A MARINA expansion and holiday village scheme for Upton-upon-Severn could still go ahead after district councillors refused to throw out an outline plan.

A decision has been deferred to allow planning officers to study last minute amendments submitted by Walton Marine and secure Environment Agency comments.

Objections centred on the scale of development, stretching be-tween the residential areas of Upton and Ripple, together with the fact that some of the buildings, holiday chalets and boat stores would be in the flood plain.

After visiting Upton Marina to see the site for themselves, most members of the Malvern Hills southern area planning committee felt the impact on the landscape would not be so great as to justify refusal.

Amended plans take the proposed development outside the flood plain, in response to the other chief objection.

While Ripple's district councillor, Roger Sutton, spoke against the scheme, Upton's councillors, town mayor Eric White and former mayor Mary Wilkinson, spoke in support.

"This application was first submitted in March and I thought it was time the applicants were given some indication of whether it would get through or not," said Coun White, after the meeting.

"They have done a lot of what was required and we have asked our officers to go back to them and see if a few more details can be sorted out."

Walton Marine is proposing to provide extra mooring at Upton by excavating a second marina basin, connected to the present one.

New marina buildings are also proposed, with a block of holiday apartments and a landscaped "village" of holiday chalets on the hillside above.

There is a disused tip on the site and the scheme involves spreading the spoil from the excavations over this as part of the landscaping scheme, raising concerns about drainage.

On the other hand, the likely benefits to tourism and the local economy have also been recognised.