PLANS to demolish the backs of several Grade II listed buildings in Bridge Street, Evesham, leaving just their frontages intact, were thrown out by Wychavon District Council at its last meeting.

Transeuropean UK Investments, which owns the Riverside shopping centre, wants to demolish all structures at the rear of numbers 8 to 20 Bridge Street and build a three storey extension.

At the moment the properties are divided into four small ground floor shops with vacant flats on the first floors, and occupied flats on the second floor.

Bill Harkness, for Transeuropean UK Investments, said the proposals to create larger retail units on the ground and first floors, with new shop fronts, would have attracted firms from around the UK.

But councillors heard how Evesham Town Council, English Heritage, the Georgian Group and the Ancient Monument Society felt the proposals would damage the listed buildings.

The committee agreed the application failed to justify demolition after reading the planning officer's report. The councillors also agreed with their officer's view that the proposed rear extension was inappropriate.

But Mr Harkness said he was furious with the decision, as he felt Wychavon's planners had not given Transeuropean an opportunity to review the application after the town council and conservation groups commented.

He said: "I'm appalled this has gone through without us having an opportunity to discuss it further with the planning officers."

"We've wasted an awful lot of our time and money. We've got a big investment in the town, we thought we'd have had the courtesy of a consultation rather than being knocked back."

But Wychavon's development control manager Gill Collin said Transeuropean was asked more than a month ago to produce details of structural surveys with which to try and demonstrate reasons for demolition.

Those details, said Mrs Collin, were not forthcoming and the committee considered the application on the information available.