WORCESTER City FC Supporters’ Trust has announced it will launch an appeal against the council decision to reject plans to build a new football stadium in Perdiswell, without the backing of the football club. 

The 4,400-capacity stadium for Worcester City Football Club had split opinion among residents and in late July, Worcester City Council's planning committee refused the application. 

The application, debated for almost two hours during the meeting at the Guildhall, saw members ending up in a tie that resulted in the authority's planning committee chairman, Councillor Chris Mitchell, being forced to use his casting vote.

Today Worcester City Supporters’ Trust issued an embargoed statement for tomorrow (Wednesday, July 2) that said they would be appealing to Secretary of State Sajid Javid in a bid to overturn that decision.

But Worcester City Football Club (WCFC), also released a statement to announce they would not be appeal the council’s decision and announcing their backing of a stadium on a site at Parsonage Way.

A statement from WCFC read: "If the trust insist on carrying on with their appeal they will be doing so without the backing of the football club."

They added: "The supporters trust have been advised many times that the land at Perdiswell is not on the table to build a stadium for the football club but that Parsonage Way has been confirmed by the city council to pursue and we can only hope that as a board the supporters trust will now back the Parsonage Way opportunity and work with the club to make that site happen."

Worcester City Supporters’ Trust director Rich Widdowson said: "We will be progressing with our appeal as was going to be announced tomorrow (Wednesday, August 9). 

"We believe the decision to refuse the application was purely political and not based on planning reasons. 

"The fact the current chairman of the football club is not backing it is irrelevant."

Labour and Co-operative councillor Pat Agar (Nunnery division) said: "I was a little perturbed by the view it (the stadium) should not be there (Perdiswell). 

"Everyone wants to see the football club come back to Worcester.

"The site has been allocated for leisure. It would be a relief to finally agree on a site. 

"The site would give scope to expand for the future. I would have thought it would be the best option. 

"It has been a very difficult question for a long time for all of us on the council, there are considerations to be made for residents and roads."

A city council spokesman said: "Parsonage Way has been discussed as a potential site with Worcester City Football Club and the Worcestershire FA. Like any development of this nature, it would need to be the subject of a planning application that would be determined on its own merits."