CONTROVERSIAL plans for a huge "crushing" plant near Worcester have been refused today - after councillors took a stand against tearing up open countryside.

A private company wanted to locate a big recycling plant in Grimley to crush up and re-use demolition, construction and excavation waste.

But your Worcester News can reveal how it enraged the local community, with Worcestershire County Council blocking the bid after saying it would "significantly" damage the future of a cherished greenfield site.

The bid attracted fierce opposition from three parish councils and irate residents, including a 116-name petition and 56 written letters of objection.

The site in question is known as Church Farm Quarry, with parts of it having a long history of sand and gravel extraction, but in the past planning permission has only ever been for short-term temporary projects on small patches of the land.

Pencroft Limited wanted to create a permanent crushing, washing and recycling plant on 6.5 hectares of space, saying it would handle 151,800 tonnes of waste a year, with around 30 to 40 HGV vehicles accessing it off the busy A443 six days a week.

The bid, which asked for operating hours of 7am-6pm Monday-Friday and 7am-1pm on Saturdays, was voted out by the planning committee at County Hall after officers called it "unacceptable".

The last temporary planning permission to use part of the site was awarded in 2002, but the landscape is now being restored as open amenity space under strict council conditions, a process which is ongoing.

Parish councils in Hallow, Grimley and Hold had all objected to the new plant bid, as well as The Ramblers Association, with a county council report saying it would "significantly encroach into the open countryside" and take away from greenfield land.

Some of the objections included concern over traffic, noise, dust, the loss of amenity space, the closeness to some homes, and the fact Hallow Primary School is nearby.

During a planning committee meeting councillors unanimously rejected it despite Billy Jolly, an agent acting for Pencroft Limited, turning up to plea for approval.

He told councillors the company was "not a greedy developer" but a local firm looking to recycle and expand.

"This is an appropriate site right on the main road network - you simply don't find sites suitable for this type of use in towns and cities," he said.

But Councillor Phil Grove, the leader of Malvern Hills District Council, said people would "suffer" if it went ahead.

"This is not a brownfield site and never has been," he said.

Grimley resident Bob Humphries turned up to object, calling it "wholly unsuitable" for a "permanent, noisy, industrial" plant.

Conservative Councillor Derek Prodger said: "In fairness to the public it's right that this site is restored to best condition it can be in, that's why I support refusal."

Lib Dem Councillor Sue Askin added: "The previous planning permission required the site to be restored once that extraction work was complete, that's what is now required."

Labour Councillor Paul Denham said the new jobs and economic boost it would create could not justify the loss of green land, before it was refused unanimously.

The plant would have created 10 new jobs for the firm, which has a transport yard near Martley now and 22 staff.