Jobs and the fate of fields

From the archive, first published Monday 26th Sep 2005.

WORCESTER has come a long way since the building mania of the 1980s when the city was eating up green acres as if there was no tomorrow.

Thankfully, we are now cutting our coat according to the cloth available. The emphasis is now to build on brownfield sites - and this newspaper broadly backs this policy.

This is why we have considerable sympathy with Whittington residents who are worried about a business development on their doorsteps.

And to those who might counter with accusations of Nimbyism we would gently point out that there is nothing wrong in people wanting to preserve their small corner of England.

However, Worcester desperately needs new employment possibilities. Over the last 12 months, the Faithful City has suffered several body blows, the most recent being the Kays crisis.

And that is why we should listen carefully to what is on offer. For it seems that the owner of the land at Whittington is sensitive to residents' concerns.

He tells us that up to 30 jobs will be created and has pledged to plant trees and preserve wildlife. There would also be a travel plan to the site.

This newspaper is under no illusion that Whittington - like Kempsey, for example - is extremely vulnerable because of its location. Its territorial integrity must be maintained.

But the need to prevent urban sprawl must be balanced with the reality of Worcester's worsening jobs situation.

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