THE old Malvern hospital at Lansdowne Crescent looks set to be lost after councillors voted to approve plans for a new care home on the site.

At a meeting on Wednesday, members of Malvern Hills District Council's southern area planning committee voted 14-0 with two abstentions to approve the plan for a 46-bed care home submitted by Montpelier Land Ltd.

The application was Montpelier's fourth for the site; two were rejected in 2015 and the third in 2017. That plan is now the subject of an appeal, with a hearing set for August 29.

The latest plan has been designed to resemble the terraced townhouses on the opposite side of Lansdowne Crescent.

At Wednesday's meeting, Peter Smith of Malvern Town Council made a strong plea for keeping the old hospital. He said: "Malvern Town Council would like the majority of the building to be retained, especially the existing facade.

"I'm sure the developers could find another site in the Malvern area to build a care home, without seeking to demolish a fine and historic building within the conservation area.

"I can't imagine this idea of demolition happening in central Bath or Cheltenham, let alone Buxton or Harrogate, equivalent towns to Malvern."

And Clive Hooper of Malvern Civic Society said: "Demolition is strongly opposed by Historic England, the Victorian Society, Malvern Civic Society, representing over 400 members, Malvern Town Council and 500 people who signed an online petition."

He described the latest design as a "pastiche of Regency design" and said: "Pastiches are generally badly executed in their detail unless considerable sums are spent on materials and skilled craftsmanship.

"The civic society considers it would not contribute to the conservation area and would result in a total loss to Malvern's heritage."

But the district council's planning officers were recommending approval, describing the plan as "in keeping with the character and appearance of the surrounding area".

Committee chairman and Priory Ward member Roger Hall-Jones proposed the plan's approval, saying: "It's the best we can reasonably hope for," and pointing out that townhouses like those existing today had been demolished to make way for the hospital.

He said: "This actually restores Lansdowne Crescent to what it was in the 1850s."