BUSINESSES in this Kidderminster street have hit out against plans from the council to refurbish a "busy" part of the town and "ignoring" them.

As Wyre Forest District Council are set to spend £500,000 and get a further £1.5million in funding to do up the area near the town hall, businesses in Worcester Street, just a couple of roads away from the site, have said it should be spent on doing up their road to bring more shoppers and stores back.

Russ Kelsall, owner of Cartridge Warehouse, said as the town has developed in recent years, with the addition of Weavers Wharf and more developments nearby, the road his store sits on has been forgotten for more than a decade.

"Obviously things have changed in the town in the last few years and where we're coming from, nothing has been spent this side of town in the 11 years we've been here," he said.

Currently there are 15 To Let signs on buildings in the road, one For Sale sign and three empty units with no indication of what could happen to them in the near future, and Mr Kelsall this would not change unless the council stepped in.

"They've (the council) got their minds set on doing the town hall but that is alright. They're trying to get that money to do it and we're getting forgotten," he said.

"Their view is the town hall is the vocal point of the town, so we must be the back end. They've failed to get anything done this side and without that who would want to come and open a business here or shop here?

"The council have allowed this to happen to us."

Tigz Mckenzie, owner of Relentless Reptiles, has opened one of the only new businesses in the area in the last couple of years, with the last one, Koochie Koos, setting up shop and closing down within 12 months.

She said she had undertaken many footfall counts on various days and times, including Saturdays, since she had been open and only counted a maximum of 15 people walking past her door in a 15 minute period.

Bally Mamm, who runs A1 Jeans which has traded on the street for 35 years, said the road had changed from being thriving and busy to being empty after midday.

Some shoppers in the said it looked like a "ghost town", including Angela Cherrington.

She said: "It's going from bad to worse - this, that, and the other are going and it doesn't give you any incentive to come here."

Brian Alexander, who was shopping near the town hall, said the £2million would be being spent in the wrong place.

"They should be spending it down there (Worcester Street) - it's become a ghost town now," he said.

Mr Alexander added that Worcester Street had no facilities, like toilets, bins and flowers, unlike the area near the town hall.

But Councillor John Campion has rejected claims that the council has ignored Worcester Street and insists they will benefit from refurbishment in a later development phase as part of the "thriving" town centre.

"Kidderminster town centre is a thriving retail centre with a range of shops that most provincial towns would love to have," he said. "The town hall is the focus of the town and the new exchange place will re-enforce that focal point. Worcester Street has a role to play in our centre, and as such we will be investing in the next phase. We need to make the right investment. There is no quick fix, we can't force business to trade in the street, and we can't make them successful."

He added as part of the next phase for Worcester Street, shoppers and businesses could expect a spend of £1million and to open the road to one-way traffic, de-pedestrianising it.

The district council and Worcestershire Country Council will first be refurbishing the public realms of the town, including Exchange Street, Oxford Street, Vicar Street and High Street, with the potential £2million investment. The main feature of the project is a new public square outside the Town Hall which will be used for future events and known as Exchange Place.

The £1.5million funding from the county council is set to be approved today (Thursday).