NEW plans have been lodged to build homes on part of what used to be a military technology research base.

Developer Piper Group and Square Bay has put in a planning application to build 33 new homes on the old QinetiQ Barrack Stores site, which lies behind houses along Court Road and backs on to the Malvern College playing field.

The site sits on the boundary of Malvern’s Conservation Area, and there are a number of listed buildings in the vicinity

A previous outline application for housing on the site was approved in 2005, but lapsed in December 2013.

The developer describes the proposal as “33 affordable residential dwellings. The proposals provide a varied selection of one-to-three bed dwellings to appeal to local housing needs.”

In the application, a heritage statement said: “The placement of development within the application site, the retention of the existing natural screening along its north and east boundary, and a materials palette that resonates with the traditional materials found within the designation will ensure that the development is not visually prominent.”

Ward councillor Samantha Charles said: “As this is a significant development, I request that it is brought to the Southern Area Planning Committee and not delegated to officers, so that the application can be looked at in detail by all councillors.”

Plans for the development of other parts of the QinetiQ site received the green light earlier this year.

At a meeting in May, Malvern Hills District Council's southern area planning committee voted unanimously to approve an application to build up to 300,000 square feet of commercial buildings on the east side of the site, bordering Britten Drive and the Chase school, with its access off Longridge Road.

Members also gave the go-ahead to plans for up to 310 new houses and a 66-bed care home on a different part of the site, off St Andrew’s Road.

The plans, which have been under development for several years, come after most of the staff at QinetiQ’s Malvern site have been moved into newer buildings to the north of the site.