PUB patrons protesting against a planned Co-operative superstore are hoping for a knock-out blow next week.

The Friends of Haden Cross are planning to turn out in force during Sandwell Council planning committee's site visit on Wednesday afternoon.

The group's fight has been given a boost after planning officers' report recommended councillors refuse the Halesowen Road application.

The report said: "This is overdevelopment of the site and is out of character with the wider area due it is scale.

"The proposal will have a detrimental effect on the asset of the community value (the pub) due to the loss of the beer garden and outbuilding."

Friends chairman Tim Haskey is hopeful the New River Retail application fails.

He said: "We remain confident that Sandwell’s Planning Committee will take this report in to account, together with the wishes of the 48 individual objectors and over 500 local people who signed the petition against this planning application, and vote to refuse permission on 18 November, after the site visit that afternoon.

"We are very pleased to see the weight of argument in respect of the ACV listing of the pub in this decision after all of the research that has been undertaken by the Friends Group, as well as the wishes of local residents, vindicating the intention of the Localism Act 2011, where views of the community are given a louder voice in planning matters."

He added: "We thank Sandwell Council planning officers for their support of local residents, but we are not complacent as we now rely upon the planning committee to vote for the refusal."

New River Retail lodged an 11th hour planning application last week with a redesigned car park.

A New River Retail spokesman said: "Our objective all along has been to keep the pub trading alongside a new convenience store, creating a new community hub serving the local area."