TWO buildings gutted by a huge fire in Hereford look set to be rebuilt.

Plans submitted to Herefordshire Council will, if approved, spruce up the former River Island and Card Factory shops wrecked by the High Town blaze last October.

Included in the application by F&C Reit Asset Management are six residential flats in the upper floors of the grade II-listed properties.

City-based firm Hook Mason has been appointed architect for the much anticipated project which could increase the floor space in the affected buildings.

The front of the four-storey Card Factory building has been demolished up to the first floor level as a result of the fire.

The River Island property suffered extensive fire damage but the front of the three-storey block survived.

Designs released this week show the historic front will be restored, providing councillors approve the proposals.

Hook Mason director Chris Woodall said this week the Card Factory building will be “a more sympathetic facade in a simple contemporary style”.

Since the fire, which at its height was tackled by 100 firefighters, the Card Factory has moved to nearby Gomond Street, Maylord Orchards.

River Island customers, meanwhile, have had to travel to the likes of Worcester, Gloucester or Cwmbran to shop.

It is currently unclear if either business will move back into their former homes.

Part of the application also seeks to use, for storage, a redundant building on East Street which has been unused for many years.

Work could start early next year.

The fire was Hereford’s biggest in years and also affected the nearby Booth Hall but the pub escaped with water and smoke damage.

Since the blaze, the cause of which was believed to be an accidental electrical fault, the site has been boarded up with Hereford College of Art students brightening up the site opposite the historic Old House.