The Government has dashed hopes of a reprieve for one of Shropshire’s ancient toll houses.

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) has thrown out an appeal against a decision by English Heritage not to give the Gate House, in Oswestry, listed building status.

Oswestry Town Council had hoped to protect the building on Shrewsbury Road to prevent it from being demolished to make way for a new Aldi supermarket on land nearby.

Councillor Sandy Best, who has led the fight to save the building said she was hugely disappointed.

Andrew Doidge, writing in a letter from the DCMS, said: “After carefully considering your grounds for review they do not provide evidence to consider overtuning the original decision not to list.”

He said there had been no new evidence about the building discovered or any material change of circumstance and pointed out that the building had been much altered over the years.

“The alterations and loss of original fabric limits the capacity of the Gate House to illustrate its former function as a toll house and significantly reduces the architectural interest of the building,” he said. “Any direct association with Thomas Telford, for instance that he personally designed the building, is uncertain.”