A historic former bookshop in the heart of a Herefordshire town can be converted into flats, it has been confirmed.
Grid Property of Hereford applied for permission to create two “maisonettes” in the four-storey, grade II listed 51-52 High Street, Ross-on-Wye, which until 2020 housed Ross Old Books.
Herefordshire Council’s senior building conservation officer Conor Ruttledge had raised concerns over several aspects of the conversion, including the materials intended for heat and sound insulation and fireproofing, but was satisfied that later changes had addressed these.
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Ross-on-Wye Town Council backed the proposal, and there were no public objections to it.
Backing both planning and listed building approval, case officer Joshua Evans concluded the conversion plan “offers a viable alternative use to the building which is presently redundant”.
The “car-free nature” of the plan, along with its secure cycle storage, suited its “highly sustainable location” in Ross town centre, which is “well served by lit public footpaths and bus services”, he added.
The upper floors of the building previously housed a single flat. With new internal partitions, it will now become two separate three-bedroom flats, each over two storeys, and each with their own front door off the High Street.
The existing shop front including its door and windows will be kept.
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