A PUB boss fears his business could be facing last orders if plans to open a new Co-op store on the same site are given the go-ahead.

NewRiver Retail, which owns The Swan in Birmingham Road, Blakedown near Kidderminster, has put forward proposals for a new convenience store to be built on the car park.

But Chris Lowe, who runs The Swan, said the loss of parking spaces would cripple his trade and result in the closure of the village pub.

Father-of-two Mr Lowe said he would fight the plans and has refused to sign a “goodwill payment” agreement, offered by NewRiver Retail to landlords affected by such proposals.

Earlier this month, The Shuttle’s sister paper The Stourbridge News revealed the property firm wants to develop 11 pub sites in Stourbridge, Dudley and Halesowen with new Co-op stores.

Mr Lowe said: “Opening a Co-op on the car park here would effectively close us. Most of our custom comes from people who travel to the pub for occasions such as weddings and christenings or meetings held by various village clubs and organisations.

“We currently have around 30 spaces and the car park is always full during busy times, such as Sunday lunch. But if the store is built, we will be left with just eight spaces which would put people off from coming here.

“I have been here for eight years. My family lives above the pub and my children go to the local school. The pub has been in the village since 1792, it is a community asset and it is very important it stays.

“We are opposing these plans to stop the closure of the pub as well as the effect it would have on traffic and noise pollution in the village.”

A spokesman for NewRiver Retail said, "The proposal for a new convenience store at The Swan has been conceived to ensure that the pub has a viable future going forward.

“Elsewhere, pubs and convenience stores have worked well together and we believe that this will be the case here.

“The submitted plans contain technical reports which demonstrate that the car parking to be provided is in line with the Council's parking standards and that the site can be serviced safely.

“Due to the inconvenience associated with the planning process, we have offered goodwill payments to all landlords at each of the sites affected. These are completely voluntary agreements and it is entirely a matter for individual landlords whether they wish to sign these or not.

"We have taken steps to inform the local community about the plans through the delivery of a letter. This application will now be considered through the normal planning process and local people will be able to express their views."