THE public will debate the detail of new increased housing numbers as part of a large-scale housing plan for Worcester and the county.

As previously reported, more new homes are being squeezed into the South Worcestershire Development Plan (SWDP) rising to 23,200, which are due to be built between 2006 and 2030.

The SWDP outlines where the new homes and employment land will go from now to 2030.

The councils in Worcester, Malvern Hills and Wychavon will take a key vote on the blueprint for the county’s future, including the changes, on Tuesday, July 3.

Any failures to vote through the proposals will put the lengthy process back by months.

If agreed, from August 6 a six-week consultation will give members of the public a chance to submit their views on the tweaked plans.

In Worcester, the significant changes include the addition of two possible new sites for high quality business offices to the north and south of the historic Worcester Woods site.

While the proposed numbers of homes for the Gwillam’s Farm site and Kilbury Drive both drop from 300 to 250 apiece. The farm site, off Droitwich Road, will now also have a buffer between it and the nearby Bevere conservation area.

At Fernhill Heath, the proposal is to increase housing numbers from 120 to 350 to fund a new primary school, according to the planning documents.

In Evesham, there is an amendment to put 200 homes on land off Abbey Road.

Councillor Marc Bayliss, who chairs the joint advisory panel which steers the SWDP process, said some sites had been removed, some extended and others added.

“I think roughly there is a net gain of about 200 homes in each district, so 600 in total,” he said.

“It’s not just about houses, there’s a lot of changes regarding policy, dealing with flooding and protecting bio-diversity, so we want people to look at it.”

The rest of the increase includes windfall housing development sites such as several former lock-up garages at Grasmere Drive, Warndon, and Dudley Close, Dines Green, and old service station sites, including the Old Brewery service station, Barbourne Road – next to Kwik Fit. Empty homes brought back into use, and the inclusion of sheltered accommodation, will also make up the increase.

Planners say about 13,400 homes will need allocated building sites over the next 18 years as just over a third of overall homes have already been built or are in the planning pipeline.

For more details, visit swdevelopmentplan.org.