PLANS to open a new spa and permanent wedding venue at a luxury hotel near the city have been put forward.

Hand Picked Hotels Limited has submitted plans to build a two-storey spa near to the historic Stanbrook Abbey in Callow End near Worcester as well as proposals for a tennis court and extra car parking spaces.

The two-storey building would house a gym, swimming pool, changing rooms as well as fitness suites and a spa pool.

Treatment rooms and a lounge bar and terrace would be built on the first floor.

Plans to build a new function room to replace the temporary events marquee have also been put forward.

An extra 34 car parking spaces would also be built.

The access road at the hotel would also be widened to allow for two-way traffic.

A statement included with the application said: “The proposed leisure spa is located within the grounds of an established hotel complex; the site having been carefully chosen to have the least impact on the existing facilities and neighbouring properties.

“The leisure spa will provide high quality facilities, including gym, spinning, fitness studios and swimming pool for residents from the Worcester and Malvern areas.

“The gym will be fitted out with the latest in cardiovascular equipment. The provision of an outdoor tennis court will also allow for a more competitive form of exercise.

“The gym and pool facilities will also be available to hotel guests to enhance their stay, thus attracting more visitors and increasing the long-term viability of the hotel by allowing an uplift to its room rates, as it will be more of a ‘destination’ for weekend health and spa breaks.”

Historic England said it did not want to comment on the proposals.

The plans can be viewed and comments can be made via the planning section of Malvern Hills District Council's website.

Consultation ends on March 27.

The planning application number is 20/00232/FUL.