MORE information is needed about a Hereford city centre shop's plan to expand into the unit next door, conservationists have said.

Mountain Warehouse has asked Herefordshire Council if it can knock through to the shop next door, which used to be home to GAME, because it needs a bigger shop but doesn't want to leave High Town.

The gaming chain recently moved in Sports Direct's new home in Commercial Street, next to Flannels, which are all owned by Mike Ashley's Frasers Group.

If Herefordshire Council agrees to listed building consent for the plans, then the wall which divides 12 and 13 High Town would be removed.

This would "create a single retail unit for the existing tenant Mountain Warehouse", a shop specialising in outdoor clothing and equipment.

Consultants working on the scheme said Mountain Warehouse would like a larger shop and wanted to extend rather than leave for another unit.

They said access to the site is from High Town and the Maylord Shopping Centre service area, and no changes are planned.

But they could want to change the shopfront in the future because of how the two shops are becoming one.

More details on that would be published in due course, they said.

The three-storey building, over a basement, is grade II-listed so Herefordshire Council must agree to work before it is carried out.

But when consulting its conservation team, more details were called for.

Building conservation officer Conor Ruttledge said there was no heritage objection to the proposed removal of the modern dividing wall and staircase to combine existing shop floor space.

But he said it is also proposed to remove a section of walling to provide additional step access to the rear of no 12.

He said there was no information or assessment regarding this step of the plans.

If the wall is historic, relating to the former layout of no 13, then it is potentially the last remaining part on the ground floor, he said.

That means it is unlikely there will be "clear and convincing justification" for its removal because access to the rear of no 12 already exists.

"Further information will be required to support this aspect of the application, or it can be removed from the proposals," Mr Ruttledge said.

Consultation on the plans has no closed, with planners previously setting a target date of June 9 for a decision.