Demolition will start on the site in January, in order to start the build in spring 2012.
The Old Market site will include a department store, along with a six-screen multiplex Odeon cinema, a Waitrose supermarket and some 25 additional retailers and restaurants. The entire project is being wholly funded by the private sector.
Alistair Shaw of Stanhope said: “We are very pleased that Herefordshire Council’s planning committee has given us the go-ahead to progress the Old Market and are excited that this will now pave the way for us to begin demolition and construction in earnest in the new year.
“By investing in new public realm and architecture, we will be able to attract major new retail tenants, increasing the diversity of the retail offer in Hereford and providing an unprecedented boost to the city’s regional retail status.”
The primary building materials used in the development will be Hereford brick, render and timber. The department store will have an asymmetrical metal pitched roof, providing a visual landmark when approaching the scheme from the south that is informed by the architectural vernacular of the former livestock market. An ordered and varied array of brick and render retail shop fronts and restaurants will continue the architectural composition of the redevelopment; their design and scale informed by High Town and Widemarsh Street.
Paul Appleton, partner at Allies & Morrison, said: “It has always been our intention to ensure the delivery of a sensitive extension to Hereford, reflecting the distinct architectural heritage and identity. We have made a strong cohesion with the city centre our priority. This is why our detailed design has been directly informed by a close study of Hereford’s spatial realm and built fabric, to create new streets and public spaces that are sympathetic with the existing architecture and that link seamlessly with the rest of the city.”
A modern road crossing system across Newmarket Street has also been designed to encourage pedestrian routes throughout the city centre. This will introduce raised table pedestrian crossings and will remove the central railing and pens that currently break the flow of movement.
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