The petition of residents of Stourport-on-Severn,
Declares that the community of Stourport-on-Severn has been severely impacted by excessive building applications on agricultural land; and further declares that the first site which crossed district boundaries was refused by both Wyre Forest and Malvern Hills District Councils but was overturned by the Planning Inspectorate, resulting in speculative building applications causing stress to our community and placing severe pressures on our medical, educational and highway resources.
The petitioners therefore request that the House of Commons urge the Government to encourage Malvern Hills District Council to prioritise the protection of agricultural land in its Local Plan, to reject multi-dwelling planning applications within one mile of Areley Kings, Stourport-on-Severn, and to secure a full highway impact assessment for the historic Stourport Bridge crossing for any future developments.
And the petitioners remain, etc.—[Presented by Mark Garnier, Official Report, 11 November 2025; Vol. 775, c. 130.]
[P003122]
Observations from the Minister for Housing and Planning (Matthew Pennycook):
It is a statutory requirement for local planning authorities to prepare a local plan. Local plans are the best way for communities to shape decisions about how to deliver the housing and wider development their areas need. In the absence of an up-to-date plan, there is a high likelihood that development will come forward on a piecemeal and speculative basis, with reduced public engagement and fewer guarantees that it will make the most of an area’s potential. In order to deliver the homes and growth the country needs, we expect all local planning authorities to make every effort to get up-to-date local plans in place as soon as possible.
In preparing a local plan, local planning authorities must consistently apply national policy and guidance, while taking account of local circumstances. As the joint south Worcestershire local plan—covering Worcester city, Malvern Hills district and Wychavon district—is at examination, it is for the relevant independent inspectors to examine the plan publicly and impartially to ensure that it is legally compliant and sound. Local planning authorities can only adopt a plan that is sound.
The national planning policy framework makes it clear that planning policies should recognise the intrinsic character and beauty of the countryside and safeguard the best and most versatile agricultural land, which is the land most valuable for food production. Where significant development of agricultural land is demonstrated to be necessary, areas of poorer-quality land should be preferred to those of a higher quality.
By law, planning applications are determined in accordance with the local development plan, which includes the local plan, unless material considerations indicate otherwise. Each application is judged on its own individual merit and the weight given to these considerations is a matter for the local planning authority as the decision taker in the first instance.
The NPPF also sets out that transport issues should be considered during plan making, using a vision-led approach to identify transport solutions that understand and address the potential impacts of development on transport networks. The NPPF outlines that all developments that will generate significant amounts of movement should be required to provide a travel plan, and that planning applications should be supported by a vision-led transport statement or transport assessment so that the likely impacts of the proposal can be assessed and monitored.