Plans to create two flats over a local M&S have been refused by council planners.

Rocco Homes (No.25) Ltd had applied for planning permission to convert some vacant commercial space above the shop on New Malden High Street into the homes.

Plans show part of the first and second floor would have been repurposed for the apartments.

However, officers at Kingston Council said the flats would not have been suitable to live in.

Refusing the application, a council report said: "The proposed flats, by reason of inadequate daylight and sunlight provision, inadequate outlook from the first floor creating an undue sense of enclosure, poor quality natural ventilation and the inherent risk of overheating and poor internal air quality, would constitute a substandard form of residential accommodation, to the detriment of the living conditions of future residents."

It added: "The proposal would result in the loss of Class E [mixed commercial] floorspace within the New Malden District Centre, failing to protect existing employment land and premises and the applicant has failed to produce sound evidence and rigorous marketing to demonstrate that a reasonable effort to make the space suitable for commercial occupants or demonstrated a genuine intent to use the space for commercial uses."

The High Street M&S opened in 2024.