A CONTROVERSIAL plan to demolish a home to way make for flats and bungalows will be given a second bite of the cherry when it goes before councillors this week.

Worcester City Council's planning committee has already rejected a plan by Lockley Homes to demolish a large two-storey detached home known as ‘Mayfield’ in Malvern Road and replace it with six two-bed flats and three three-bedroom bungalows.

Having gone against the council's own planning department and 'refusing' the plan in December last year, councillors will be asked to look at the plan again to make sure they still want to fully reject the plan, and if so, sum up again the reasons for refusal.

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Councillors were 'minded to refuse' the plan over concerns about the loss of green space, the new flats and bungalows being out of character with the rest of the area and overlooking in neighbour's gardens, which means the plan is looked over again before a final decision is made.

Developer Lockley Homes hit out at the council for rejecting its plan and said it would be "disappointed" if it had to put the city's taxpayers through the expense of an appeal.

Joint managing director Karl Lockley said the developer had worked hard with the council's own planning department to revise the scheme first put forward in June last year.

“It’s a shame the councillors chose to ignore the advice of their professionally qualified planning department officers who had recommended approval of our scheme," he said.

“One of the reasons given was objections locally and a ‘lack of consultation’.

“Lockley Homes has worked tirelessly with the surrounding neighbours to evolve the scheme from the original design to something sympathetic to the neighbouring residents.”

“One of the reasons given for refusal by one councillor was that giving permission for our Malvern Road proposal would mean that any property in the city with a large garden could potentially be used for a development of several homes.

“Another councillor, who voted in favour of our proposal, said he would prefer to see existing space within the city used rather than concrete over green space around the edge of Worcester.

"Given the pressure on every local authority in the UK to provide space for development does it not make sense to use first the available space within a built environment?"

The city council's planning committee meets on Thursday (January 21).