NEW apartments are to be built on the site of former council offices in Hereford city centre.

Approval was given for the Herefordshire Housing scheme – which will involve the construction of 75 apartments on the site of Herefordshire Council’s former Bath Street offices – by a planning committee last week.

Heritage campaigners had fiercely objected to previous proposals to use the site as the location for Hereford's Fire Station but Herefordshire Housing is planning to retain some of the Victorian buildings which were originally built as the Hereford Working Boys’ Home and Industrial School.

The committee heard that the scheme would redevelop a sustainably located brownfield site, providing affordable modern housing in a way that was sensitive to the area.

Members were told that residents living on nearby Lloyd Street were concerned about the potential disruption the works would involve but committee chairman Councillor Phil Cutter said he would want to make sure they were looked after properly throughout the development phase.

The scheme will involve the partial demolition of the existing building, with conversion and extension to form a mixture of one and two-bed apartments.

Cllr Alan Seldon said: "Having lived in similar buildings in my days as a city dweller, they do create communities of their own and I commend Herefordshire Housing on the thought that has gone into this.

"It keeps it as a community which is what we should be building – communities, not just housing estates.

"I do have sympathy with the residents who have concerns over the building but the consequences of leaving it empty I believe would be even more severe than putting up with the construction phase."

Cllr Sebastian Bowen questioned whether there would be a sprinkler system in place, in light of the recent Grenfell Tower tragedy and was told his comments would be passed on.

Cllr Anthony Powers added that the scheme was a 'very good example' of sensitive development in a conservation area using a brownfield site.

Herefordshire Housing bought the council's former county offices on Bath Street for £2million.