PLANS for a new convenience store to be built on a derelict patch of land next to busy Kingswinford road have been given the go ahead despite a barrage of objections from people living nearby.

Dudley Council planners have given the go ahead to the application for a new convenience store with parking to be built on the former petrol station site on the corner of Stream Road and Glynne Avenue, which has lain empty and overgrown for some years.

Residents living nearby had objected to the plan over fears it will increase traffic problems along the busy main road, posing a risk to pedestrian safety, cause parking and litter problems in the area and become a source of noise and nuisance in a residential area.

Ward councillor Peter Miller also lodged an objection to the scheme - branding it a "disgrace" and saying it was "a virtual copy" of a previous plan that was submitted and subsequently rejected.

He said: "This road is one of the busiest in the borough and putting a store would be a disaster waiting to happen ,larger vehicles will only be able to exit by reversing onto Stream Road.

"I would really like this site developed as it is an eyesore but this application is not the answer."

The plan, however, was given approval yesterday (Wednesday May 27) by Dudley Council planners.

An officer report about the proposal said the site, owned by SEP Properties, had been vacant for many years and has been visually deteriorating, and that previous planning permission for new homes had expired.

The report stated: "The convenience store is a viable use for the site and the scheme has been revised to an extent that it is considered the proposed scheme would not have an adverse impact upon residential amenity either through the proposed siting and height of the building in relation to neighbouring properties or through the operation of the development in terms of potential noise and disturbance."

It said the development would not have a detrimental impact on the street scene, or pose road safety issues or have an adverse impact on other shops in the area and it added: "The proposed food store would provide a community facility and enhance the range of shopping facilities in the local area whilst providing additional employment opportunities."