PLANS to build a new housing estate near Worcester's London Road can today be revealed - sparking fears over congestion.

Developers want to demolish the historic old Metalbox factory in Perry Wood Walk and build 215 houses in a significant overhaul.

Taylor Wimpey says it will pump £1.7 million into improving the local area, including measures to try and mitigate pressure on the roads.

But people living near the site have voiced concern over the pressure on school places and London Road, which already has air pollution problems.

It also means the loss of another employment site for Worcester in what was once a thriving industrial plot.

The site is now a derelict mess after Carnaud Metalbox, which used to make cans for some of the biggest names in the food and drink industry, closed down in 2013 with the loss of 118 jobs.

Worcester News:

Built in 1931, the site was the first purpose-built open top can works in Britain and in its heyday employed hundreds of staff who made packaging for famous brands like Heinz, Cadbury, KP, Birdseye and Pepsi.

But city leaders effectively abandoned any hope of it becoming an employment site again by earmarking it for houses in the South Worcestershire Development Plan (SWDP).

Taylor Wimpey, which has bought the 18-acre site, has submitted a planning application to Worcester City Council to flatten the building and create the new estate.

London Road resident Margaret Carpenter, one of several objectors, said: "My objection is on the grounds of it not having the right infrastructure in place - the roads are already congested around that area."

Asif Hussain, 41, who lives in Wyld's Lane, said: "This will have a terrible impact in Wyld's Lane and Perry Wood Walk - things are bad enough as it is."

Worcester News:

Councillor Jabba Riaz, who represents the area, said: "It will have a big impact on schools - Perry Wood and Stanley Road (primary schools) are chock-a-block.

"It's a great shame we'll also be losing another employment site, that's the reality of industry these days, a lot of it seems to be located on the outskirts of the city."

He added that he went to a briefing with the developer and voiced concern over a lack of affordable housing and not enough money being earmarked for public realm improvements.

Taylor Wimpey says it wants to create 501 parking spaces, mainly accessed from Williamson Road, and have "a central area of public open space" on the site, as well as a pond. If it gets the go-ahead the land will have a mix of one, two, three and four-bed homes and footpaths throughout it.

A spokesman for the firm said: "The proposals will bring a number of benefits to the area and transform a derelict brownfield industrial site into attractive, much-needed new homes with landscaping and ecological enhancements, while also providing support to the local economy.

“While discussions are ongoing with the local authority in relation to specific financial contributions we will make as part of a Section 106 agreement, we expect payments will support local education, highway improvements and public open space at the very least.”

The city council's planning committee is expected to make a decision by August, and if accepted demolition will start this autumn.

Taylor Wimpey says it hopes to have the whole development complete next year.