A MAJOR review of one of the county's most important planning documents has been hit with a delay due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The review of the South Worcestershire Development Plan (SWDP) was due to be made public in early 2021 but lockdown restrictions have meant a number of important tests could not be carried out which means it is unlikely to be published until October next year.

Due to the lockdown, it has been impossible to complete a number of technical assessments and evidence gathering needed to support the plan including traffic movements and air quality modelling which cannot be carried out as traffic is still not close enough to pre-lockdown levels.

The review of the SWDP will now most likely be submitted to the government in February 2022, examined by councillors before the end of the year with a hope that it is adopted by the councils shortly after.

The revised SWDP, sets out how a Government requirement to build another 14,000 new homes across Malvern Hills, Worcester and Wychavon will be met by 2041.

The houses are on top of the need for 28,400 new homes by 2030, more than half of which have already been built, set out in the current plan.