A PLAN to knock down garages next to a shop and build flats has been rejected by the council.

The dilapidated garages next to the Happy Garden takeaway and the Select and Save shop in Pitchcroft Lane would have been flattened and replaced with two flats but the move has been turned by planners at Worcester City Council.

Controversial plans from 2020 had first looked at demolishing the popular convenience store Select and Save on the corner of Barbourne Walk and Pitchcroft Lane in Worcester and replacing it with 11 flats.

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Those plans, which attracted hundreds of objections from neighbours who said the shop was much-loved and there was no need to close it down, were eventually scrapped in favour of a new scheme which kept the shop and built new flats around it.

More than 60 objections were submitted against the plan including a petition that received more than 250 signatures.

Those redrawn plans were eventually scrapped following the outcry before a new plan for two flats was resubmitted at the end of the last year.

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A number of objections were raised again by neighbours who said that parking was already a major problem in the area and the proposed flats would only make matters worse.

Highways officers at Worcestershire County Council had challenged the plans saying it would need to provide at least two parking spaces to fall in line with policy – but the application stated that no parking would be provided for the new housing and the occupiers would be expected to cycle or use public transport.

City council planning officers said the development could not be supported because of the lack of parking.

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A report from the council outlining the rejection said: “The lack of any off-street parking and proposed inadequate cycle storage would be likely to result in an adverse impact on highway safety.

“The proposed development would adversely impact on the living conditions of neighbours, by way of overbearing, overshadowing and loss of privacy.

“The proposed development would not provide a high standard of living conditions for future residents, due to its layout and design and lack of private amenity space.”