A HEALTH club planned for Droitwich town centre may not go ahead after developers decided to change their original proposal.

Last year, Kandahar, which owns the town centre's precinct, was given permission to build a shop with a gym on the first floor, two restaurants, six two-bedroom apartments and four one-bedroom apartments.

The area under consideration runs from opposite WH Smiths to St Andrew's Street and used to contain a jeweller's and a hardware shop as well as other units.

As part of the scheme, a new south entrance to the shopping centre between St Andrew's Street and Lloyds TSB Bank in Victoria Square was also planned. However, the developer has now resubmitted plans so that instead of the gym, the shop will be bigger and take up two storeys.

The Worcester News can reveal the new department store will be let to McKays, which will be trading as clothes shop M&Co and will cover 576 square metres on the ground floor and 469 square metres on the first floor.

The two restaurants facing St Andrew's Street have also been merged to become a single pub or restaurant with private rooms for staff and storage upstairs.

The developer also wants to build seven two-bedroom and one one-bedroom homes.

A spokeswoman for Kandahar said the changes were due to M&Co needing more floorspace and called the revised plan "great news" for the town.

Members of Droitwich town council have agreed with most of the proposals but oppose the larger pub because it will affect the retail nature of the town centre and could lead to rowdiness from drinkers.

Richard Morris, the town council's former chairman of planning, said he was sad the health club would not go ahead because it would have been good for young people.

He said: "I think the development will help make that part of town more attractive and offer better shopping opportunities for townspeople when compared with other towns."

Members of Droitwich Spa Civic Society have said they are happy with the revised plans.