Revised store plan soon to be unveiled to public

Pershore-based Developer Philip King of PLK Properties said he was to hold a “team meeting” this week to iron out his “pre-application responses” in ongoing talks involving Herefordshire Council and Halo Leisure, the trust which runs Ledbury swimming pool for the authority.

He said the pre-application responses were an informal set of discussions “to look and see what changes might be accommodated”.

Mr King presented a proposal for a 30,000 sq ft superstore on the Lawnside site to Ledbury Town Council in the Market House last summer but he stressed that this plan was just an early idea. The current proposals for Lawnside would lead to the demolition of the swimming pool, community centre, youth club, fire station and former ambulance station.

Under the plan, a new joint swimming pool, community centre and youth club complex would be built at the Orchard End lane of the recreation ground together with an outdoor multi-use games area.

Mr King declined to be drawn on how his proposal might change.

But he said of a planned period of public consultation: “It might be this side of Christmas but, if not, the other side of Christmas.”

Coun Peter Watts, a Herefordshire Councillor for Ledbury said of Mr King: “He’s in talks with everyone.

There’s a lot of talking going on. It seems to be a one-way flow, coming from him.”

Coun Watts, a trustee of Halo Leisure, which runs the swimming pool at Lawnside Road, said that Halo itself was in talks with Herefordshire Council, – with a view to putting together a business plan to keep its nine centres open in the county, including the one at Ledbury.

Coun Watts said that, as Halo trustee, he would know if the present pool was under any threat.

He said: “Trust me, I am on the ball. I would know what was going on.”

He stated his personal opposition to the idea of a superstore at Lawnside. He said: “I think that putting a superstore there would kill the centre of the town.”