GREEN councillors in Worcester have spoken out against plans for a new Worcester City FC football stadium at Perdiswell Park.

Controversial plans for the new 4,400 ground will come before Worcester City Council's planning committee on Thursday and a re recommended for approval.

The plans have split opinion, with many saying they back the bid but others citing concerns over congestion and parking problems on matchdays.

But ahead of the vote, Green councillors Neil Laurenson and Matthew Jenkins have spoken out the plans – saying they believe the location is wrong.

They say that, over a period of years, they have spoken with many local residents, the majority of who oppose the idea of a football stadium being built on Perdiswell Park.

In April 2014, Cllr Laurenson submitted a three-page letter to the City Council’s planning department that listed residents’ concerns, including excessive traffic and loss of green space.

He said: "The revised application has not alleviated our concerns.

"We want Worcester City FC to be playing in Worcester again, but the location has to be appropriate.

"The capacity of the planned stadium is more than four times what the club requires in order to play at its current level.

"If it was promoted and required an even bigger stadium, the impact on the local area would be even more severe."

Cllr Laurenson is planning to speak at the planning committee meeting, which takes place at the Guildhall from 1.30pm on Thursday.

In a Worcester News poll last week, 79 per cent of our readers said they backed the Perdiswell stadium plans.

Rob Crean, of Worcester City FC's supporters trust, which has submitted the planning application, says he hopes the plans are approved.

"It has taken a long time, five years, to get to this point," he said.

"We are hopeful, we hope it will be good news.

"If it is approved, we move to the next stage. There's a way to go."