Hopes of securing the future of a gem of Poole High Street may have been dashed after a planning appeal was lost.

Boones owner Geoff Barfoot had applied for planning permission for flats on the two floors above his preserved Victorian shop front and to demolish a tin storage building at the rear and build six flats.

But his plans were thwarted by Borough of Poole planners who refused permission, saying the new building fronting Lagland Street would be too large and grand.

Mr Barfoot appealed to a planning inspector who has upheld the council’s decision on the Grade II listed building.

Mr Barfoot had hoped to return the listed building to how it would have been when the ironmongers was established in 1820, with a shop below and residence above, instead of storage space.

“I feel a little bit disappointed to say the very least,” he said. “We are trying to put a nice scheme together.”

He pointed out that he had spent around £40,000 so far.

“The price of tap washers is going to have to go up,” he said.

Mr Barfoot had said that if he does not get planning permission in the end, he will eventually have to close the shop.

“I want to keep the business going,” he said and will now be considering his options.

Planning inspector Terry Phillimore ruled the storage building contributed little to the conservation area and its primary interest was archaeological.

He said demolition was not acceptable without an approved replacement scheme and the current proposal would “harm the listed building and conflict with the character of the conservation area”.

Proposals for the shop’s internal arrangements would “fail to preserve a significant part of the special interest of the building”, he ruled.

The inspector’s conclusion was that the harm to the listed building and conservation area outweighed his findings on other matters.