A BUILDING in central Worcester left to the elements since the 1970s is to be bulldozed and replaced with flats.

The fire-damaged former Pickfords warehouse in Sansome Street is to make way for 15 flats.

It was gutted by fire on March 10, 1974. The city council could prosecute the owner for letting the building fall into disrepair, but has opted not to do because the site has been put on the market and attracted interest.

The proposals are for a block of flats that would stand a mixture of five and six-storeys high.

"Our old planning sub-committee chairman Jeff Carpenter would be pleased, as it was his ambition to see it redeveloped," said Coun Aubrey Tarbuck.

Coun Derek Prodger, the current chairman, told the meeting many people like himself had been longing for the old warehouse to be brought back to life.

"We've been waiting nearly 30 years for this," he said.

Coun Ray Turner said he had been praying for somebody to revive the site, describing the property as "a bad advertisement" for Worcester.

The site is close to a ditch that once ringed the city wall.

Archaeologists were expecting it to yield artefacts and clues about Worcester's past, said Peter Yates, the head of development planning.

But he expected this to cause delays - as happened with the new cinema in Friar Street - because an extensive dig and a watching brief might be required.

The councillors had reservations about the fact the applicants wanted seven car parking spaces at ground level.

"The head of transportation and engineering was concerned about any car parking, as vehicles coming from Sansome Place would have to cross three lanes of traffic," added Mr Yates.

The councillors recognised the need for a ground-floor car park, but were concerned about it looking exposed and unsightly.

They were "minded to approve" the project, but wanted to see the application again once the developers had discussed with officers how the car park design might be improved.