FIVE hundred jobs are coming to Worcester after a major employer secured the green light for a huge expansion.

The Sanctuary Group has won permission from the city council’s planning committee to build a five-storey, glass-fronted ‘eco building’ in Farrier Street.

It will make the company the second biggest employer in Worcester, taking it from 800 to 1,300 staff in the city, behind only Worcester Bosch, which has 2,000 workers in Wardon.

The striking new office block will be around the corner from the housing provider’s headquarters in Castle Street, and on the site of the old Suzuki car dealership.

It got the nod despite concerns over Sanctuary not providing any parking spaces for the new workers.

During the debate at the Guildhall, some politicians called the stance “madness”, while others disagreed, saying car use should be discouraged.

It was eventually backed unanimously, subject to the group agreeing a financial package with the county council for walking, cycling and other public transport improvements.

Councillor David Tibbutt said: “This is quite an extraordinary number of jobs, which is good news, but I can’t see how the highways department believes it won’t be a problem with the parking.

“In terms of congestion it will be gridlock.”

Bob Pender, from the county council’s highways team, said under Worcester’s travel policies there is no stipulation for car parking with a city centre employment proposal, which Coun Tibbutt called “madness”.

But some others disagreed, saying the workers could easily use council or commercial car parks instead, or rely on public transport.

Councillor Paul Denham said: “It’s contrary to county council policy to encourage people to drive into the city centre.

“This is a sustainable site a short distance from the bus station, if we’ve got any left after the cuts, and the train station too.

“There are plenty of parking spaces in the city, and it’s up to people to travel in a sustainable way.”

That led to sharp criticism from Councillor Aubrey Tar-buck, who claimed it would cause “mayhem”.

“I do worry about 500 people going in and out of this place on a daily basis, it’ll cause nothing but mayhem for the transport system,” he said.

“I see nothing but problems but I’ve got to support it from an employment point of view.”

But Councillor Andy Roberts said it would be “nonsensical” to provide parking for 500 people, and Councillor Derek Prodger insisted there is “oceans” of parking nearby.

The committee agreed it after a show of hands.

The new building will have solar panels on the roof and a heat recovery system to make it energy efficient.