TWO major supermarkets could open yards from each other and help turn an area of Worcester into a thriving shopping strip - as this new artist's impression reveals.

Earlier this year, a £75m regeneration scheme for the Lowesmoor area of the city centre was revealed, with Asda acting as a hook to attract more shops and in turn create 1,000 jobs.

Worcester City Council has now received plans for an Aldi supermarket to open close by in the former Courts furnishing shop in Pheasant Street.

Jim Pithouse, senior planning officer, said: "There's no particular barrier to this planning application. Examples of a major superstore and a smaller discount store existing side by side are quite common - already in the city we have Lidl complementing Sainsbury's in Blackpole.

"In the application for Aldi they are looking at about half or one third of the floor space, so it is not the whole building."

He added that the council would have preferred somebody to want all of the building, but if the company followed correct procedures, there was nothing to stop it getting the green light.

London-based property company Ilchester Estates, which is acting on behalf of Aldi, has already been granted permission to make alterations and sub-divide the derelict Courts building.

A further application to remove a condition that bans the building being used to sell food will be voted on by planning chiefs on Thursday, August 10.

Courts closed in 2004 after the company went into administration. The site is close to the former Vinegar Works which is part of the Lowesmoor conservation area and included in redevelopment proposals put forward by the Carillion Richardson Partnership.

Part of the bid ensures the revamp would retain historic buildings, such as the Fermenting Shed. Up to 13 new shops and 15 apartments are also planned.

Carillion Richardson Partnership submitted the plans after a previous bid failed due to concerns over preserving the area's history, particularly numbers 18-20 Silver Street. A lack of investment has seen the area fall into disrepair.

The city council will discuss the scheme at a committee meeting this autumn.