New restaurant plan for schoolhouse near Hereford

A plan has been put forward to turn a former schoolhouse near Hereford into a restaurant.

The Victorian, unlisted Field House in Credenhill, near the village’s primary school, most recently housed a pre-school nursery.

Changing it to a restaurant would not in itself require planning permission, the application points out, as it would remain in “commercial, business and service” use for planning purposes.

What does require permission is a proposed new “orangery-style” extension on the north end of the schoolhouse, “considered essential to the viability of the restaurant”.

Originally a new internal mezzanine floor had been intended to accommodate a viable number of diners, the application explains.

“However, the mezzanine could not achieve compliance with building regulations without two staircases, which could not be accommodated without either compromising the ground floor circulation space or requiring an external fire escape.”

An existing extension to the south of the schoolhouse would also be expanded to accommodate the restaurant’s kitchen.

The applicants are described in the application as “restauranteurs [sic] with an extensive professional background in a number of restaurant ventures”.

If approved, the venture would create five full-time-equivalent jobs, it adds.

Comments on the application, numbered 231910, can be made until August 3.