A "CONCENTRATED effort" is needed to fill empty floor space at the Shrub Hill Industrial development.

Eight industrial units are still on the market, it emerged at Worcester City Council's cabinet meeting last night.

On top of the 23,500sq ft of empty industrial space, just one out of nine units at the city council-sponsored Worcester Enterprise Centre, on the Shrub Hill site, have been filled.

Officers have been charged with promoting vacant units to those keen to start small businesses and bigger employers, while detailed discussions are underway with the newly-appointed directors of owners St Modwen Developments Ltd.

Progress made on other brownfield sites across Worcester was also high on the cabinet's agenda, with councillors keen to push for action.

The development of the Learning and Skills Council offices in Central Park, Midland Road, was seen as a priority, along with building affordable housing on the former timber yard in Wyld's Lane. A completion date for the 34 houses was set at 12 months.

Generating interest from employers willing to set up on the Safeway-owned, former fruit and vegetable market in Hylton Road, was also seen as a priority.

The dilapidated site has not been under discussion since 1999 when the supermarket giant failed in its bid for a food store, the cabinet heard.

"We've tried lots of uses, but as yet, nothing has come to fruition," said Councillor Derek Prodger, speaking at yesterday's meeting.

He said flooding was a major problem on the site and was concerned that only one land use idea had filtered back to the council, which had been refused.

Officers agreed the development needed to be kick-started.

If necessary, they were willing to recommend councillors make a compulsory purchase order if Safeway did not put the land back on the market.

Using the Ronkswood Hospital site, in Newtown Road, as part of the Birmingham/Worcester technology corridor was also outlined in the agenda as a possibility for the future.

Chairman Coun Stephen Inman also expressed his frustration at the lack of headway made in the development of the derelict Tolladine Road Goods Yard. He warned the project was "going round and round in bureaucratic circles".

The council agreed to consider the sites in order of priority, promote sites to developers where the landowner was reluctant to act, back talks with St Modwen and push for an updated progress report and more detailed action plan.