Gather is a new arts and community base. Also does coffee. Or it is coffee with a topping of arts? Its location at Ludlow Community Hospital in the former maternity unit has been controversial since the applications for planning consent and licencing were published at the end of last year. There has been a lot of work to clarify what is proposed and to sort out the permissions. But I am satisfied that we have got it right. The premises will have a cap of 50 people at any one time. Separate permissions have restricted use of car parking spaces to 12, leaving more than 60 spaces for staff, in-patients and visitors. The NHS has allocated spaces for emergency and longer stay ambulances. Far from being the end of Ludlow Community Hospital as a few people have claimed, it is the start of regeneration in East Hamlet. Community hospitals have […]
Category: Economy
Rickards building to get a makeover as the store becomes a nostalgic memory
Rickards will be no more and Ludlow will lose one of its most distinctive independent retail shops. Rickards has sold hardware and domestic wares since 1864. Now, the property is up for sale and the vendor is inviting anyone who wants to also buy the business to contact them. An application for planning permission has been made to allow a wider variety of uses for the ground floor. The next use could be anything from a café to a financial adviser. The vendors have a clear preference for “a mixed space which will incorporate retail, spaces for local artisan crafters to utilise, sale of drink and food from local suppliers, spaces to hire for meetings and small events and the display of historic artifacts associated with Rickards and Ludlow.”
Empty shops: Ludlow has a lot, it has a lot to offer – we need to help it back to full health
Ludlow is still a lively town and well worth visiting to shop and explore its heritage, cafes restaurants, pubs market and really good shops. But it cannot be hidden that there are more empty shops than there used to be. At present there are 23 vacant retail units in the town centre. In November 2017, there were just seven vacant units the lowest number for years. The empty shops are more obvious in Ludlow than they have ever been, particularly on King Street. The recent closure of the Fruit Basket on Church Street was another blow to the town centre. But it is not all gloom and doom. And there are clear signs of a revival, including on King Street. Shops are being refurbished and new tenants moving in. We need a task force to promote short term improvements while the town centre recovers.
M&S Food store approved for outskirts of Ludlow
Shropshire Council’s Southern Planning Committee this afternoon approved the application for a foodstore off Sheet Road outside the A49 bypass. There were concerns about the impact the store will have on the town centre. Committee members were more concerned about the safety of pedestrians crossing Sheet Road between the Eco Park bus stops, Ledwyche Rise and the M&S site. There was a motion to delay a decision until the committee had more information on what improvements could be made to the current plans for Sheet Road but that was defeated on a majority vote. The committee went on to approve the application and delegate to officers resolving the issues on Sheet Road.
McConnel applies to expand and refurbish its Ludlow workshops
McConnel in Ludlow has applied for planning permission to expand its premises on Weeping Cross Lane (23/05270/FUL). It wants to expand the workshop space, install new staff facilities and improve the entrance to the site. There are many light engineering businesses in Ludlow and they form part of the backbone of the town’s economy. McConnel is one of our largest engineering employers. It proudly declares itself the “Home of the Hedgecutter”. This is a welcome application. It shows that McConnel is committed to Ludlow. In the long term. That is good news for jobs, all the people that work for the company and the economy of our rural town.