WORCESTER’S ‘regenerated’ riverside will be opened up to the public this weekend – but it might not look how people imagined it would.

Just days before fencing is pushed to one side giving people access to the west side footpath of the river Severn your Worcester News can reveal that one of the highlights of the project – a viewing platform – has been axed.

It was scrapped due to spiralling costs but the revelation only adds to the woes of a scheme that is more than a month behind schedule.

As our picture shows Worcester City Council still has some way to go before all of the paving and surfacing work is complete.

When your Worcester News asked if the viewing platform had been built Richard Hopkins, project manager, said it had not.

“Unfortunately, it was too expensive to build,” he said. “At times like this we can’t be seen to be building luxury items.”

Mr Hopkins suggested the decision to remove the viewing platform from the scheme was made 18 months ago but if that was the case the city council did not spread the word to great effect.

Exactly how much this scheme has cost in total is still not known as Mr Hopkins said he did not have the figures to hand while out of the office yesterday.

The cabinet member now in charge of the project, Councillor Marc Bayliss, and leader Councillor Simon Geraghty were both unavailable for comment.

The riverside footpath from the Copenhagen Street car park steps past the Watergate through to Severn Street is set to reopen on Friday night in time for the bank holiday.

The city council says that new Yorkstone paving has been laid around the Watergate while new trees – a variety of elm resistant to Dutch elm disease and a compact variety of amelanchier – have been planted along Kleve Walk as replacements for some of the 50 diseased trees cut down in 2009.

The link between Worcester Bridge and the fountains has also been improved with new block paving.

The remaining works include stone and block paving to the northern end of Kleve Walk and around the black swan statue, which will be reinstalled after it was removed for repair.

New seating and signage will also be installed while plans to install interpretations of natural and social history at key points along the route remain – Mr Hopkins said the council is working with students at the University of Worcester to deliver those.

It is not yet known when Worcestershire County Council will install the new lighting.

• The Cathedral Ferry across the river Severn will return this weekend. It will run between 12.30pm and 5.30pm on Saturdays, and 1.30pm and 5.30pm on Sundays and Bank Holiday Mondays only.