FORMER Worcester Mayor David Clark has warned that the fight to save the Lychgate Shopping Centre's historic name is far from over.

On Saturday, The Evening News revealed that developer Tops Estates had agreed to perpetuate the name by calling the principal mall - running from Pump Street to the entrance facing the Cathedral - the Lychgate Mall.

However, Councillor Clark says the concession goes only halfway towards resolving the issue.

"Nothing has changed as far as I'm concerned. Keeping the name going is the least that should be done," he said.

"The great outcry was also about the proposed name of the whole centre, Cathedral Plaza, which they have not agreed to drop.

"This was one of the main reasons why the Dean, Chapter and Bishop of Worcester objected, and it has not yet been resolved."

Coun Clark added that the centre should go further in ensuring that its historic past is emphasised.

"Reindeer Court has its history displayed inside the precinct, so does CrownGate," he said.

Lychgate Manager John Kendrick said ways of highlighting the centre's past were being examined.

"Retaining the name Lychgate is important and we are investigating putting a design of the original Lich Gate into the centre to be part of a heritage trail," he said.

"This would coincide with a plaque in the High Street, which commemorates where Elgar's father's shop once stood, and a storyboard with all its details."

In a letter to Mayor of Worcester, Councillor Robert Rowden, Tops chairman Everard Goodman confirmed the name Lychgate would be used in the centre.

"The principal mall in the centre will be renamed the Lychgate Mall," he said.

And he firmly denied that the proposal was a compromise on the city's history.

"The Lychgate was always the route to the Cathedral and it will be retained as such," said Mr Goodman.

However. he confirmed that the centre would be renamed.

"The name Cathedral Plaza has not been dropped," he said. "We want to emphasis the fact that there is a magnificent cathedral in the city and, of course, we can not call it the Cathedral Centre because that would imply it was in the middle of the Cathedral."

"The new centre will highlight one, the Lychgate, and two, the Cathedral."

The original lich gate was removed in the 1960s as part of the development that included the construction of the Lychgate Shopping Centre. It is currently undergoing a multi-million pound redevelopment.