Restoration project delayed by contractor issues

The Pavilion is set for a £1.56m revamp which will include opening a cafe in the building

A £1.5m restoration project has been delayed due to issues with the contracted building company.

The Pavilion at Castle Green, Hereford, has been used as a training centre and arts college in the past, before being taken over by community group The Friends of Castle Green (FOCG) .

Work began on the restoration in spring 2023.

In a statement FOCG said it had decided to work with a new firm after consulting with the Stronger Hereford Board and hoped "to have the Pavilion reopen and fully restored by spring 2025."

The project was originally supposed to take up to 12 months to complete once approval was given.

FOCG chair Paddy Nugent said: "We hoped to have opened about this time this year but these things happen, it is a complex building project but we have fantastic backing from Herefordshire Council and Stronger Hereford Board.

"We've got a great group of volunteers who've been working to get to this stage for the last 10 years."

"This represents a slight delay to our original timescales, but the final result will be worth the wait."

As well as a new cafe in the Pavilion, the building will also host art exhibitions and be a meeting place, the FOCG said.