THE pub chain JD Weatherspoon is planning to join two city centre bars together to create a new venue.

Todd's Wine Bar and The Crown, in Crown Passage, will become one building if Worcester City Council approves the proposals.

The card shop, Smart Ideas, on Broad Street, would also form part of the new pub.

But at a meeting of the council's planning committee, members voted to defer the decision over concerns about the loss of a retail unit in the centre.

Principal planning officer Peter Yates recommended that the application be refused for this reason.

"Broad Street is a primary shopping street," he said. "It is our policy to try and retain shop frontages in this area."

"The proposal does have a detrimental effect on the retail frontage along this street."

West Mercia police have objected to the proposals because of fears that access on to Broad Street from a new pub would increase disorder and anti-social behaviour.

Mr Yates said these concerns could be overcome by closing up the Broad Street access, which Weatherspoon agreed to do.

At the meeting, Nick Brindley, from the firm representing the pub chain, told councillors that the three buildings had all once been the Crown Hotel.

"We will be trying to reinstate a number of the original features. A Weatherspoon pub will attract people down Broad Street and Crown Passage," he said.

Councillor Barry Mackenzie Williams said members should say they were minded to refuse but give the company time to come back with a solution to the retail unit issue.

"If they can produce some kind of retail outlet on the frontage that could meet our requirements, then we can look again.

"But as presented before us, the officers' recommendation of refusal is right," he said.

Coun Jo Hodges suggested the committee should defer the application for negotiation about how to retain the shop.

This was supported by members, who also agreed to visit the site.