A BID to demolish a former Brockmoor pub and build a convenience store in its place has been refused by planners.

The application to flatten the former Brockmoor House pub at the junction of High Street and Station Road was turned down by Dudley Council planners who said the proposed convenience store did not reflect the historic character of Brockmoor centre.

They also said that access to the site was near a junction with traffic lights and could lead to motorists using the car park as a rat run.

They stated: "This has the potential to lead to conflict between vehicular traffic and more vulnerable pedestrians and cyclists."

They said in a report recommending the application be refused: "Whilst there is no in principle objection to the redevelopment of the site for a retail unit, there are substantive concerns in relation to highway safety, parking and serving.

"Moreover, there are significant concerns in relation to neighbour amenity and design."

Planners said the location is on a "prominent road junction in the heart of Brockmoor local centre, which retains a significant amount of its historic character, hence the Area of High Historic Townscape Value designation" and the proposed convenience store was "not distinctive and does not reflect the character of the centre."

Planners did state that the proposed shop would "benefit the local community whilst meeting the day-to-day need of the surrounding residential area" and would "not result in a negative impact on the surrounding centres."

The former pub was built in the 60s.

The new single-storey shop would have had 220m2 of retail space and 13 car parking spaces.

A previous application to demolish the pub and build a shop was withdrawn on June 29 following concerns regarding highway safety, parking and design.

The application was refused on October 26.