Plans have been unveiled for a new shop in Hereford that would bring back a historic name to its shopping heart.

Budget footwear retailer Shoe Zone plans to occupy 12 and 13 High Town, a jointly grade II listed property on the north side of the pedestrianised street.

This would mean removing a partition wall between 12 and 13, previously home to Mountain Warehouse and Game Retail respectively, according to a bid for planning permission (number 240862) submitted by Charville Estates.

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In a nod to the building’s history the firm proposes re-establish the “Gurneys” sign, the name of a former grocery shop, between the first and second floor windows.

The front windows themselves, described as “beyond repair”, would be replaced with traditional sash windows, their frames painted to match the sign's colour. Only the leftmost (number 12) doors onto High Town would be retained.

Hereford Times: How the front of the building would look under the planHow the front of the building would look under the plan (Image: Hook Mason Architecture, from application)

The plan also proposes creating a new entrance to the building from the Maylord Orchards service yard to the rear, giving direct access to the upper floors without having to go through the shop.

There would also be some re-slating of the roof, and reinserting a historic rooflight.

Plans to convert the disused upper floors into flats will follow in separate application, the current application says.

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According to a heritage impact assessment accompanying it, though numbers 12 and 13 date from the 18th-century they “are very plain buildings from an exterior and interior character, but the prominence of their location makes an important contribution to the Hereford conservation area”.

Shoe Zone has over 330 shops across Britain and is headquartered in Leicester. Its Leominster branch closed in 2022.

It is unclear what is to happen to the chain’s existing Hereford outlet in nearby Eign Gate.

Mountain Warehouse moved to the city’s Old Market last summer.