A bid to force through previously-refused plans to turn a former funeral directors in Warwick into a house have been blocked.

An application for the unit on St John's was refused last April, with an appeal then submitted in the autumn in an attempt to overturn the decision.

The original scheme had said it was not viable for a business to survive there, but council planners said the development would "result in the loss of a retail use" in the town centre.

A council report also said the proposed house would have an "unacceptable level of amenity for future occupiers".

And siding with Warwick District Council, a planning inspector has this month thrown out the appeal saying it is not clear that the unit has been marketed sufficiently.

"I do not consider that I have sufficient evidence before me to be satisfied that all opportunities to sell or re-let the accommodation have been fully explored," the inspector's report said.

"On the basis of the evidence before me, I cannot be assured that there is no realistic prospect of the unit being used in Class E purposes.

"Thus, the loss of the existing retail use would be harmful to the viability and vitality of the town centre."

See the planning application here.