Empty Shops Hereford City Centre Shrinking!

[Hereford Voice]

Over the past few years, we have noticed more and more planning applications to change use from shops to residential flats and accommodation. Again today plans have been submitted here for 145 Eign Street

Quote

Proposed variation of condition 2 of planning permission 163094 (Proposed change of use of shop to two flats and new dormer window to south elevation) minor changes to layout and change from Dormer to roof extension.

Hereford shops are slowly disappearing and Herefordshire Council are often granting these plans. We will attempt to start highlighting each of these applications to show the scale of this trend from the Council.

How plans were passed in Eign Street for this lot previously is beyond comprehension, how is this in keeping with the surrounding area? These buildings bricked up look horrendous! 

[K.Butt]

I see this happening all the time, good to see this article, soon these NEW residents will be complaining about noise or something coming from their retail neighbours no doubt.

[Roger]

That newsagents (closed for some time) has a very low ceiling. It is not very fit, in it's current state, to reopen as a shop. I would sooner it was turned in to housing as opposed to it opening up as a dodgy tobacco outlet. SuperSam is next door tho so I suppose that might be why it has been vacant for ages ...... 

[Bill Thomas]

20 hours ago, K.Butt said:

I see this happening all the time, good to see this article, soon these NEW residents will be complaining about noise or something coming from their retail neighbours no doubt.

Soon there will be no shops and then wait for the moaning, personally, I do not think change of use of many if these shops should be granted, it is a shopping retail area, there are plenty of places around for flats, this will end up being bedsits, you mark my words

[ragwert]

Another application went in last weeks for the storage building next to and back of British Heart Foundation shop in Commercial Street to be turned into a HMO.

https://www.herefordshire.gov.uk/info/200142/planning_services/planning_application_search/details?id=190882&search-term=registered in the last 7 days&search-service=recent&search-source=items&search-item=registered in the last 7 days

[twowheelsgood]

That one is horrific - 12 rooms, reminds me of a factory farm. Lots of points don't comply with Building Regs either(not that that stops Planning).

[Roger]

6 hours ago, Bill Thomas said:

Soon there will be no shops and then wait for the moaning, personally, I do not think change of use of many if these shops should be granted, it is a shopping retail area, there are plenty of places around for flats, this will end up being bedsits, you mark my words

The evidence seems to suggest we have too many shops. We either have empty shops or they are turned into a barbers or charity shop. In contrast we have a housing crisis. So I'm never gonna put up too much of an argument to defend change of use planning applications in most circumstances. 

[Hereford Voice]

Here is another change of use application, this one is for multi-occupancy home.

Quote

Proposed change of use from A1 storage to a 12 bed HMO on first and second floor. 

Planning Application P190882/F

[twowheelsgood]

Just now, Hereford Voice said:

Here is another change of use application, this one is for multi-occupancy home.

Planning Application P190882/F

More akin to factory farm than a home - how much lower are we going to sink?

[ragwert]

On 23/03/2019 at 22:36, Roger said:

The evidence seems to suggest we have too many shops. We either have empty shops or they are turned into a barbers or charity shop. In contrast we have a housing crisis. So I'm never gonna put up too much of an argument to defend change of use planning applications in most circumstances. 

We do Roger.
Was OK back in the good old days to have some 300 + shops 

[Mr Trimble]

Years ago this city had an excessive number of shoe shops and building societies.  Now its nail bars, barbers and multi national convienance shops (plus looks like a number of massage parlours are popping up across the city centre as well). Converting closed business premises to houses/flats does ensure the city centre does not become a tumble weed gehtto 

[Hereford Voice]

Another example of the city shrinking and becoming more residential:

Quote

Change of use of vacant office space to residential with addition of a new floor at roof level.

Broad St application HERE

[Hereford Voice]

Here is another in Eign Gate planning number P193209/F

[twowheelsgood]

Quote

Here is another change of use application, this one is for multi-occupancy home.

Planning Application P190882/F

On 27/03/2019 at 14:53, twowheelsgood said:

More akin to factory farm than a home - how much lower are we going to sink?

