Bid to replace ‘poor’ house with six more

Plans have been put forward for six new bungalows in a Herefordshire village.

The proposal, from Marches Homes of Hereford, will be on a third-of-a-hectare former farmyard off Leintwardine’s High Street (the A4113), and will replace Oak Cottage, built only in 1998 but now demolished.

According to the application, the former house was never inspected to ensure it met building regulations. The architects of the new scheme, AIP Architects of Shrewsbury, found it was “in an extremely poor condition and very poorly constructed”.

Its stair was below regulation width, it the electric and plumbing installation was “poor”, it had major cracking, uneven thresholds, and “many other issues proving to be too costly to repair”, their submission said.

“We immediately condemned the building as not fit for any purpose and within the proposed scheme we have demolished and recycled what materials we can.”

The six new homes, each with three bedrooms and two car parking spaces, would be sold at market rate.

New road access onto the A4113 would be created opposite the current Roman Close.

The development would take “a renewable approach”, with each having solar panels, air-source heat pumps, heat-recovery ventilation and car charging points.

With habitable roof space, the bungalows’ designs aim for “lifetime adaptability”, enabling both home working and “ground floor complete living”, while being “entirely in keeping with the existing neighbouring properties” the application says.

An accompanying heritage impact assessment says the “modest scale” of the planned homes would not impact on the setting of the adjacent grade II-listed Plough Farmhouse.

Herefordshire Council has already provided positive pre-application guidance on the scheme.

Comments on the application for full permission, numbered 222125, can be made until August 4.