A MAJOR scheme to demolish buildings in Pershore High Street and rebuild six shops and 37 apartments on the land has been agreed by Wychavon District Councillors.

A Texaco petrol station, a car garage and car sales business, and smaller commercial units will go and will be replaced with six ground floor shops, 10 one-bedroom flats and 27 two-bedroom flats on the first and second floors.

Ways to improve the area, at the corner of the High Street and Cherry Orchard and in a conservation area, have long been under discussion but earlier applications were refused.

At a planning meeting, councillors heard about the concerns of Effie Palfrey, a resident of Redlands House, which is opposite the site, who believes the plan is over-intensive development.

However, Roy Stanger, the garage owner, supported the move and said of the six current business units, two were unoccupied, one owner planned to retire, two would relocate and only his business would close, but may have done so anyway.

Councillor John Grantham said he believed most of the previous refusal reasons had been addressed and the redevelopment would be an improvement.

Councillor Charles Tucker said: "I feel strongly that this is a development that needs to take place."

Councillors also discussed concerns that the developer was only providing 47 parking spaces, despite maximum planning guidelines suggesting it should be nearer 107.

Former district councillor Malcolm Meikle spoke out against the plan saying: "It could have a grave impact on the conservation area. There are already five empty shops in Pershore not counting the ones that have been empty for 20 years and two of them are the biggest units."

He added: "I don't want to see Pershore go the same way as Evesham. I think the planning that has happened in Evesham has been an unmitigated disaster."

Councillors voted in favour of the plan but stipulated any moves to combine the shops in the future would need further approval.