FRIENDS of Malvern's heritage will, no doubt, be very glad of a decision made by district council planners 25 years ago.

The councillors decided to veto a scheme to knock down the former Gentleman's Club, on the corner of Church Street and Graham Road, and replace it with - of all things - a supermarket.

The applicant was Stonewall Investments Ltd of Walsall, though it was not known which supermarket chain was behind it.

Malvern Hills District Council received more than 50 objections to the plan and only one letter in favour. This came from Malvern Chamber of Commerce and asserted that "competition of this type would be good for the town".

The councillors, however, had no hesitation in refusing planning permission.

Coun David Sidebottom said: "This is a building of such central importance that, if we let this one go, we may as well say goodbye to a conservation policy."

The building, on one of Great Malvern's most prominent sites, is, happily, still with us and is now home to an estate agent's office.

Another key Church Street site was also under discussion at the same meeting - Cecilia Hall.

A company called Foley Developments wanted to change the use of the hall from meeting room to dance studio.

But the firm also wanted to change the use of the shops at the front to building society offices, and the planners were having none of that.

"Any further loss in the number of retail shops at ground floor level within the Great Malvern shopping area will inevitably result in a general fall in shopping standards and trading potential," they said.