MEMBERS of the public will be welcomed to an open consultation at Fernhill Heath on Thursday as Worcester City FC unveil plans for a new potential home.

The club released initial plans for a Worcestershire Sports Park - with a new ground for the football club at the heart of it - at the start of February and will welcome all supporters and the wider public to hear from the club's owner Simon Lancaster and Stennard Harrison of Marsten Developments, who will carry out the work should it get planning permission.

There is a long road ahead for City and their fans, but Thursday will offer them - and other members of the community - a chance to ask questions of Lancaster and Harrison, who both stressed the importance of the event to the Worcester News earlier this month.

"It is now up to us to go and educate everyone and provide them with information," said Lancaster. "It's not going to be 10,000 football hooligans turning up every week, we are trying to say that for 99% of the week, it's going to be a community sports hub for children.

"Yes, for two hours on a Saturday, once every fortnight, there will be a game of football on, but our average attendance for the last few years has been 5/600 people. Yes, we might grow that and that is our plan to do so, its' not going to be 10,000 people. There will be plenty of parking as well.

"All these fears local residents might have about there being lots of people, the wrong type of people, we just want to educate them and explain to them that there is nothing to fear and this is only a positive thing and that's what we want to get across on February the 22nd."

The project will not just include a community sports hub, but also around 200 new homes, a retirement living facility and an ultra-modern community building.

Harrison was keen to emphasise that this project is not just for the football club, it is for the whole community and "everyone will benefit".

"We want the public to be supportive of this project and we want to allay any fears people might have," he said. "The site is right on the A38 and right next to the A449 which leads to the M5 corridor.

"From a geographical point of view, I would ask anyone to find a better place than this.

"But it isn’t all about football. There will be a cricket pitch for the cricket community, and secondary facility for our cricket clubs. Just look at New Road; every year its underwater. So this is another opportunity for other cricket clubs to use this facility. The Community building can be used for dance studios, indoor tennis, whatever people want.

"The purpose of this consultation is for people to come and have their say, ask any questions. We can facilitate everyone, we want to work in conjunction with the community.

"What we are talking about here is a great big community benefit and a benefit to Worcester City."

The address for the consultation is: Fernhill Heath War Memorial Club, 73 Droitwich Road, Fernhill Heath, Worcester WR3 8RJ and it begins at 4.30pm on Thursday (February 22) until 7.30 pm.