AS planning applications for retail outlets tumble across the UK, because of the Covid crisis, concerns are growing that the face of the High Street is changing, and Ledbury may not be exempt.
Nationally, planning applications for new shops have fallen by one fifth recently, and a glance through recent Herefordshire Council planning applications shows that Ledbury town centre is following the downwards trend in this respect.
“The various lockdowns have been catastrophic to the retail sector, causing developers to cut their retail development pipeline,” said Boodle Hatfield head of real estate Simon Williams, while speaking of the UK situation.