RESIDENTS have voiced their anger over proposed plans to build 22 new homes on greenbelt land next to a busy A road in Alvechurch.

The land next to Redditch Road and to the rear of Smedley Crooke Place in Hopwood has been put forward by applicants Cawdor Capital and Oakfield Homes, for redevelopment.

If plans went ahead the site would see 15 three and four bed homes and 7 homes for social housing, with a total of 56 car parking spaces.

Vehicle access would be gained by a fourth exit off the existing A441 roundabout, granting access to all home son the cul-de-sac.

Bromsgrove Advertiser: The current access point to the site. The current access point to the site.

Currently the site is being used for storage but under definition is green belt land, with Hopwood identified as a green belt settlement.

This has led to frustrations from residents, wanting to protect the green belt land of the area.

There are also concerns of over stretched services and an increase in traffic.

Lorraine Beddoes of Redditch Road said: "Green belt land is not the place for new houses and being on a really busy Island and Road it is going to cause a major accident as I have witnessed vehicles going in the site and have had to stop traffic to do so, and coming out you do not have enough time to be pulling out onto the already over busy ride.

"Hopwood has no facilities for families and the school in Alvechurch is full to capacity without more people coming into the area."

Michael Evans of Redditch Road said he has safety concerns if the development went ahead: "I live opposite the proposed site, I have seen many accidents coming off the roundabout including a young boy being ran over, a motorcyclist being knocked off and a car crashing into mine and my neighbours garden.

"The road infrastructure would need significant investment for this to go ahead in a safe manor.

"I feel that the destruction of the green belt land this is proposed on is very damaging to our local environment and ecosystem.

"There are better brownfield sites in the local area that should be utilised first."

Helen Kenny of Lea End Lane in Hopwood said: "22 houses are far too many for that area and we need to protect existing residents from the extra pressure on services that are already stretched but most importantly we need to protect our green belt it's there and been designated green belt for a reason."

The site has already been the subject of redevelopment in 2012 and 2017.

A planning application as put forward for 21 dwellings in 2012 but was refused due to a dispute as to whether the site should be considered brownfield.

In 2017 a planning application was made to build 10 homes and was again refused due to the impact on greenbelt land.