PLANS for a major urban expansion on the edge of Malvern were deferred by district councillors this week.

The application, by Gleeson Developments Ltd and Welbeck Strategic Land LLP, includes 800 homes, plus land for employment development, a care home, community hall, shops and other facilities, as well as playing fields and green space.

The site, bounded by Lower Howsell Road, the railway line and Worcester Road, is allocated

for housing in the South Worcestershire Development Plan.

The application, which was made in 2015, came up before Malvern Hills District Council's southern area planning committee on Wednesday evening, with officers recommending approval.

But after more than two hours of speeches and discussion, members voted 11 to eight to defer making a decision.

The vote came after an earlier motion to approve the scheme was defeated eight votes to ten, with one abstention.

During the meeting, the main issues raised were the lack of a primary school in the plan, problems with the single access off the Newland roundabout and a lack of affordable housing.

Members were unhappy that only 20 per cent of the houses are to be set aside as affordable, against a general recommendation of up to 40 per cent in the South Worcestershire Development Plan.

The school issue also aroused strong feelings; an earlier version of the plan includes a school, but this was dropped after Worcestershire County Council, the education authority, said that extra pupils can be accommodated in existing primary schools.

Heather Jeavons, the chairman of Newland Parish Council, who spoke at the meeting, said: "It's about 2.9 miles to the school at Malvern Vale and I cannot see young mums with pushchairs struggling uphill on a bitterly cold November day to take their children to the primary school."

Cllr John Raine said a site where a school could be built should be included, in case of a change of mind later.

And the proposed "gyratory roundabout" on the site of the existing roundabout was also slated as inadequate.

Cllr Tom Wells said: "Already at the peak times in the morning and the evening, there are delays of up to six-and-a-half minutes, and the impact of all the new houses and businesses will be severe."

The deferral is intended to allow planning officers to have further talks with the applicants on these issues.

The developers say the scheme will mean an investment of more than £100 million in Malvern, and will create up to 1,700 jobs.