PLANS to turn a long-standing Southampton shop into flats have been turned down.

As previously revealed in the Daily Echo, plans were submitted to the city council to demolish Portswood Cycles in St Denys Road. The developer, Mrs D Hobson, wanted to turn the site into a three storey building containing four two-bed flats and two one-bed flats.

If the application had been successful, the shop would have moved to another location in Portswood. But now city council planners have turned down the plans for the shop, which has been at the site for the past 43 years.

They said the proposed development would be out of keeping with the surrounding area, and would result in a loss of commercial space at Portswood District Centre which would “undermine the vitality and viability” of the centre.