PLANS for a wellness centre on the site of a new retirement village have been put forward.

The timber building, which will provide space for physical activities such as yoga and pilates as well as a therapy room, would open at the site of the former St Mary’s Convent School in Worcester which has been converted into a retirement village.

The former school in Battenhall Road was bought by Enterprise Retirement Living (ERL) in 2017 and has been transformed into more than 100 apartments.

In the original plan, a play area for the children of visiting families to use was due to be built but Enterprise Retirement said it no longer wanted to go ahead with that plan.

A statement included with the application said: "In the consented planning submission this area of landscape was envisage to be developed as a children’s area for those parents with kids that are visiting relatives, but further thought has been invested and put into researching to find out what is really needed in this location.

“The current thought is that parents visiting relatives with kids are unlikely to be comfortable leaving children in this area while spending time somewhere else with their hosts.

"Based on the experience on other developments, ERL has reached the conclusion that the area would be better developed as a wellness centre to benefit the whole community, bringing physical and mental health and providing activity to encourage the residents to come out and enjoy the walk through the gardens and wood. This is an important step to build a healthy community."

The site, called Mount Battenhall, has a lounge and bar, restaurant, library, hair and beauty salon, gym and crafts room.

The grade II-listed building dates back to 1863 and was a former hospital before becoming a girls school.

Consultation on the plan ends on July 29. The application number is 20/00445/FUL.

Comments can be made via the planning section of Worcester City Council's website.