Hereford pub could become student accommodation in revamp

The front of The Exchange in Hereford with plans of its new front

Plans have been submitted to convert a listed former pub into student flats.

The Exchange on Widemarsh Street, Hereford, changed hands in October 2021 and has been closed ever since.

The owners submitted plans for the Grade II listed pub's upper two floors to be converted into five student bedsits with a shared kitchen, bathroom and two toilets.

Local residents have until the end of Tuesday to make comments on the application and plans.

The proposals include sound proofing the old pool room's ceiling to make it better suited to hosting parties, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

'Dilapidated'

The front of the pub would also get a facelift with the current display window to the front being replaced by folding doors, which will be accessible via steps from the street.

Refurbishment works are also needed to restore the ornate first-floor balcony as well as the roof, chimneys and gutters, the application said.

The proposals said the pub was in a "dilapidated condition" and required significant intervention.

However it said the work would not "interfere with the essence of the [neighbouring] historic structures, and actively preserves their structural integrity".