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Planning

Supplementary Planning Documents (SPD)

In this section you will find the following information:
In this section
Supplementary Planning Documents (SPD)

Supplementary Planning Documents are produced to provide more detail on the application of policy, either for specific sites or on specific subjects.

SPDs do not have 'development plan' status, but are subject to public consultation and can be used as material considerations in the determination of planning applications.

Older Supplementary Planning Guidance (SPG) is being replaced by the newer style SPDs.

Draft Supplementary Planning Documents (SPD) for Consultation March 2026

The following SPDs are currently out to consultation and we welcome your views. The public consultation starts on 30th March and closes at 5pm on 30th April 2026.

Sustainable Building and Construction SPD covers Malvern Hills and Wychavon Districts. It can be viewed at: Sustainable Building and Construction SPD (Consultation Draft March 2026).pdf (2.52 MB) (opens in a new window) and comments can be made using the following survey link: https://www.smartsurvey.co.uk/s/SustainSPD/

Additionally, the three South Worcestershire Councils (SWC), namely Malvern Hills District Council, Worcester City Council and Wychavon District Council are also consulting on the following SPDs;

  • Air Quality SPD
  • Affordable Housing SPD
  • Developer Contributions SPD

For more information on the joint SPD consultations, see Consultations for Supplementary Planning Documents 2026 - South Worcestershire Development Plan

Alternatively, comments can be sent by:

email to: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., or by post to:

Policy Plans,

Wychavon District Council

Civic Centre

Queen Elizabeth Drive

Pershore, WR10 1PT

Paper copies of the Sustainable Building and Construction SPD are available to view at all of the locations within Malvern Hills and Wychavon.

Paper copies of the Wychavon Design Code SPD are only available to view at the Wychavon locations.

Malvern Hills District:

·       Malvern Hills District Council, Reception - The Council House, Avenue Road, Malvern, WR14 3AF

·       Malvern Library - Graham Road, Malvern, WR14 2HU

·       Martley Library - Martley Village Hall, Berrow Green Road, Martley, WR6 6PQ

·       Tenbury Wells Customer Service Centre / Library - 24 Teme Street, Tenbury Wells, WR15 8AA

·       Upton-upon-Severn Customer Service Centre / Library - School Lane, Upton upon Severn, WR8 0LE

·       Welland Library - Welland Village Hall, Marlbank Road, Welland, WR13 6LA

Wychavon District:

·       Wychavon District Council Offices, Reception - Civic Centre, Queen Elizabeth Drive, Pershore, WR10 1PT

·       Pershore Library - Church Street, Pershore, WR10 1DT

·       Evesham Library - Oat Street, Evesham, WR11 4PJ

·       Droitwich Spa Community Contact Centre / Library - Victoria Square, Droitwich Spa, WR9 8DQ

·       Broadway Library - Leamington Road, Broadway, WR12 7DZ

Information on Library opening times can be found at: www.worcestershire.gov.uk/council-services/libraries

Adopted SPDs

The below SPD's are available to view on the SWDP website:

  • Adopted Affordable Housing SPD (October 2016)
  • Developer Contributions SPD (Adopted July 2018)
  • Water Management and Flooding SPD (Adopted July 2018)
  • Renewable and Low Carbon Energy SPD (Adopted July 2018)
  • South Worcestershire Design Guide SPD (March 2018)
  • Air Quality SPD (Adopted September 2025)

Retained SPDs

Further information relating to SPDs can be found in the latest Local Development Scheme (LDS).

Other Associated Documents

Development Plan Documents (DPDs)

Traveller and Travelling Showpeople Site Allocations DPD

The Travellers and Travelling Showpeople Site Allocations DPD will set out the updated requirement for the number of sites and pitches to be provided to meet the needs of Travellers and Travelling Showpeople in the area over the coming years. It will then allocate sites or extensions to existing sites to meet this requirement.

The timetable for preparing the Travellers and Travelling Showpeople Site Allocations DPD is set out in the Local Development Scheme. 

Further information can be found on the SWDP website. 

What Have We Done So Far?

The SWDP was adopted on 25 February 2016. The SWDP includes Policy SWDP 17 - Travellers and Travelling Showpeople which:

  • Sets out the accommodation needs of Travellers and Travelling Showpeople over the period to 2030;
  • Outlines criteria to assess the suitability of proposals and planning applications; and
  • Indicates how the need for Traveller pitches and Showpeople plots is to be addressed, including the proposal to allocate two new sites on urban extensions (in Policy SWDP 45) and the intention to prepare a Traveller and Travelling Showpeople DPD.

In November 2014 the six Worcestershire Districts published the Worcestershire Gypsy and Traveller Accommodation Needs Assessment (GTAA) which identifies the future accommodation needs of Gypsies and Travellers and Travelling Showpeople across the County.

In 2015 the South Worcestershire Councils undertook a “call for sites” which provided an opportunity for interested parties to suggest any sites that they considered might be suitable to be allocated for Traveller or Travelling Showpeople use. This included existing sites which might be suitable for expansion or intensification as well as land for new sites. Proposals were invited for permanent residential sites or transit sites. All of the sites submitted were assessed against specific planning criteria to assess their potential suitability.

Information relating to the “call for sites” consultation can be found at the webpage link below:

Following the assessment of sites, the South Worcestershire Councils consider that seven sites may be suitable to deliver additional Traveller pitches in the next five years. These include existing Travellers sites at Hillbee Farm, Upton-upon-Severn; The Orchard, Knowle Hill, Badsey; Blossom Hill, Village Street, Aldington; The Laurels, Kemerton Rd, Bredon; and two locations in Cropthorne, at Seven Acres, Main Road and Evergreen Bank, Main Road. A new site is proposed at Crossway Green, near Stourport, where temporary planning permission is already in place for a Travellers’ site at Shorthill Caravan Park.

To meet the longer term need for pitches, the Development Plan Document includes two possible sites within the Worcester “urban extensions”, due to be built on the southern edge of the city at Broomhall and Norton Barracks and at Temple Laugherne on the western edge of Worcester.

A Draft Preferred Options Consultation (2016) ran from 14 March – 25 April 2016 (Regulation 18).