MORE than 150 people packed into a tense and often heated meeting where battle lines were drawn over the future of Malvern.

As Malvern Hills District Council leader David Hughes warned rejecting a plan for 700 homes at Newland would leave the council vulnerable to speculative planning applications, others refused to step into line and dismissed the fears as scaremongering.

Councillor Hannah Campbell said it felt as though members were being “bullied into the SWDP” while Coun Clive Smith, a veteran of three local plans, told developers: “Come and park your tanks on our lawn and see how far you get.”

No fewer than 12 separate votes were taken, with some councillors appearing as uncertain as the public on what was actually being decided.

But after a motion declaring the SWDP “deliverable and sound” was voted down, the key decision hinged on whether to order further investigation of the “dispersal strategy” put forward as an alternative to Newland – a vote won by a margin of 21-15.

Malvern Hills is now in a race against time to come up with a re-worked plan.

A new national planning policy framework, widely considered to favour developers, is to be introduced in March and councils without recognised local plans will be at its mercy.

Coun Hughes does not believe this timescale is achievable, predicting a delay of eight to 10 months.

He fears a “deluge” of speculative applications for Newland and other sites identified by the SWDP, that will be difficult to oppose.

But Coun John Raine, responsible for the alternate “dispersal strategy”, refused to rule out being ready by March.

“This is all about willpower and commitment and I am sure we will be able to find a way to avoid the meltdown the leadership wants us to believe awaits us,” he said.

Coun Raine also dismissed fears that, working alone, Malvern would miss out on planning contributions to fund new infrastructure.

“The same reward will be paid. We’re certainly not sacrificing millions of pounds that would have come our way.”

  • David Hughes has vowed to carry on as leader of Malvern Hills District Council despite the setback over the SWDP.

“I think what I have done with the plan up until now has been absolutely right,”

he said. “It was right for me to put my report in as I did and to point out the dangers and pitfalls of not moving forward with the SWDP.

“I am now being instructed by the council to take on board their additional recommendations.

That is what I shall do and I shall do it with the minimum of collateral damage.”

Coun Hughes was yesterday in a meeting of the joint advisory panel overseeing the SWDP. However, he dismissed hopes coming from Worcester City and Wychavon suggesting the December 10 date could be a chance for Malvern to reverse its decision.

He said: “That would contradict the motions passed this week and if it did come in that form it would undoubtedly be rejected.”