Homeless shelter could still go ahead despite being rejected

A controversial plan to build what would be the city’s biggest homeless shelter could still go ahead despite being rejected by the council for ‘being in the wrong place’.

The work to convert the student halls known as Court Mews in Worcester’s Farrier Street into a 48-bed homeless shelter was thrown out by the city council’s planning committee last year over anti-social behaviour and safeguarding fears.

Councillors also ruled it would be inappropriate to build the shelter in the city centre next to a number of restaurants and nightclubs.

Manchester-based Grolar Developments has now lodged an appeal with the government’s planning inspectorate hoping to get the decision overturned.

If the inspector finds the planning committee was wrong to reject the plan, it could overrule the council and allow the work to go ahead.

Several independent businesses who helped revitalise the neglected area of the city centre said they feared their hard work would be ruined by building a homeless refuge on their doorstep when the plan was first put forward last year.

Last year, Sam McCarthy from Worcester BID said building the shelter would deter businesses from moving to the area.

“This development will stop further development in this area and may well make existing business move away from the area or out of Worcester completely, this could lose jobs for local people evidenced already by concerns raised by neighbouring businesses such as Worcester Whitehouse Hotel, the Burger Shop and the University of Worcester,” she said in an objection to the council.

The shelter’s ‘lacklustre’ management plan was also criticised by neighbouring business owners who said it was in complete contrast to other established city facilities such as St Pauls Hostel which accommodates a similar number of homeless people but employees 15 staff and has 11 trustees rather than just one security guard in the evening and an off-site manager.

The city’s historic railway Arches have been going through a multi-million-pound transformation in the last few years to create a new cultural and creative hub as well as create new links between Worcester Foregate Street and the River Severn.