Go-ahead for new Hereford café

A former sports pavilion in a high-profile Hereford spot can turned into a café – despite worries over its impact on a neighbouring centre.

Vicki Overs applied in summer for planning permission to convert the disused Widemarsh Common Pavilion, in order to “to service the local community and provide work experience for local young people”.

There was to be no change to the outside of the building, or to parking and landscaping around it.

But Aspire Growing, based at the Widemarsh Children’s Centre roughly 100 yards away, said the opportunities it provides for adults with learning disabilities to gain skills at its cafe and garden would be hit by the plan.

“We would have welcomed the opportunity to discuss how we could work together to provide jobs for young people,” Sue Bicknell of the centre wrote.

“The original plans for a kiosk we didn’t feel would affect our business, [but] having a sit-down cafe with parking would affect us,” she said.

There were no objections from Welsh Water or from Herefordshire Council’s highways, landscape, ecology and buildings conservation officers.

The latter noted the building had stood by the former playing field since at least 1888 , when it is shown on an Ordnance Survey map, and considered the proposal “would preserve and potentially enhance the character and appearance of the Widemarsh Common conservation area”.

Planning officer Josh Bailey said “opposition to business competition” was “not relevant” to a planning decision.

Reuse of the “currently redundant and disused” pavilion would bring “modest employment” and also provide a service to, and surveillance of, users of the common, he concluded.

Full planning permission was granted.