A PLAN to build more than 100 homes on land to the west of Worcester looks set to be approved - effectively ending the University of Worcester's decade-long ambition to build a £100 million science, health and enterprise hub.

A council report recommended giving the green light to plans put forward by the university in April to build 120 homes on its University Park site off Bromyard Road in Worcester.

Worcester City Council’s planning committee meets next week to discuss the plan with a recommendation from its planning officers that it allows the homes to be built.

The university bought the 27-acre site from Tesco in 2009 with the goal of transforming it into the 2,000-job creating hub but the plans never came to fruition after failing to attract enough interest from business partners.

The university has since spent millions on other major plans such as the Hive and University Arena in Hylton Road - and the redevelopment of the former County Furnishings building into Castle Street - before putting the plans at University Park on hold.

The land was highlighted in the South Worcestershire Development Plan (SWDP) for a university campus as well as a business, science, health and enterprise park.

The council planning report said allowing the homes to be built was “logical and suitable” and whilst it conflicted with what was originally planned as a major business hub, the arguments for moving away were “strong and overriding."

A proposal for up to 105 homes on land off Oak View Way, classed as University Park, has been reallocated in the latest South Worcestershire Development Plan (SWDP) review which took place last year.

The area is surrounded by sites which either have permission to build homes or are in the process of being built.

Bloor Homes has permission to build up to 175 homes and Malvern Hills District Council, whose administrative boundary borders the site, gave permission to Spenhill Developments in June 2018 to build up to 150 homes on land known as Grove Park, which is also owned by Bloor Homes.

Sanctuary Care Home and St John’s Medical Centre have already been built.

Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust has asked for £82,000 but the city council’s planning report has said the developer should not be forced to hand the money over as NHS funding is the responsibility of the government.

Worcestershire County Council has asked for more than £1.3 million in contributions for schools and roads.