SUPPORT: Artistâs impressions of the Shrub Hill regeneration and medical centre; from left: Cllr Geraghty, Cllr Bayliss, Cllr Agar and MP Robin Walker A MAJOR multi-million-pound bid for government regeneration funding in Worcester has been backed by councillors. Worcester City Council revealed £28 million plans to regenerate several parts of the city including the tired Shrub Hill area building a new medical centre on the banks of the River Severn, hundreds of homes and a new Building Block training centre in Dines Green. The bid was backed by the city council s policy and resources committee on Monday (January 25) and will now be submitted to the government.
A DEDICATED coronavirus pandemic centre will not be built in the city after plans were rejected by councillors over fears it would add to parking woes. Worcester City Council s planning committee rejected a plan by Barbourne Medical Centre in Worcester to build a purpose-built clinic on its surgery car park to treat patients with, or suspected of having, coronavirus. Ward councillor Neil Laurenson said the plan was “completely unrealistic” and the site was “unsuitable” and he had not seen such strong objection to a planning application from residents since plans emerged to relocated Worcester City FC to Perdiswell. He thought the building would be temporary and he said there was a “realistic chance” the pandemic would be over before the building was even built during a meeting of the council s planning committee last Thursday (December 17).