Blockley village shop plans approved
Plans for a new community-run store in a Gloucestershire village have been approved by council planners.
Residents in Blockley said they needed a new shop and cafe as the lease on the current building is due to run out.
Conservation officers had recommended the proposal be rejected, but planners at Cotswold District Council gave it the green light.
Oliver Lincoln from the village's co-operative association said he was "overjoyed" by the decision.
"It's a tremendous and correct decision for the village," he said.
"[The store] is fundamental to the fabric of Blockley. This is the heart of the village. It's somewhere people can meet."
The new shop will be built on land next to the church on which a 1960s toilet block currently sits.
About 70 campaigners for the project turned up ahead of the planning meeting in Cirencester earlier.