COUNCIL planners have deferred their decision on a scheme to transform an historic pub into houses.

Proposals to turn Cutnall Green's Live and Let Live Inn, Kidderminster Road, into six houses were delayed by Wychavon District Council's planning development control committee until after further assessment.

Councillors meeting at the Civic Centre, Pershore, voted to defer their final decision until the next meeting over concerns about what they saw as the permanent loss of the pub.

According to submitted plans, the 19th century premises would be converted in to a house with five new additional homes built on the existing site, including three terraced buildings and two semi-detached ones.

Area planning officer, Mike Hurst, said: "The owner had put in a planning application, during February 2005, to redevelop the pub for residential homes.

"It was refused on grounds the applicant hadn't gone through a marketing exercise to see if the pub could be kept as local amenity. He's been through that and submitted this application, stating what's been done. The planning committee were not convinced the exercise was stringent enough and deferred for further assessment to be carried out."

Mr Hurst added the assessment would be to ensure the applicant had exhausted the option of marketing the pub.

Council planning officers had recommended the application be approved but committee members wanted to be sure the owner had examined all the options available before going ahead.

The pub business was marketed for a year and received only two offers before the latest application was submitted.

"A lot of the councillors did express concerns again about the loss of the pub and wanted to be certain the applicant had done their best," said Mr Hurst.

The final planning decision is set to be made at the committee's next meeting, next Thursday.