THE sight of Lake Pitchcroft stretching from what should have been Hylton Road to the back of The Moors can't fail to have prompted readers to wonder how on earth Arena Leisure can realise its exciting plans to redevelop Worcester's racecourse.

The question's been simple. What will happen to cars and guests at the site's proposed hotel the first time the Severn bursts its banks for a week or two - or three?

Today, we've been able to provide a preview of the solution, a promise from Arena that it remains committed to the scheme, and the intriguing idea that the hotel will be built on stilts above the flood plain.

An application and more details are expected to surface in the spring, so we can start eagerly anticipating what Arena's architects have on their drawing boards.

While, rightly, there will be those who fear something inappropriate to the special setting, we prefer to concentrate on the fact that the Pitchcroft renovation could be just the shot in the arm the Faithful City needs.

Regular readers will need no reminder that the future of the riverside is a cause of great concern to us.

During the past year, Worcester's bid for a Millennium landmark beside the Severn has sunk, certainly in terms of what might have been. In short, it's the most undervalued jewel Worcester has in its crown, but - potentially - the most shining.

Indeed, the fact that the city and all the landowners with interests from Barbourne to The Ketch haven't been united in the name of a riverside renaissance verges on the criminal.

Where has that left the city? And, more importantly, what does that say to the thousands of visitors who would be drawn by something that says 'bold' and 'confident' about Worcester.

Pitchcroft can be the spark for that re-creation. That's why we await the spring with excitement.