Floors above High Town shop to become flats

The upper floors of a shop in the middle of Hereford can be turned into flats.

The bid by the Liverpool-registered Lady Scott Children’s Settlement to convert the former H Samuel jewellery shop in High Town has just been approved by planners.

The first floor was previously used for storage and staff facilities, but the second floor was unused, while the building has “little sign of well-preserved historical features”, the application says, adding there will be “minimal alterations to the building fabric”.

It describes the building “generally sound but cosmetically poor, having been neglected”, with some water damage having arisen during its vacant period.

The two two-bedroom, single-storey flats to the front will get a new entrance with door entry system on High Town, while the two smaller single-bedroom flats over two floors to the rear will have access from East Street to the south.

All four will “take advantage of views and natural daylighting” – but will have no parking.

With a redesigned frontage, the ground floor is intended remain a shop, with staff facilities to the rear. This will be the subject of a separate planning application.

Today’s retailers need less backroom space for stock, and so “are increasingly reluctant to take on responsibility for upper floors” – leaving these often unoccupied and at risk of falling into disrepair, the application explains.

Both Hereford City Council and ward councillor Jeremy Milln sought reassurances over bin and cycle storage, absent from the original applications, but which were then inserted into a revised plan.

Planning officer Simon Withers praised the plan to adapt “an underused building in a highly sustainable location with no amenity, highway safety, biodiversity or drainage concerns”.

Evidence of covered and secure cycle parking facilities within the site was made a condition of the approval.