some land, that would be better.

"But I'm very worried about losing the hedgerow and old oaks along Far Moor Lane and feel that access points there would be very dangerous."