A residents group has been formed to protect businesses in the community from closing down after a store caught fire.

The Shenfield Road Shop Residents Group has been formed by the Church End Conservatives, following a fire destroyed part of the corner shop, Londis store, in Shenfield Road, Woodford Green, in June 2013.

Resident and member of the Church End action team, Tom McLaren, said: “We’ve spoken to many local residents, some who live a number of streets away, and this shop provides a vital resource for them.”

The new Residents Group will be focusing on preserving the local business, and will also request that Redbridge Council registers the shop as a Community Asset, meaning if the business ever went up for sale, the group could make a bid to buy it.

Tom said: “I know a number of people who use it regularly, especially older people who aren’t so mobile, and I want to make sure it reopens and stays open. That’s why I’m organising a residents committee and pursuing the community asset registration.

“The last thing we want to see is to see yet another historic building being knocked down and replaced by an ugly block of flats.”