Residents have welcomed a supermarket's plans to transform a derelict Oxford petrol station into an area for the community.

People in Headington said the former Co-op garage, on London Road, is an eyesore and have praised the store's proposals to redevelop it with trees, benches and notice boards.

The site as it currently sits

The idea is part of a scheme to refurbish the Co-op store, behind the petrol station on the junction with Stile Road.

Architects McBains Cooper have redesigned the store, rotating it by 90 degrees so that the entrance would face London Road - Headington's main shopping street.

The petrol station would be replaced with disabled and parent and toddler parking spaces as well as a landscaped area where shoppers can sit and read community notice boards.

A new canopy will be added to the supermarket wall to shelter shopping trolleys and cycles left in newly provided racks. The frontage will also be cleaned up and re-painted.

Andrew Brown, chairman of the Headington Community Development Group, said members had welcomed the plans.

"We were told there were problems with letting and sub-letting at the garage, but the Co-op is sorting that out now and it wasn't their fault.

"They are keen to do something and involve residents so that the development benefits the community in some way.

"Now they have shown us the plans and we are very pleased with them."

The Co-op is hoping to submit a planning application for the re-development to Oxford City Council this week.

Project architect Jo Addicott said: "It was felt that we did need to improve the frontage of the supermarket and we thought we could create a pleasant community atmosphere.

"We also wanted to create something that would really set off the shop. The shop itself will probably be a little bit bigger and the rather ugly high-level windows will no longer face London Road."

Miss Addicott could not say how much the supermarket overhaul would cost, as the Co-op and McBains Cooper were still assessing the figures.