A DILAPIDATED former pub will not be demolished to make way for flats after plans were refused by the council.

The proposals would have seen the eyesore Crown and Anchor pub in Worcester’s Hylton Road knocked down and replaced with a four-storey block with seven apartments.

Planning officers at Worcester City Council refused the plan saying the building was too big and would not fit in with neighbouring houses.

Officers also said the lack of car parking spaces would push people into parking in the street which was already a problem.

Highways bosses said the apartment block would need at least nine spaces to be acceptable – nine more than the zero proposed – and 14 cycle spaces was not enough to make up for it.

The pub, which has been empty for several years and is in a poor condition, was the target of an arson attack last year.

Dozens of residents in Hylton Road and neighbouring Henwick Road objected to the plan saying the apartment block would not fit in with surrounding buildings and would add to parking woes in the area.

In an objection to the city council, Gaynor Slade, of Hylton Road, said: “I am dismayed by the proposal to erect a four-storey seven unit build in the limited space that was previously only able to accommodate a small two-storey public house.

“The build is not in keeping with the local area and will not blend in with the existing residencies.”

A report from the council outlining the rejection said: “By virtue of its height, bulk and massing, the proposed development would appear cramped within the site.

“Together with the proposed design and appearance of the building … the proposed development would appear incongruous within the street scene, at significant variance to the character of the area.

“The development would also intrude into the outlook from the rear garden of [neighbours] and would appear overbearing and visually dominant when viewed from the rear garden of that property.

“The proposed development would harm highway safety by virtue of the lack of car parking provision on the site and the known on- street parking issues in the vicinity of the site.”