A COUNCILLOR has hit out at housing developer Persimmon for causing "mayhem and misery" in Pershore after it was granted permission to build another 196 new homes in the town.

Charles Church Developments Ltd, part of the Persimmon Group, was given the green light to build a mix of 196 one-to-four bed homes and apartments on land off Station Road in Pershore by Wychavon District Council's planning committee last Thursday (February 8).

Cllr Charles Tucker, who represents Pershore, said the Persimmon Group had caused "mayhem and misery" over the last four years with its other developments in Station Road.

"I would far prefer that this development was to be built by a developer with greater sensitivity and respect for the local community and greater respect for the conditions of their consent," he said.

Cllr Tucker said he had made a petition, of now more than 500 signatures, urging Persimmon to leave the town and hand over the development to a different builder.

He said even if the plan was approved Persimmon would "get the hint" it was not wanted in Pershore.

The plan was first put forward in September last year after permission for a nearly five-year-old plan expired.

Council planners gave an initial green light to Persimmon to build 176 homes on the same piece of land, whittled down slightly from the original plan to build 190 homes, in April 2014. The plan was eventually signed off and councillors again agreed to the plan in September 2015 but the planning permission expired after no work was carried out.

The homes would be built on the northern tip of the Pershore North Urban Extension, opposite Pershore High School and Pershore Industrial Estate, as allocated in the South Worcestershire Development Plan (SWDP) and lies to the north and east of the Persimmon homes that have already been built or nearing completion.

Persimmon has permission to build up to 260 homes on land to the south of Station Road.

Allowing the 196 homes to be built would pass the number specified in the South Worcestershire Development Plan (SWDP) by 20 homes.

The extension of Pershore earmarked in the SWDP includes plans for up to 695 homes.

The council said it was not concerned by surpassing the number of homes earmarked in the SWDP as more than half of the land, higher than the usual 40 per cent, would be open and green space.

The plan was approved by 10 votes to four with one abstention.