Residents and local Councillors Demand Answers after Wychavon Planning Process Ignores Local Voices
Residents and local councillors representing Cropthorne are calling for urgent reviews of the planning process at Wychavon District Council’s following a deeply troubling Planning Committee meeting held on 25 June 2026 to determine whether 9 houses should be built on Field Barn Lane. The meeting, conducted during an Red Warning heatwave, left many feeling that due process had not been followed and that local voices were sidelined at every stage.
Despite the extreme conditions, the meeting went ahead but with a situation where a number of councillors were visibly disengaged. At the same time many of the documents had been received incredibly late so residents were unable to compile responses to them. This left councillors voting on a complex and controversial application with minimal preparation time and a flurry of late documentation.
To make matter more frustrating, a scheduled site visit to Middle Lane—central to the 27 objections lodged—was also mishandled. Councillors were expected at noon; instead, they arrived more than an hour early, preventing the District Councillor from providing essential context about the narrow lanes, blind junctions, and frequent flood‑related diversions that make the road unsuitable for increased traffic. Several councillors missed the visit entirely.
Cllr Angie Crump said: “I asked for this planning application to be deferred several times because of the complexity of the road and the issues raised by residents. Every report received meant we had more questions. What made this most concerning was the absence of any representative from Highways, despite road safety being the primary issue raised by objectors. This has been a frequent occurrence and is rightly worrying residents. Councillors repeatedly expressed frustration that they could not question Highways on visibility splays, emergency vehicle access, or the proposed “shared spaces” scheme—an approach used only once elsewhere in Worcestershire, and in a cul‑de‑sac entirely unlike Middle Lane. To top it off highways have no evidence the signage works and emergency vehicles and refuse trucks will be in Middle Lane as there is no access to the site. Without experts, councillors were left to vote on incomplete and outdated information, including traffic data more than three years old.”
"It is also clear that the planning committee were not in a position to vote on this application with residents witnessing inappropriate behaviour during the meeting, including visible “nudging” of councillors during the vote and dismissive comments about those living opposite the proposed development. The final decision—approved 8 votes to 4—was made despite a proposer and seconder for refusal, whose arguments were not given equal weight."
"Cropthorne residents believe this meeting demonstrates a systemic failure of the planning process: inadequate representation, missing expert evidence, procedural irregularities, and a lack of respect for community concerns. I am joining them in calling for senior Wychavon officials, Highways leadership, and local MP's to review the conduct of the meeting and ensure that future decisions are made transparently, fairly, and with full regard for the communities affected. We need a planning system we can all trust. At the moment it is clear that many communities feel let down."