PLANS for the redevelopment of Wyre Piddle Filling Station which has been in difficulties since the village bypass was opened look set to be turned down.

The application by E G Eccles Limited to redevelop the site to provide mixed use development of four live/work units, a shop and six social houses is being recommended for refusal by planning officers at Wychavon District Council's development control committee today.

The four live/work units consist of four detached houses with workshops in the back gardens, three pairs of semi-detached two bedroom affordable homes, and the shop, a single-storey lock-up, on the adjacent undeveloped site frontage.

Agents Ainley Alexander Partnership Ltd are telling councillors: "The filling station has been losing trade since the construction of the Wyre Piddle bypass and noticeably following the closure of the road to through traffic.

"Trading has dropped to an unsustainable level and the owners are having to close and seek an alternative use for the site."

But planning officers say there is insufficient justification for affordable housing on the site which is well outside the boundaries of nearby villages.

"While the applicant has claimed that the existing filling station and shop on the site are no longer economically viable, no evidence has been submitted to prove that a new shop would be viable or sustainable away from the edge of a defined settlement," say councillors.

They add that the overall redevelopment as proposed would increase the visual impact of development in a rural area to the detriment of amenities in the area.