A CITY couple have spoken of their horror at proposals to move a city roundabout to within about 50 feet of their dream retirement home.

William and Neata Meadows moved to their three-bedroom house on Begonia Close about a year ago from St John's in Worcester.

The couple have lived in the city all their lives and plan to retire at their latest home, with its view of the Malvern Hills.

But now they say proposals to move the existing Ketch roundabout on the Southern Link Road, which lies about 100 feet away, to within 50 feet of their property would turn their retirement into a living nightmare.

"Our living environment would be totally destroyed," said Mr Meadows. I have hardly got any sleep thinking about it - the road will be so near the traffic, motorists will be looking into our houses.

"It will be an absolute nightmare - we couldn't possibly live here."

Worcestershire County Council transport and road safety manager John Seddon, was at a meeting of St Peter the Great parish council on Monday to present the plans to residents.

The roundabout would be shifted east as part of proposed plans to transform it into a complex signalised junction to give priority to traffic travelling east to west over movements from north to south.

But the scheme, part of a £3m package to improve traffic circulation around the southern link road, would mean the road moving closer to residential properties.

"I am concerned about the proximity of the works on the Ketch roundabout to the houses on Begonia Close," said parish council chairman Roger Knight.

"Something needs to be done to ease the road away from the housing towards the agricultural land opposite.

"I live in hope, though, that it will improve the traffic flows and reduce the amount of traffic using St Peter's Drive as a cut-through."

Traffic lights would also be installed on the Powick roundabout and the Whittington roundabout would be enlarged to put in signals as part of the southern link road scheme.

Funding

Mr Seddon said it was still in the consultation stage and the county council would not find out until December if they had been successful in securing Government funding.

"It's very much in the early consultation stages and we will still be visiting other parish councils in the area moving on into September now," he said.

"The basic aim of the scheme is to improve traffic circulation and safety on the southern link road as there is obviously a general congestion problem in the peak hours."