Approved, despite considered objections from the City Council, Civic Society and the Ward Councillor, amongst others.

[Ubique]

This Change of Use is nothing new ...........I can recall in the early 90s the Government of the day was encouraging this change of use in Midland town centres from shops etc to flats etc. again to bring more life into the town centres

Perhaps  Twowheelgood can confirm ? 

[twowheelsgood]

9 hours ago, Ubique said:

This Change of Use is nothing new ...........I can recall in the early 90s the Government of the day was encouraging this change of use in Midland town centres from shops etc to flats etc. again to bring more life into the town centres

Perhaps  Twowheelgood can confirm ? 

I think it was 1989 when the government funded a scheme (LOTS - Living Over The Shop) to convert empty spaces above shops in town centres into homes and which ran for about 20 years. At that time, it was estimated that at least 250,000 homes could be created. It never really took off in Herefordshire - landlords didn't want tenants above their shops, the Council didn't want it, just because, (same old) and arguably there was little demand at that time. Times are changing, in 2012 the NPPF turned planning on its head, with a presumption in favour of sustainable development and the Federation of Master Builders realising there was money to be made by converting the High Street.

The latest proposal in Hereford is the new planning application to convert Peacocks in Eign Gate to university accommodation with teaching space on the ground floor.

[Roger]

On 06/04/2019 at 16:08, Mr Trimble said:

Years ago this city had an excessive number of shoe shops and building societies.  Now its nail bars, barbers and multi national convienance shops (plus looks like a number of massage parlours are popping up across the city centre as well). Converting closed business premises to houses/flats does ensure the city centre does not become a tumble weed gehtto 

There has to be a saturation point for the number of hair cutting outlets in the City Centre. You can only cut so much hair. 'Overheads' obviously an issue. Pun intended. 

[Hereford Voice]

This one in Eign Street has been approved P193252/F

[Hereford Voice]

Here is another in Bridge Street Hereford 

[Victor Wright]

On 06/03/2020 at 10:36, Hereford Voice said:

Here is another in Bridge Street Hereford 

There is clearly an agenda here I'm thinking. The retail business premises in the city is without a doubt being slowly turned into residential 

[twowheelsgood]

Rent and rates have reached the level where many businesses simply cannot make any money and so premises stand empty. Supporting information for this application showed no demand for the shop, with rent and rates of £25k. Bridge St is changing from commercial to residential. This proposal is actually half decent in terms of the space it provides, unlike the others listed above.

[Frank Smith]

I noticed this one today, application P201686/F

[Harry Beynon]

We will see more and more of this as retail units close now that retail to residential change of planning has become automatic. Surely, the  Council has some responsibility in terms of approving design? Otherwise, we will have a growing cohort of slum-housing within the city centre. 

[Victor Wright]

25 minutes ago, Harry Beynon said:

We will see more and more of this as retail units close now that retail to residential change of planning has become automatic. Surely, the  Council has some responsibility in terms of approving design? Otherwise, we will have a growing cohort of slum-housing within the city centre. 

Did not realise that this was now automatic, that is a worrying development (no pun intended) 

[Hereford Voice]

Here is another one in Eign Street - P210551/F

[ragwert]

3 hours ago, Hereford Voice said:

Here is another one in Eign Street - P210551/F

To be honest you would have to be mad to open a shop along there

[Harry Beynon]

I know the conversion of retail premises to residential is now automatic. Surely, even though there is a presumption in favour of these developments, the Council must have some control over design?

Opposite Steels, a ghetto of cheap conversions is fast creating tomorrow’s slum housing. 

[Steve Major]

All the towns around us are shrinking too, this application for Ross on Wye - https://www.herefordshire.gov.uk/info/200142/planning_services/planning_application_search/details?id=212454&search-service=recent&search-source=items&search-item=registered in the last 7 days&search-term=registered in the last 7 days

[twowheelsgood]

Approval isn't automatic and certainly isn't when the buildings are listed or in a conservation area. All of the work opposite Steels needed planning permission and I've complained to the Council that the as built doesn't accord with the approved scheme, but with no response. Enforcement is now practically non-existent.

[Hereford Voice]

Here is another! - Application