THE end of the 1990s and the turn of the century saw the Evening News regularly use these columns to hold out the hope that Worcester would one day make the most of its greatest natural asset - the River Severn.

Our hopes were raised when the plan to re-develop South Quay as a Millennium project was first put forward - only to be dashed when the much-vaunted £6m Quayhead project was dumped.

Then we became excited by the concept of a project to revolutionise the St Clement's Gate area of the city.

"Imagine the scene," we en-thused, "the centre of Worcester no longer cut off from the River Severn but flowing down to meet its historic artery."

But little has been heard of that ambitious project in more recent times.

Nevertheless, hope springs eternal at the heart of the Evening News and, today, we can welcome news that a bid for £1m of Lottery funds could be used to transform the riverside.

The admirable plans, we are told, could include a riverside garden on the Croft Road lorry park and a landscaped walkway, along Pitchcroft, to link Cripplegate Park with an extended Gheluvelt Park.

Worcester people can have their say from Saturday and, of course, the more who put forward their views the better.

So let's hope that the week-long consultation exercise marks a step forward for a city that has been talking about tackling its unloved riverside since the days when Peter Walker was its MP.