Emergency accommodation 'taking shape'

A derelict building in Hereford is being transformed into emergency accommodation for people at risk of homelessness.

The £3.8m project will see the former John Haider building at the corner of Gaol Street and Bath Street turned into 28 self-contained, one-bedroom apartments.

Herefordshire Council's Cabinet Member for Economy and Growth Councillor, Graham Biggs, said he had been impressed by the progress at the site, which will be named the John Venn Building, after a 19th Century philanthropist.

It is expected to be completed by summer 2027, with the first residents moving in in the autumn.

"We know there is a critical shortage of suitable emergency accommodation in Herefordshire, with increasing numbers of people coming to the council needing somewhere safe and secure to stay," Biggs said.

"This project will provide 28 good-quality homes for people who need them most, while also bringing an ageing and prominent building back into productive use."

The project is also expected to save the local authority more than £600,000 a year by cutting the cost of providing emergency accommodation - for example in B&Bs or hotels.

Herefordshire Council took on the building more than a year ago and at the time said work would be finished by autumn 2026, but the project has been hit by a series of delays.

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