Plans to rebuild a Shropshire chippy destroyed in an explosion last year have been approved after a rethink by planners.

Councillors on Shropshire Council’s area regulatory committee had originally been advised to refuse the plan to redevelop the Broseley Chippy in the town’s High Street, which was reduced to a pile of rubble in the blast in the early hours of February 19 last year.

But amended plans were submitted to the committee which reduced the scale of the residential section of the development and councillors agreed to the new proposal.

At yesterday’s meeting, Councillor Milner Whiteman said he thought the amended proposal should be given the go-ahead.

“It’s important for Broseley and is well-patronised by the people of the town,” he told the committee.

Councillor John Hurst-Knight said the rethink showed common sense.

“It is sensible that an agreement has been reached on this matter,” he said.

The initial proposal was objected to by some local residents, but the new plans were welcomed by people in the area.

A revised report to councillors outlined the support of a neighbour, who urged councillors to grant permission for the development.

It stated: “It is an important part of the High Street providing jobs for local people and supporting the local economy.

“The majority of Broseley people want the chip shop to be rebuilt.”

The small town was rocked when the chip shop was destroyed in the explosion.

The area was cordoned off as more than 30 firefighters tackled the subsequent .

Police officers at the scene said that it was a miracle that nobody was killed in the incident.

It took fire crews more than half an hour to get the blaze under control after the explosion.

No one was in the building at the time of the blast.

But police officers investigating the incident refused to rule out an arson attack on the property.

Officers probing the blast spent weeks working to try to find its cause but it still remains a mystery.

No arrests have been made and police say that all lines of inquiry have been completed.

The business owner Parminda Sandhu, who was in India at the time of the explosion, and his wife Mandy vowed to rebuild and reopen the takeaway in recognition of the support they had received from former customers.