WORCESTER'S new train station will be "extremely significant" for people living in Warndon Villages, according to one councillor.

Worcestershire County Council’s planning committee unanimously granted plans for the £22 million Worcestershire Parkway station, which will link the Cotswolds and Birmingham to Bristol lines at a meeting in August.

Speaking at Warndon Parish Council on Monday night, county councillor Andy Roberts said the station would be very beneficial to people living in Warndon and Warndon Villages.

"The station will be significant for Warndon, more than any where else in Worcester. People living nearby will probably see the value of their houses increase, and the amount of parking there will be at the station will make it very easy for people to use it and leave their cars there to travel to work in London," he said.

Your Worcester News reported last month on a fresh legal battle which had arisen over the station between the council and a private company.

Norton Parkway Developments, which owns the lucrative rights to the land, told your Worcester News it was willing to fight a Compulsory Purchase Order (CPO) all the way to court if needed.

It has led to a firm response at Worcestershire County Council, with the leader saying he will not accept any delays due to a firm seeking "financial gain".

The timescales are very tight, and crucial negotiations with train operators have been based on a pledge of opening it in the autumn of 2017.

As well as a booking office, toilets, shop and 500 parking spaces, there will be a taxi rank, bus stops and a drop-off area.

There will be a single platform on the Cotswold Line and two platforms on the Birmingham to Bristol line.

The station already has £7.5 million of funding from central Government, with the council ready to take out a £14 million loan to fund the rest.

By charging for parking and getting access fees from train operators, bosses at County Hall say it will break-even after 25 years.