AN ambitious new look is planned for Worcester’s Shrub Hill area.

Developers want to transform land at Sherriff Street, behind Shrub Hill train station, into a bustling spread of plazas and piazzas surrounded by shops, offices and homes.

A hotel, ice rink, arts cinema and gym could also be built on the land, say developers Sherriff Gate Ltd.

There would also be apartments, potentially for students and hospital workers, and a care village as well as two car parks serving shoppers and station users.

The development would straddle Newtown Road with the existing railway bridge re-designed into a brighter underpass.

The current traffic lights would be removed and a new one-way system introduced to make the area friendlier for walkers and cyclists.

The plans have been drawn up by Simon Rea, of Glazzards Architects, and would replace an area which currently includes an old railway goods shed, a mix of industrial units and some scrap merchants.

Mr Rea said: “We would link all the buildings together with a high quality public space with plazas and piazzas.

“There would be leisure uses such as an ice rink, cinema, gym and hotel.”

Mr Rea said there would be around five different blocks including one housing a retirement village, one for the hotel and one for private homes.

Further apartments would be above shops and offices and the development also focuses on incubator units which would offer cheaper, short-term rents to encourage entrepreneurs to set up new businesses.

Mr Rea added: “We are in discussions with Network Rail to build a bridge over the railway at the moment which would connect it to Shrub Hill station.

“There’s a substantial plan for employment offices and it’s hoped there will be potentially 1,000 jobs created on the site.”

A spokesman for Sheriff’s Gate Ltd said: “It would be a springboard for the next stage of the regeneration and development of Worcester.

“It provides a springboard to unite the two parts of the city together because they are divided like an iron girdle by City Walls Road.

“The point of the development is to create a mixed use development which will address a number of the aspirations and concerns that Worcester city have not least about retaining our young talent in the city.

“We want to see people living, working and playing in Worcester.

“We want to see them spending their money in the High Street.

“We want to see businesses thrive, not close down “We want to make this city a top class cathedral and university city and we think we are playing our part in helping to do that.”

A planning application is set to be submitted in September.