Council Withdraws Offer Of Grange House

Plans to convert Leominster’s Grange House into self-contained units for the homeless have been put on ice after mounting public pressure against the proposals.

Facing increasing opposition, Herefordshire Council has decided it could not continue with the sale of the building to the Marches Housing Association.

The housing association has in turn agreed to put its application to convert the building on hold.

This will give Herefordshire Council, Leominster Town Council, the Marches Housing Association and the local community time to discuss homelessness problems and work out solutions for the town.

The agreement was struck following last week’s Northern Area Planning Sub-Committee, at which Councillors agreed to defer a decision to allow more information on the application to be gathered.

A petition against the application, signed by around 2,000 people, was handed over at the meeting.

“We all agree there’s a desperate need for this kind of accommodation in Leominster and the north of the County but we’ve taken on board the level of concern expressed by local people,” said The Leader of Herefordshire Council, Cllr Roger Phillips.

“As a result, the Council has decided not to sell the building and the Marches Housing Association has put its application for Grange House on hold.”

Chris Boote, Chief Executive of Marches Housing Association, said that the association remained committed to working in partnership with the Herefordshire Council.
"We recognise the importance of providing temporary accommodation for homeless people,” he said.

“It is likely that there will be some objections wherever such accommodation is to be provided. We are happy to work with the local authorities and local communities to try to find a suitable location that has their support, and this may help to dispel some of the misconceptions of the homeless that we have heard.”