Published 6/10/2026 By William Turtle-Clark

A full planning application has been submitted to build 20 new homes on a flood-prone site in southeast Hereford, incorporating radical flood-resilient design measures to ensure future occupants stay dry.

Landowner Goodwin Farming has applied to demolish the derelict Manor Rest Home, alongside flats and former agricultural buildings, on a half-hectare site at the junction of Watery Lane and Lower Bullingham Lane. The area has suffered repeated flooding in recent years when the adjacent Red Brook has burst its banks, leading to the rest home’s closure following Storm Dennis in February 2020.

Under planning application 262732, the main former farmhouse, described in the application statement as "a relatively handsome two-storey former farmhouse of red brick under pitched slate roofing", would be retained and preserved. The applicant noted that the building is "considered to be a locally important historic building, although not listed," and that its setting will be enhanced by removing the surrounding "flood blighted structures".

The planning statement explains that Manor Rest Home and other structures now show signs of structural failure, leaving their conversion "not realistic nor economically viable". Instead, the scheme proposes four terraced blocks of varying sizes and two semi-detached houses.

To adapt to the high flood risk, 12 homes positioned on the parts of the site most prone to flooding will have three storeys, with ground-floor "undercrofts" used only for car storage to keep living areas dry. A further eight two-storey homes will feature habitable ground floors raised between 60cm and 1 metre above ground level.

All properties will include roof-mounted solar panels, with construction materials echoing the nearby traditional architecture. The applicant concludes that the scheme will "deliver much-needed smaller new housing in a sustainable location, close to the city’s main employment zone and contributing to meeting local housing need".

Public consultation on the application remains open until 29 October.