Furious residents to quiz bosses over plans to turn pub car park into Co-op

A 15-strong delegation will meet with representatives behind the plans to turn the car park of The Ashwood Inn in Wordsley into a shop.

The fear the store could hit the trade of nearby shops and said they are also worried about access arrangements.

A public meeting was held at the village community centre attended by 75 residents, who provided 23 questions they wanted answered by the Co-Op.

A poll was taken showing 68 people opposed the scheme and seven were undecided. No one supported the proposals.

Dudley councillor Derrick Hemingsley, who represents Wordsley, said the Co-Op had been invited to attend the public meeting, but had declined to attend, preferring instead to meet the 15 villagers in private.

The questions revolve around the entrance and exit, car parking space and where the overflow parking will go, while delivery times and rubbish collections were another concern, amid fears the rubbish would build up on site.

The safety of residents and children in Sandringham Road and Bells Lane was also discussed along with the future of shops in the vicinity, especially as three were currently standing empty.

Mr Hemingsley said: "We had 75 residents turn up for the meeting, which was a really good turnout for a first open meeting and some great questions were passed to us by the residents. We were only expecting about 35 to attend."

The convenience store is set to create 20 jobs and the car park was chosen after the developers ruled out calls to transform a rundown shopping parade.

New River Retail has submitted the plans and the Co-Op is behind similar proposals at the sites of several pubs across the Black Country after brewery Marston's sold off 202 pubs in a £90 million deal.

Similar proposals have sparked campaigns to save pubs including the Haden Cross Inn, in Cradley Heath and The Hare & Hounds in Wollescote.

Under the Wordsley proposals, the developers say the store would be built on the car park of the Ashwood Inn, fronting Sandringham Place.

There would also be 14 car parking spaces created for customers while a further 14 spaces would remain for the pub.

Campaigners had called on the firm to rethink the proposals and instead site the store at a neighbouring row of shops that has three empty units.

Mr Hemingsley said once the meeting had been held with the Co-Op officials, the results would then be discussed at a further public meeting.