WORCESTER City’s hopes of building a stadium at Parsonage Way have been dealt a huge blow after a council report branded the site as an “unrealistic option”.

Extensive investigation work has been undergone by Worcester City Council into the potential for using the piece of land, near M5 Junction 6.

But the report to the council’s Policy and Resources Committee recommends that no more work is done to investigate the site’s suitability.

It said making the site usable could cost up to £2.5million, including the building of a traffic junction. Studies have also found rare wildlife species on the site.

The report, which will be considered by the committee on July 30, concluded that “development of the site for the proposed use by WCFC [is] an unrealistic option.”

City have been in exile since 2013 and currently ply their trade at Bromsgrove’s Victoria Ground – but are running out of money.

In September last year, the council agreed to spend up to £100,000 on investigations into whether Parsonage Way, in the north-east of Worcester, could be suitable for use as a new ground for the club.

Just over £57,000 of that fund has been spent on modelling the potential pitch, stands and car-parking arrangements, topographical studies of the site, highways research and modelling, and an ecological survey of the site.

The report said that it would cost more than £200,000 to level out the land and then lay an irrigation system and establish a natural pitch, so that football could be played there.

“A significant six-figure sum” is reported to be needed to create traffic access to the site, with options including a new roundabout, traffic lights, a dedicated right turn, or a left-in left-out junction.

An interim ecological study on the site has revealed the presence of bats and great crested newts.

The report says this means Natural England would need to provide licences to allow development, which is likely to cost around £2,500 for each species.

It added: “There can be no guarantee that light generating development, including breakages in the hedgerow for access to the site, new street lighting along Parsonage Way as well as floodlights, would receive support from Natural England.”

There is a covenant on the land, which restricts what it can be used for. Changing this to allow it to be used as a football ground will incur a further cost – still subject to negotiation – for the council, the report notes.

The report added: “The significant issues raised in this report in respect of ground levelling work, highways mitigation measures and ecological constraints make the development of the site for the proposed use by WCFC an unrealistic option.  

“Based on the findings from the feasibility studies, in particular the ecological constraints relating to bats and great crested newts and the significant cost of delivering the proposed facilities on site, it is recommended that no further work is carried out to establish whether Parsonage Way is a suitable and deliverable location for WCFC.

“The indicative costs for the delivery of a scheme on the site are in the region of £1.5million to £2.5million depending on the cost of the different mitigation measures, in particular the highway mitigation measures.”

Twelve months ago the council voted against proposals, tabled by Worcester City Supporters' Trust, to create a 4,400-capacity stadium in Perdiswell.

Trust director Rich Widdowson said: "Parsonage Way has got nothing to do with us.

"The club decided they did not want Perdiswell as they had been guaranteed that Parsonage Way would happen, so get on with it."

The Worcester News have contacted City chairman Anthony Hampson, vice-chairman Colin Layland and director Mark Wilcox for a comment.