A historic building in Leominster is set to get a facelift after Herefordshire Council approved a planning application.
The Rankin Club in Leominster is set to get a significant facelift and replacement roof as part of the High Street Heritage Action Zone scheme.
The planning application submitted by Oliver Architecture on behalf of the Rankin Constitutional Club details the following plans for the building in Corn Square.
“Roof replacement, from concrete tile to Natural Slates. Removal of later dormer windows and repairs to the chimney stacks. Replacement of rainwater goods. Repairs to Sash windows with the reinstatement of 5 no new of windows to the second floor. Facade render repairs and redecoration.”
From Herefordshire Council:
Leominster conservation area has been designated a High Street Heritage Action Zone. Leominster’s Heritage Action Zone will be a place where heritage and culture are valued and restoration of the towns key buildings will be the catalyst for self-sustaining regeneration. Interventions will bring
about many changes to the historic built environment and will enhance Leominster’s tourism and cultural offer.
The HAZ programme will be a collaborative effort, where key stakeholders will work together and communities will be actively engaged to ensure that Leominster’s heritage is widely celebrated.
The town enjoys a wealth of rich historical, cultural and architectural assets and the streets within have a large number of listed buildings, as well as a number of scheduled monuments, and non designated heritage assets.
Historic highlights include the medieval sandstone Priory Church of St Peter and St Paul (Grade I), the 17th Century timber-framed former market hall of Grange Court (Grade II*), the large Georgian Royal Oak Hotel (Grade II), 15th and 16th Century timber-framed buildings surrounding Corn Square
and many Georgian frontages in formal site of the medieval market in Broad Street.
This unique heritage is vital to Leominster’s offer as a retail and tourist destination and, each year, draws visitors following the popular ‘black and white’ village trail. Despite this, Leominster is facing many challenges including a drop in footfall due to changing consumer habits, poor state of the public realm, a general lack of visitor accommodation and a gradual increase in empty retail units.
Unfortunately, our key historic assets are also deteriorating, mainly brought about by the cost of conservation relative to property value, which discourages landlords and business owners from undertaking repairs.
Preserving this heritage is vital to maintaining and growing Leominster’s tourism economy and its key contribution to the vitality of the high street.
The HAZ scheme will be a key component to overcoming the challenges facing Leominster’s high street and protecting it for generations to come.
Planned projects include:
Improvements to the public realm including redesigning Corn Square
A grants programme to restore key historic buildings and shopfronts and bring underutilised buildings back into economic and residential use
The introduction of town Wi-Fi will enable card payments to be made at outdoor events and for footfall data to be measured. Town Wi-Fi will also enhance the visitor experience and provide services for local residents and businesses
A web based heritage app will be developed so that Leominster’s history can be made available to wider audiences
Review of listing building records will allow for a much deeper understanding of our built environment, including distinctive and historic features
Review of the Conservation Area Appraisal will ensure that new developments are in keeping with Leominster’s unique and historic backdrop.
The HAZ programme will be overseen by a Steering Group made up of wide ranging and representative groups. Community engagement is key to developing a successful scheme and the Community Engagement Statement shows how this will be achieved.
The programme will run from April 2020 to March 2024 but the benefits brought about by the programme will ensure Leominster’s unique and distinctive heritage will be celebrated long into the future.
