HEREFORD is set to lose another of its last remaining "neighbourhood" pubs.

 But neighbours of the Cotterell Arms aren't sorry to see it go.

A street corner survivor, the Cotterell has been shut for some time and could soon be three homes if a planning application put to Herefordshire Council gets the go-ahead.

Neighbours in Cotterell Street, Whitecross, who have responded to the application so far,  outline the Cotterell's decline after a quarter century of stability  when the two bar end of terrace pub was run by the Kirby's - the late Noel and his wife Gill - known for hosting darts tournaments with Wells Bombardier as the regular beer.

Noel died in 2013 and Gill put the pub on the market a year later.

The subsequent fall of  the Cotterell since - documented in a planning submission that references the difficulty in recruiting landlords after several over a short space of time - is in stark contrast to the fortunes of The Britannia just a few yards along the street.

The nearby Buckingham, on Whitecross Road itself, is now a Tesco Express and The Plough - within walking distance - needs a new licensee.

So called street corner pubs like The Cotterell, which some accounts date back to 1885, are a rarity in Hereford.

But the planning submission says that, as a pub, the Cotterell is not "economically viable" as a going concern.

A surveyors report identifies a need for "major investment"  required to bring the property back into service.

It's "poor condition" inside and  outside is said to reflect a "complete lack" of related investment over recent years.

The application - a second submission after the original was withdrawn - is said to  take the Cotterell back to its roots with the site first being converted to a pub from two houses.