Plan to knock down rural railside pub

A Herefordshire country pub could be demolished to make way for new business units, along with a gospel hall.

Hereford Gospel Trust has applied to redevelop land at Tram Inn, beside the Hereford-Pontrilas railway line to the southwest of the city.

The pub which gives the small settlement its name closed around 15 years ago, was unsuccessfully advertised for sale between 2020 and 2022, and is now in a poor state of repair, the group’s application says.

With three other “successful” pubs nearby, “there is no loss to the area if the public house permanently closes”, it claims.

To the south of the pub is a car repairs and bodywork garage which also ceased trading three years ago.

Both would be demolished to make way for the three commercial units with grey metal exteriors parallel to the railway line, while a gospel hall would be built on what was the pub car park.

“Akin to a large domestic out-building” and with a separate road entrance, this single-storey structure would be used for worship by south Hereford Brethren community.

“The community have been searching for several years for a suitable site in the area to build a new gospel hall, and this site is ideally and centrally placed to serve the south Hereford community,” their application says.

Tram Inn is already home to the Cargill meat plant and to Allensmore’s extensive plant nursery.

The settlement’s railway station, like the station at Pontrilas, closed to passengers in 1958, but local campaigners claim both could be reopened.

Comments on the planning application, numbered 233221, can be made until November 22.