FAMILIES and tourists enjoying a stroll in Worcester may soon benefit from an attractive, landscaped waterfront park by Diglis Basin.

The park, which would stretch along the front of the River Severn, will include footpath and cycle way links to existing walkways.

It is part of a joint planning application by Taylor Woodrow Development and British Waterways for 459 properties - comprising 376 apartments and 83 houses.

There will also be offices, shops and leisure facilities, including a gym, restaurant and a community centre.

The proposals aim to make the area more appealing to city residents and visitors and have come together after consultation with the public.

If the application is successful, it will be the latest waterside development to revolutionise a Midlands city.

Since Birmingham's Brindley Place was revamped 12 years ago and fitted out with bars and restaurants, it has become a fashionable meeting place for office workers and tourists. Recently, a £9m canal scheme has been given the go-ahead in Droitwich.

Taylor Woodrow Developments Ltd and British Waterways submitted plans for the redevelopment of Diglis Basin to Worcester City Council last June.

However, that application has now been withdrawn and a revised set of proposals for the 26 acre site has been submitted.

Fewer houses

Key changes as a result of the consultation, include a reduction in the number of houses and apartments on the site, from 550 to 459, and an extension to the area of landscaped, public open space.

"The park will replace the hard key-side area which was originally proposed in the plans," said a spokeswoman for Woodrow Taylor.

"There's going to be new tree planting with semi-mature trees and a new area of riverside vegetation."

In July last year, the proposals for the Diglis Basin were put on display for the public.

The plans will now enter a further period of public consultation, before being determined by the city council's planning committee later this year.