THE go-ahead was given this week for housing on the site of a Chinese restaurant in Powick.

A planning application by Thamesway Properties Ltd includes the demolition of the New Hing Tai and a house next door, to make way for ten new homes.

The site is on the A449 Malvern to Worcester Road, next to the Old Malvern Road junction.

Two previous planning applications for the same site, featuring 14 houses and 13 houses, were turned down by Malvern Hills District Council because of the height of buildings, the overlooking of neighbouring properties and lack of car parking.

The latest plan features a Georgian-style building containing four homes, together with three pairs of semi-detached houses. Planning officers said the reasons for refusing the earlier plans had now been addressed.

Coun Tom Wells (Powick) said: "This is so much better than what was presented to us back in March. I particularly like the mix of two and three-bedroom houses. We often talk about the need for affordable houses in rural areas."

The northern area planning committee, meeting for the first time since the election, approved the application in principle. Full approval is delegated to officers, pending the arrival of slightly altered plans.

A spokesman for Thamesway said: "We would hope to start work in the summer."

A spokesman for the Hing Tai said they were looking for a new location in Malvern or Worcester but emphasised: "We're not closing yet."