Plans submitted to refurbish listed pub building

Plans have been submitted to refurbish one of Hereford's oldest pubs.

The Grade II listed Grapes Tavern on East Street and Capuchin Lane dates back to the early 17th Century, but took its last orders in 2023 when it shut.

Plans submitted by Jove Ltd propose new flats and bed & breakfast rooms on the adapted upper floors, with pub use shown on the ground floor and basemant.

Documents claimed the pub had "been in decline for many years, with long periods of closure", and that "time has not been kind" to the building, listed in 1952 but subject to later "ill thought out and poorly executed alterations".

Anthony Thomas from Jove said the proposal would "arrest the decline" of the pub and ensure "the economic benefits required to deliver its renewal".

The exterior would be de-cluttered and given new signage and lighting, with a new door on the East Street side and two new windows onto Capuchin Lane.

The plans would also address the current "poor compartmentalisation" of the current licensed and residential uses, the application added, by reorganising the layout to allow these uses to be "fulfilled simultaneously".

The Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) is consulted on all planned changes to pubs in the county.

Its Herefordshire representative Mark Haslam said the while he had yet to go through the proposal in detail, he was concerned about the possible impact of the residential plans for the upper floors.

"This could lead to a "clash of amenities" with the pub use, a point the group had made with the council in other cases.

The building was sold at auction for £257,000 in November 2023, when the second floor was still occupied, according to property services firm Savills.

Comments on the application can be made until July 10.

Follow BBC Hereford & Worcester on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.