DISGRUNTLED residents have claimed the government has disrespected their concerns after receiving a ‘laughable’ response to their fears about a potential housing spike in Droitwich.
Concerns have been raised that future applications, if accepted, will put on existing infrastructure within the town.
A recent bid to build up to 180 homes on land at Chawson Lane has been of particular concern to residents, as has a planning application for 475 homes on land at Hanbury Road.
Droitwich MP Nigel Huddleston, on behalf of Coun Seb James, wrote a letter expressing residents’ concerns.
Last week, Coun James received a response from Baroness Sharton Taylor, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Housing and Local Government.
The letter, seen by the Standard, said: “The Government has inherited one of the most acute housing crises in living memory.
“We must build more homes in places where people want to live and work.
“A new method for assessing housing need, introduced in December 2024, is based on a more objective assessment of need and supports a more strategic approach to housing, distributing growth across wider city regions, not just the largest urban authorities.
“The National Planning Policy Framework states that the planning system should contribute to the achievement of sustainable development, including the provision of supporting infrastructure.
“Developer contributions, secured through section 106 planning obligations and the Community Infrastructure Levy, play an important role in delivering infrastructure to support new development.
“While prioritising brownfield land, the framework requires authorities that cannot otherwise meet development needs to review their green belt.
“Priority should be given to brownfield land and to low-quality ‘grey belt’ land that does not strongly contribute to green belt purposes.”
The response has been slammed by residents on social media, who have described it as a copy-and-paste response that shows a complete lack of awareness or respect for those living in Droitwich.
Coun James said he was incredibly disappointed by the response from the minister, describing it as laughable.
He told the Standard: “Residents are rightly concerned about housing development.
“I’m yet to meet a resident who says a blanket no – we’re all saying infrastructure first, in the most suitable locations.
“Why are small villages having hundreds of homes when we have unused brown fields vacant?
“We need more schools, more NHS services, more contributions to roads and more infrastructure.
“I will be writing back to the minister and the Secretary of State to actually invite them to rural Droitwich.
“Not one of them has bothered to try to understand rural life- our countryside is under attack and we will not stand for it.”
