AN HISTORIC Worcester house destroyed by vandals has been included on a list of buildings in need of urgent rescue.

Woodside, off London Road, is featured in an annual Buildings at Risk report compiled by conservation charity SAVE Brit-ain’s Heritage highlighting 100 historic buildings in need of urgent repair throughout Eng-land and Wales.

Planning permission was granted in 2008 to convert the once grand early 19th-century villa into eight luxury flats.

Two years later, the house – which is in the Lark Hill conservation area – was reduced to a derelict shell when it was trashed by vandals.

Work began on the conversion but stalled as the recession took hold.

Last summer, developers were given 12 months to restore the building to its state before the damage after conservation officers at Worcester City Council took enforcement action.

SAVE wrote to the council’s planning department to express support for the action, but the group still has concerns the grade two-listed building could deteriorate further unless more measures are taken.

A spokesperson at Worcester City Council said its officers had been trying to get the owners to undertake repairs for about two years and were now “well into” a process designed to ensure the work was done.

They said: “We issued a listed building enforcement notice in August 2011 which took effect from September 15, 2011, and gave the owners 12 months to complete extensive repairs in virtually every room from the basement to the attic.

“The repairs include reinstating collapsed ceilings, fireplaces, sash windows, window shutters, natural slate from the roof, handrails and balustrading from the principal staircase, floorboards and internal doors that have all been removed, as well as various features that have been damaged.

“We are not surprised the building is on a SAVE Britain’s Heritage at risk register but we are well into a process designed to ensure the building is reinstated.

“Any new owner of the property would be required to satisfy the enforcement notice in the current timescale and failure to comply could result in court proceedings.”