Work gets underway at Malvern development after two-year delay

It is now hoped the first residents will be able to move in by Christmas.

Site managers have been at the former Barracks Store section of the old QinetiQ site, which has been marketed as Beacon Heights by Bromford.

Planning permission for 33 homes was originally granted to developer Piper Homes in 2020.

Cllr Victory on a previous visit to the site (Image: Submitted)

The plans were then altered and re-approved last year as the location of an electrical substation was changed.

But with a large number of homes seemingly close to completion, work suddenly stopped.

The site, which is off the junction of Thirlstane Road, Court Road and St Andrews Road and backs onto Malvern College Playing Fields, has been fenced off for months.

Malcolm Victory, a district councillor for Barnards Green and county councillor for the Chase ward, has been trying to get an update on the development since he was elected in May.

On a visit to the site on Thursday, October 19, he was finally able to speak to a site manager.

Cllr Victory, who is chair of the Malvern Hills Green Party, said: “I came to see empty properties but am delighted to see that work is now commencing.

“I was told it has been two years since any work was done here.”

According to staff on site, the delay was down to getting the permissions needed to connect utilities to the site.

Work to connect a gas main to new properties on Thirlstane Road still needs to take place, as does the resurfacing of the road up to its junction with Court Road and St Andrews Road.

It is thought there have also been delays around the adoption of the site’s access road by the county council.

But, Cllr Victory says, the future is now looking more positive.

“I’m told 10 properties will be ready for people to move in before Christmas, which will be a great Christmas present for some of my residents,” he said.

“I’m delighted to see workers returning to the site after months of trying to find out what is happening.”