ST MODWEN say they remain determined to realise a new stadium at Nunnery Way for Worcester City Football Club.

An application from the developers has been criticised by Worcester City Council following a financial review of the scheme by auditors KPMG.

It stated the proposal was “wholly unacceptable” in its current form and that a ground below Football League standard was unacceptable.

Question marks were also placed over the size of the enabling development and not making a new ground the predominant use of the 20-acre green network site.

City have this week unveiled plans for a £2million development along the lines of Fleetwood Town in light of the significantly reduced sale price of St George’s Lane to Careys New Homes.

That proposal is separate to the one currently in the planning process and was not the subject of the letter from senior planning officer Alan Coleman to Robert Barnes, a St Modwen planning agent.

The developer has since issued a statement following the publication of the document’s contents in the Worcester News.

It read: “St Modwen has been working hard for a number of years to bring forward the development of a new stadium for the football club and enabling development to Nunnery Way; the site allocated in the Local Plan for Worcester City FC.

“St Modwen is an established developer in the Worcester area, has a number of sites it is involved with and has established a good working relationship with the city council over a number of years.

“The nature of any sizeable development proposal involves complex negotiations to achieve a successful result for all parties, including the football fans and community.

“The application is at a detailed stage and we are working with the city council and Worcester City FC to resolve a number of issues.

“Negotiations and discussions will continue with the city council to implement the long-established allocations in the Local Plan and deliver a new stadium for the football club.”