MALVERN Retail Park is to be given a facelift as part of a multi-million pound investment by its owners to help fight off threats from rivals, including a proposed giant development on the edge of Worcester.

Owner Consolidated Property Group has applied for permission to re-clad and alter the frontage of the retail units, most of which were built in the mid-1990s, to give it a more contemporary look.

The company wants the development, home to Marks and Spencer and other household names, to remain viable against existing and future competitors, such as Worcester Woods.

The company has applied for permission to re-clad and alter the front of the retail park, which was originally built in the mid-1990s, to give it a more contemporary look.

A spokesperson for Consolidated Property Group said: “The works are required to bring the shopping centre up to modern-day standards and are part of our programme to ensure the retail park is a modern and vibrant shopping destination.

"The works are part of a multi-million pound on-going investment in the retail park by CPG.

“As owners we are committed to maintaining high standards for our tenants and to ensure the park maintains its position within the local shopping hierarchy and is resilient to threats from other nearby centres and new schemes such as the Worcester Woods proposal.”

Consolidated has already joined forces with the owners of other retail parks to oppose Worcester Woods, a proposal to build a £150 million shopping park off the city's Newtown Road, with flagship stores by John Lewis, Marks and Spencer and Sainsbury.

The objection, backed by the owners of the Elgar, Shrub Hill and Blackpole retail parks, all in Worcester, calls for the site to become a office and technology-based business hub instead.

It says: “The site presents a clear economic opportunity, which would be lost if developed for retail uses. Retention of Worcester Woods is central to ensuring there is an adequate supply of employment land going forward.”

Among the businesses based at Malvern Retail Park are Next, Brentano, Matalan, Dorothy Perkins, Boots and Argos,and close by is the Morrison supermarket.