PLANS to build a stand and facilities at Worcestershire County Cricket Club have received a setback after councillors refused to accept it would not block the view of the Cathedral.

Worcester City Council's planning committee asked the club to go back to the drawing board and move the stand from the Cathedral view.

The proposal would provide seating for 1,777 spectators, disabled facilities and refreshment kiosks at the Diglis end of the New Road ground.

"The issue we need to address is the setting of the Cathedral," said Councillor Geoff Williams.

"You will see postcard after postcard and photo after photo showing that view and this structure is right in front of that. We should move it further away. I can understand that they will say it will impinge into the members' area but we have a higher responsibility."

The stand is proposed to replace two seating areas for non-members. It is close to designated parking for disabled spectators and the family zone.

But there were also concerns from the Environment Agency (EA) as it falls within the Red Zone Flood Plain.

"The flood plain and the function of it will be inhibited by the construction of it," said Jonathan Morgan, who represented the EA at the meeting.

"You can't say it will behave in a certain way.

"As to whether it will accommodate flood storage then it certainly has the potential to.

"All we're introducing is a further barrier, albeit at high times of flooding."

The cricket club had presented the plans to the committee mainly on the increased provision for disabled spectators, who currently only have access to two disabled toilets in the ground.

The new stand would include four more cubicles equidistant between the current facilities.

"This scheme does identify a number of advantages for the cricket club and its patrons," said Stuart McNidder, director of development services.

"If this was just all about providing for the disabled this isn't where we would have started from.

"If they've only got two disabled toilets then they're a long way behind other sports grounds."

The committee agreed to defer any decision about the plans until its next meeting in January.