THE destruction of an historic Worcester greenhouse has been lamented by a councillor - who says it has damaged the city's heritage.

Councillor Simon Cronin says the wreckage at Heron Lodge "graphically indicates" the perils of allowing the city to be seen as a "soft touch" for development.

As your Worcester News revealed two weeks ago, one of Britain's most historic Victorian greenhouses has been reduced to a pile of wreckage without planning permission.

The city council has ordered developer Richard Rosebourne to rebuild it piece-by-piece or face prosecution after his retrospective planning application to demolish it was refused.

The greenhouse was on the Heron Lodge site off London Road and Mr Rosebourne, who claims it largely fell down, has agreed to rebuild it.

Cllr Cronin has called upon the council to make it clear there is "no diminution in the importance attached to conservation of the heritage" of Worcester.

"The issues there graphically indicates the risks in allowing developers to treat the city as a soft touch," he said.

Speaking during a full council meeting, he told the chamber he was also "alarmed" at the departure of two city conservation officers over the last year, saying he fears they are being shackled.

The stance led to Councillor Marc Bayliss, deputy leader and cabinet member for economic prosperity, insisting the conservation function of the council is "strong enough and sufficiently robust" to tackle developers.

He said Worcester's heritage is "what makes the city special", adding he will ensure "developers never see Worcester as a soft touch".

The enforcement action over Heron Lodge is still ongoing, with the developer working with a conservation expert on putting a new greenhouse in place.

Paul O'Connor, head of planning at the city council, has insisted that the replacement must be "like for like".

Back in November 2012 the council approved a plan to convert the Grade II listed main building into four luxury homes.

It came with a strict condition that the historic attached greenhouse, known as an 'orangery' and believed to be one of last original ones still standing in Britain, must be repaired and restored to its former glories.

But after getting on-site developers found asbestos underneath the structure, and after removing it said the greenhouse was practically falling down.