A DROITWICH church will be bulldozed to make way for a new one, new community centre and 27 homes.
The development on the site of the Emmanual Pentecostal Church in Blake Avenue will go ahead after members of Wychavon District Council’s Planning Committee gave it the green light by eight votes to five.
After knocking down the church and existing structures, a new three-story building will be created, incorporating a 278.7m sq church and community hall, a 3,000sq ft convenience store and 16 affordable apartments. They will comprise of 12 one-bedroom flats and four two-bedroom apartments for social rent.
There will also be 11 other two and three-storey homes with garages developed, along with associated car parking and landscaping.
A temporary Spar store will also be built which will operate during the construction.
But Coun Tom Noyes, who is a member of the planning committee and the councillor for the area, said he was disappointed with the design, adding he would have preferred something more contemporary or even ‘futuristic’.
“We have known the area is going to be developed for a long time and everyone agrees it is needed to clean up the site.
“But because it is such a high point in the town and people can see it from miles around, there should be something much more eye-catching and impressive on there.
“I just hope we do not regret it when it is built,” he added.
He and other councillors on the committee criticised the plan to have three-storey buildings on the site and those views were echoed by Droitwich Spa Town Council which said, although it supported the principle of redevelopment on the site, it thought buildings on there should be no bigger than two storeys.
The authority also expressed concerns over the proposed planting around the site as it felt it could attract rubbish.
In the report, Wychavon’s community development officer recommended applicant LSP Developments Ltd provide an off-site contribution of £28,047 towards improving Droitwich Leisure Centre and £33,360 towards revamping the King George V playing fields.
Other recommendations were for LSP to put £20,974.60 to the Worcestershire Transport Strategy, £9,045 towards cycling routes and £204 for recycling.
But, as the amount of affordable housing being provided – some 59 per cent – was more than double the recommended 30 per cent for the site, those contributions were waived by Wychavon District Council’s officers.
And Neil Pearce, Wychavon’s development manager, said officers were excited about the plans which would give that part of Droitwich some much-needed regeneration.
Work needs to start within three years of permission being given and can only be carried out on the site between 8am and 6pm Monday to Friday and from 8am to 1pm on Saturdays.
