Concern over Malvern's urban sprawl
Developers want to build the huge development on fields between St Peter’s and Kempsey
Last updated 13th Oct 2025
Plans for 2,200 homes on the edge of Worcester have sparked concern over the city’s “urban sprawl”.
Developers want to build the huge development on fields between St Peter’s and Kempsey.
Residents have lamented the potential loss of more “beautiful countryside” and say more GP surgeries, hospitals and dentists are needed.
Outline planning approval was granted for the development of 2,204 homes on land south of Taylors Lane, between Bath Road and Norton Road, in 2018.
The first of several applications setting out the finer details of the ‘Hopfields’ plans has now been submitted to Malvern Hills District Council.
Reacting to the plans, Timothy Taylor said: “This is pure agricultural land.
“These acres are meant to feed the rapidly growing population, not concrete over it. Go and find an old airfield or industrial site.”
Richard Baylis said: “Appreciate that Worcester is expanding but what a shame all that beautiful countryside will go.”
Jeff Harris added: “Yet more of the countryside buried under concrete and tarmac, yet more traffic congestion on roads that are already at or over capacity, yet more strain on the massively undersized hospital for the area it is supposed to serve.”
Several other people called for a doctor’s surgery, dentist and other medical infrastructure to be included as part of the development.
Julie Izod worried about the cumulative effect of this and other planned developments.
“Along with the 10,000 houses at the new town at Norton parkway and 5,000 houses at Throckmorton Airfield for another new town, this area of South Worcestershire will resemble Redditch,” she said. “The poor wildlife is being pushed into smaller and smaller wildlife corridors.”
Not all residents are against the plans.
Steve Morris said the promise of shops, sports facilities, a hotel, a primary school, allotments and retirement housing are “postive aspects of a development of much-needed homes”.
“It sounds better thought out than other recent developments that certainly did not include anything community minded like walking and cycling provision and allotments,” he said.
Tsevetomira Vincent asked: “Can the people who bash this plan and currently live in such developments themselves actually admit it? In the early 60s most of east Worcester was fields and farms.”
Plans show the 20-hectare site is allocated for housing in the South Worcestershire Development Plan, a planning blueprint for the Malvern Hills, Worcester and Wychavon districts.
Developers say the scheme will include grassland habitats and tree-lined streets, and that brooks running through the site will be “sensitively protected and enriched”.