A DECISION to build new homes on the site of Worcester's old swimming pool is splitting opinion.

Worcester City Council has given the nod for new homes to be built on the site, in Sansome Walk, after considering a range of potential uses including turning it into offices or a car park.

While some of our readers have welcomed the decision, calling it a "sensible" use of the site, others say there is already enough housing in the area and that the site should have become an asset for community use.

Writing on our website, 3thinker said: "At last a sensible outcome.

"It would have been stupid in the extreme to use the majority of the site for parking when some of the biggest problems the city has are congestion and increasingly air pollution."

Lee Ficca Smith, on our Facebook page, also backed the decision, saying: "That area is residential anyway.

"It's the only thing that does make sense. One caveat – must be actually affordable housing."

And Emma Sherwood, also on Facebook, thinks it is a good place for new housing.

"I think it is a splendid idea. It's better to use this site than green belt land," she said.

Faith Small, on Facebook, put forward an interesting suggestion for car parking.

"I'm not one in favour of the housing but it will be interesting to see if they utilise the underground space (spa area) of the old swimming pool," she said. "They'd make some interesting houses if they incorporated that space into the design."

But many have criticised the decision to build houses on the site.

Carla Gregg, on Facebook, said: "Everything is turning to housing, there will be nowhere for residents to go just back to back housing."

On our website, commenter SpaceBarIsBroken said: "There will be as many houses they can shoe horn in to this area and parking will be at a minimum.

"The whole area is already at full capacity with housing without adding to the problem. Something should've been done for the community as a whole."

And Sarah Lancaster, on Facebook, said: "How about thinking of the children of Worcester rather than more housing. There is nowhere in Worcester other than one skatepark for older children."

The number of homes that will be built is subject to negotiations with potential developers.

But it has already been agreed that there will be 20 parking spaces on the site exclusively for the use of residents of the adjoining Chestnut Street, who had previously been able to use the swimming pool car park.

A strip of land at the site is also to be sold to the neighbouring Wood Terrace Community Bowls Club, to provide a driveway to the club entrance.

The city council’s policy and resources committee has also agreed that the site’s public footpath and an area of mature trees, know as Sansome Fields, will be retained as part of future development there.