A PETROL station in Bromyard could be demolished to make way for five new houses and an apartment block, if plans are approved by Herefordshire Council.

Nigel Davis, who owns Top Garage on the A465 Hereford road with Richard Mason, has applied for planning to knock the buildings down and put houses and apartments in their place.

If approved by planners, five houses and 15 apartments would be built on the site – with a total of 44 bedrooms and 35 car parking spaces.

Consultants working on the scheme said they did not believe the development would be too dense, and it would provide much-needed new homes in a “strategic location” on the edge of the town.

They said the intention was to build a “landmark development” with “distinctive” architecture, which would see the buildings made from a combination of lias stone, clay pantile shingles and matt metal sheeting, forming a new gateway into Bromyard.

They said existing apartments within the town “tend to be of low quality, with poor amenity facilities”, and brownfield site scheme would plug that gap.

Hereford Times: Top Garage in Bromyard could be demolished to make way for new houses and apartments. Picture: K4 Architects/Herefordshire Council Top Garage in Bromyard could be demolished to make way for new houses and apartments. Picture: K4 Architects/Herefordshire Council

Top Garage had been on the market for around five years, the design and access statement submitted to the council said, but potential buyers failed to see the £900,000 business as viable.

It said the fuel and retail side of the business was no longer viable due to the ongoing revamp of the Texaco garage on the A44 Bromyard bypass, but vehicle servicing could be moved elsewhere.

The garage said it would continue to trade until further notice, with comments on application 212393 open until August 19.