THE man behind a report calling for last-minute changes to a housing strategy that will alter the face of Malvern has labelled the existing plans as a “monster that nearly no one loves”.

On Tuesday members of Malvern Hills District Council face a crunch vote on whether to pursue the recommendations of a task group calling for an urban extension of 700 homes at Newland to be scrapped.

They say development there should be limited to 250 homes, with the remaining growth spread across smaller sites in Malvern.

District council leader David Hughes is asking councillors to resist making any major changes, as doing so would cause delays that could leave Malvern exposed to a developer free-for-all and risk breaking up the partnership delivering housing plans for all South Worcestershire.

But John Raine, who chaired the task group, has come out fighting, insisting any risks would be worthwhile to “get things right”for Malvern.

Coun Raine and his crossparty group have been examining the emerging South Worcestershire Development Plan (SWDP), a blueprint to find sites for 23,000 homes across Malvern Hills, Worcester City and Wychavon between now and 2030.

This is due to be signed off by the three councils next month so it can be submitted for Government approval.

But Coun Raine feels the “endless string” of criticism regarding the plan has been ignored despite two lengthy public consultations.

He said planners had failed to engage with residents by preparing their initial “preferred option” – which remains largely unchanged – behind closed doors. “Planmaking ought to be an opportunity to engage with communities and together develop a vision that satisfies both the needs for growth and change and the aspirations and expectations of local people,” he said. “Instead our SWDP has become the monster that nearly no one loves and now the council is trying to rush the process to its conclusion, irrespective of public opinion.”

While acknowledging Coun Hughes’ concerns, he said: “I think a lot of it is about will and inclination, as well as calculated risk. I get the impression the leadership and officers of the councils would rather just move on and not entertain more sweat.

“This dilemma could have been avoided had the planners engaged with communities properly from the start.”

Coun Hughes said legal advice and feedback from housing chiefs at Wychavon and Worcester City councils has flagged up severe concerns at any delay to the SWDP.

Worcestershire Local Enterprise Partnership has also written to him warning that jobs, investment and employment land could be put at risk. He also said delaying the SWDP would not necessarily mean developers delaying planning applications for sites already identified.

“I have considered all of the available information and the work that has gone into the SWDP over the last six years in reaching my recommendations and I ask all fellow councillors to do the same,” he added.

The meeting takes place in public at the Bank House, Bransford, at 7pm.