PLANS for factories and offices on the Ronkswood site of the former Worcester Royal Infirmary have been met with suspicion from residents who fear their view will be ruined by towering buildings.

The proposals for the site, on Newtown Road, include three-storey buildings, which, say residents, may ruin their view and destroy trees and a valuable hedge-row.

"They plan to put two and three storey buildings on the site, but they should keep them to two storeys - three storeys is too imposing," said Jon Baddeley, a nearby resident on Ripon Road.

"At the moment, it's a pleasant view, but we don't know what's going to happen, and I'm very suspicious because the trees and the hedge are not mentioned on the plan.

"We need to know exactly what they are going to do. They always seem to make these plans and miss these things off."

Last month, questionnaires were distributed to nearby residents, and two well-attended consultation meetings were held to gauge opinion on development options. The deadline for the return of council questionnaires was Friday, November 12.

The old hospital is set aside to provide employment opportunities, said Brian Roberts, council planning officer.

"We were pleased with the number of people who turned up at the discussions. Believe it or not, there was quite a lot of support from residents as well.

"The plans are only outlined at the moment, and I'm sure we will be having more talks with the development company."

Planning manager at the council, Peter Yates said plans remained flexible - only the Newtown Road entry point and a phone mast facility were stipulated.

He said the number of storeys should not become an overriding issue.

"We have to be a little bit cautious when it comes to capping the number of floors in the buildings. Modern three-storey buildings can actually be designed to be lower than some older two-storey houses by lowering the roof pitch and other methods."

He added these modern techniques could be employed to ensure the buildings did not overlook residents along Newtown Road.