SANDWICHED between canal and river, Weavers Wharf is starting to look an appetising filling.

When flagship store Marks & Spencer throws open its doors in a glittering ceremony to mark the completion of the project next spring, the development will add a whole new dimension to Kidderminster town centre. development manager David Lewis.

And the food analogy is only fitting, with at least six of the new outlets set to serve refreshments, whether they are dedicated eateries or stores offering shopped-out townsfolk and visitors somewhere to relax with a coffee.

Already-open Pizza Hut and the town's latest McDonalds give a tantalising glimpse of what will be on offer - and a prime spot from which to view the builders going about their business.

But from the inside looking out with development manager David Lewis, it was somewhat easier to see how Weavers Wharf will transform the heart of Kidderminster into more of a unified whole.a view from the new bridge over the River Stour, with TK Maxx on the left, Co-op Travel on the right and De Bradelei Mills straight ahead. This is the route into Weavers Wharf from Vicar Street.

McDonalds and Pizza Hut sit the other side of the ring road from the existing Crossley Retail Park, while across a 400-space car park will lie a clutch of big-name stores linked to the older part of the town centre by a walkway and a bridge over the River Stour.

In a move symbolic of a huge step forward for the development, the new route will open next month - meaning shoppers will be able to walk straight from the town hall in Vicar Street, past a series of new smaller high street-style stores directly through to the huge De Bradelei Mill at the edge of the Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal.

The store, offering discount designer clothes and homeware, will take up three storeys of the impressively restored Slingfield Mill while the adjacent Boiler House - which used to generate the steam to power the mill - will house a Frankie and Benny's restaurant.

Both are listed, and earlier in the year were joined in this status by a former wool warehouse - and a major thorn in the development's side.

The derelict Piano Building was days away from being bulldozed before English Heritage moved to give it listed status after an appeal by Kidderminster Civic Society, scuppering a plan which would have elevated Weavers Wharf into an entirely different league - a cinema in Kidderminster for the first time in more than 20 years.

This is clearly still a source of frustration to Mr Lewis, of developer Centros Miller, who joked he would have earned a knighthood had he brought the silver screen to the town.

A Shuttle/Times and News poll revealed 81 per cent of nearly 3,000 readers wanted the firm to apply for listed building consent to demolish the Piano Building, named after its shape when viewed from the air.

Highstone Estates, which is funding the development, is now considering options for the building - and any breakthrough looks a long way off.

So for the time being, three buildings - plus a chimney stack - remain from the area's industrial days - and other steps have been taken to ensure this heritage is not forgotten.

The Brintons Bell, which signalled the start of the day for workers, will be hung from Slingfield Mill while its successor, the Bull - a steam whistle - will be mounted on a small tower atop the new Co-op travel store directly opposite.

Both Slingfield Mill and the Boiler House have been restored using traditional materials, while some of the new buildings have been designed to be in keeping with this look.

Others have a decidedly 21st century appearance, most notably the building that will house JJB Sports - across the market square from De Bradelei Mill - boasting sports retail as well as a health and fitness centre including a swimming pool.

Mr Lewis said: "The whole site is unusual. There are not many places in which we have got 20 acres of heavy industrial land in part of a town centre."

Of the Boiler House, he added: "The building was in such a bad state we had 20-year-old trees growing out of one of the walls. We had to lift the roof off and rebuild the wall."

And evidence of the developers' desire to "integrate the canal environment into the town centre" lies directly outside the mill in the form of a canalside square, sunken into the ground and accessed by two steps around the edge. Boats will also be able to moor here and passengers will be able to walk straight into Weavers Wharf.

The river has not been neglected, with a wall being built near the bridge to make the area more attractive.

And otter habitats have been built as a result of the river being redirected during development work as it winds away from the bridge towards Tesco.

If the supermarket is taken into account, when Weavers Wharf is fully open it will boast 400,000 sq ft of retail space.