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The application - a second submission after the original was withdrawn - is said to take the Cotterell back to its roots with the site first being converted to a pub from two houses.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