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.
LEDBURY being plunged back into Tier 2 restrictions has proved a step too far for one of the town’s most iconic pubs, The Talbot, which is now temporarily closed. The closure came into force ahead of the even stricter Tier 3 regulations, which are currenty now in force. Tighter restrictions come at a time when Covid cases are rising dramatically in the county and in the Ledbury area, although not in Ledbury town itself. Wadworth, the owner of The Talbot, issued a statement on Boxing Day, announcing the closure just as Ledbury moved from Tier 1 to Tier 2, in line with the rest of the county at the time.