The conversion plan
The Grade II-listed house off Venns Lane will accommodate 14 one-bedroom apartments. Outbuildings will also be converted to housing, while the extension will contain four four-bedroom apartments.
Manbro Developments, a local firm with experience adapting older buildings across the county, submitted the proposal about a year ago. The plans described the three-story house and outbuildings as being in "a state of advanced disrepair" and proposed smaller homes "suited to individual or downsizing occupiers".
Council records list two conditional approvals: planning permission P252525/F, decided on October 29, 2026, and listed building consent P252526/L, decided on October 30. Both carry the status "Approved with Conditions".
The planning file identifies the site as "Land at 10-12 Elmhurst Care Home, Venns Lane, Hereford HR1 1DE", in Holmer ward. Manbro Developments is based at New Cross, Edwyn Ralph, Bromyard, and its agent is Hereford-based Tompkins Thomas Planning.
From family home to vacant care facility
Built in the mid-19th century, Elmcroft occupies two acres of wooded grounds at the edge of the Aylestone Hill conservation area. Its original owner was Rev. Edward Bulmer, whose grandson Percy Bulmer founded the local cider dynasty.
A heritage report cited by the BBC says The Hereford Times covered the property's auction in 1909, describing it as a "small mansion".
After serving as a hospital during World War II, the house became a council-funded residential home in 1956, according to the BBC. The council-run facility gained an extension in the 1970s, but the property has been empty and deteriorating since 2008.
The property was offered for sale in spring 2025 at a guide price of £700,000.
Applications and public comments
The council received both applications on September 4, 2025, and validated them on November 18. Consultation opened on November 27, 2025; it closed on May 23, 2026, for the planning application and May 19 for the listed building consent.
The planning application received 29 representations, with Historic England, Natural England and the Council for British Archaeology among those commenting. Local residents also submitted objections. Seven representations were recorded for the listed building application, including comments from The Victorian Society and Historic Buildings & Places.
Heritage balance and conditions
Planning officer Ollie Jones judged that the benefits of providing 22 homes in a sustainable location and reusing an underutilized site deserved substantial weight. In his assessment, those benefits outweighed the harm that subdivision and changes to the building's historic form would cause to its significance.
A section 106 agreement requires the developer to pay the council £28,534 toward new local sports facilities. Council records show that the agreement was signed on October 29, 2026, the day planning permission was granted.
The developer must also submit a travel plan and a tree management plan for the site.
