A £785,000 revamp of Foregate Street railway station has been panned by Worcester City Council has “bland” and “uninspiring”.

The council’s planning committee said it was “a missed opportunity” and called it a “small, tokenist attempt” to bring the site into the 21st century.

As your Worcester News revealed in June, Worcestershire County Council has secured Government cash to spruce up the station.

The plan includes the replacement of the existing 1970s canopies, automatic doors to both entrances, better cycle storage facilities, new customer service screens and a lick of paint.

But a report by Alan Coleman, a senior planning officer, says the scheme is “architecturally uninspiring” and is not good enough for a key gateway into the city. Committee members agreed and have voted in favour of passing the critique onto the county council.

Worcester mayor Councillor Roger Berry said: “This station desperately needs upgrading, but this is just a small, tokenist attempt to improve it.

“It’s a very important, key part of the city and over the last few years the number of passengers has massively increased – it deserves better than this.”

Coun David Wilkinson, the council’s heritage champion, said: “These are small cosmetic improvements, but we wanted more.

“The station is not the most friendly of environments, so this is a real missed opportunity for me.”

Councillors criticised the appearance of a corrugated iron shed next to the main entrance, which will not be replaced, and lamented the planned new cladding as “average”.

Coun Derek Prodger said: “When you walk up Foregate Street the first thing you see is the bridge, it is the real feature of the station. It’s sad that it has been neglected and a travesty it won’t be upgraded.”

The money for the revamp has come from the Gover-nment and London Midland, and Worcestershire County Council ’s planning committee will be tasked with making a final decision in November or December. A consultation period lasts until Thursday.

To get involved, log onto worcestershire.gov.uk/pub licaccess or visit County Hall and ask for planning application 12/00054/REG3.