A FORMER builder's yard on a Worcester trading estate has been earmarked for a new canal-side residential development.

It is proposed to put a three-storey block of 18 flats at Spring Lane, on the Three Springs Trading Estate, with 18 parking spaces and secure cycle parking in a landscaped car park.

As it is a major residential scheme it is subject to an agreement requiring a financial contribution from the developer in place of open space.

In the city's 1998 local plan the land was identified as an employment site to be retained, but this is no longer a prime consideration for city planners.

A previous application for the site was approved in June last year following a decision by the First Secretary of State that it was not required for employment.

The design and materials have been amended since the plan was approved.

Chief planning officer Peter Yates says the design is an improvement, subject to amendments to ensure that brick is the predominant facing material.

Details of design features such as the roof, porches and balconies also need to be confirmed.

"The proposal will not have an adverse impact upon the width of the towpath, because there is a pinchpoint immediately to the north of the site, outside the control of the applicants, which reduces the width of the towpath.

"The proposal does not worsen this situation. The towpath remains sufficiently wide for use as a footpath and cycleway," he says in a report to the city planning committee, which meets on Thursday.

He is recommending that planning permission is granted, subject to conditions.