OWNERS of Upton Marina have been urged to go back to the drawing board over expansion plans.

The call came from the vice-chairman of the town's Civic Society following a public meeting on Friday night.

Prof Peter Pumphrey said Walton Marine should redraw plans and seek a compromise with objectors.

An estimated 200 people from Upton, Ryall and Holly Green debated the plan to double the size of the marina.

"That is the vision - but it could be a nightmare," warned Prof Pumphrey. "The development of chalets and apartments deserves to be rejected. The development of the marina does not. Surely there must be room for compromise somewhere."

Mike Cook, managing director of Walton Marine, was part of a four-man panel responding to questions about the expansion, which would see the creation of a second basin, 120 moorings, 45 chalets and 60 apartments.

Mr Cook said: "It's obvious we couldn't get it right for everyone. There will always be problems for someone. But we've tried our best to accommodate their views and alleviate as many problems as possible."

Mr Cook said the plan should be seen as a financial boost for the area "at a time when there is a serious under-investment in tourism".

It was a view backed up by local traders who spoke in favour of the scheme.

Criticisms of the proposal included lack of parking at the marina, fears that it would increase the flood risk and doubts about whether Upton could cope with more tourists.

However, Malvern Hills District Council's head of development control, David Murray, told opponents of the scheme that they had to look for technical reasons to support their position.

"Saying 'we don't want more tourists' is not a good reason to refuse a planning application," he said.

However, Prof Pumphrey, rejected that suggestion.

"In the end the decision will come down not to technical details but the important matter of judging whether Upton can cope with so many more people," he said.

The minutes of the meeting, which was called by the Civic Society, will be passed on to the district council's planning committee, which will consider Walton Marine's planning application in April.