Planning Minister Brandon Lewis has offered his support to local calls to overturn a blanket ban on rural village expansion plans. Villages are often prevented from expanding by district council regulations aimed at preserving the size of villages. This means that villages which hope to develop are held back by red tape. The issue was raised by West Worcestershire MP Harriett Baldwin after being contacted by Pendock Parish Council. The council has backed a number of recent plans to develop local sites but have been held back by the district council’s regulations. The Minister has written to Harriett confirming that ‘blanket policies restricting housing development should be avoided’ and she has passed on the letter to Malvern Hills planners. Harriett commented: “The categorisation of villages has been a bone of contention for some rural councils which want to embrace local growth. “I have always felt that those villages who want to expand should be allowed to do so and Pendock made the case very strongly that their village needs to be allowed to grow in order to thrive. “This categorisation process also means that larger villages like Martley, Great Witley, Welland and Clifton-upon-Teme have had quite a few planning applications while other, smaller villages where development would be welcomed have had none at all. “I will be meeting with the leadership at Malvern Hills District Council in the coming weeks and I am sure this matter will come up in our discussions.”