HEREFORD’S Left Bank Village is alive and well and will prosper even more this summer, according to new general manager Shanan Dick.

He rejected talk that the Bridge Street centre had problems and assured clientele that all bookings were safe.

Mr Dick told the Hereford Times the Left Bank was a popular wedding venue and many brides-to-be had been phoning in about prospects for the future. “There are no problems, it is business as usual. We have a lot of weddings now and hope for more in the future,” he said.

Mr Dick said the empty shops in the village had caused some people to be concerned. The properties did belong to the Left Bank but the businesses in them had been franchised out and it was these that went into liquidation, causing them to close.

But it was hoped they would be re-let and back in business in the near future.

Mr Dick, aged 31 and a New Zealander, took over the management of the Left Bank last month after a stint at Belmont Lodge and Golf Club.

Mr Dick said he had been listening to what people wanted at the Left Bank. He was introducing new and traditional menus, using as much local produce as possible, and had reintroduced a tapas menu.