Improving Hereford’s look and feel

A new baseline review & action plan has been produced for Hereford city centre following a three-month research and consultation process aimed at improving Hereford’s look and feel for residents, businesses and visitors.  The city centre action planning process has been being carried out by the People & Places Partnership on behalf of Hereford City Council, Herefordshire Council and the Hereford BID, using UK Government funding.

National good practice and advice

The work was led by Chris Wade, Director of the People & Places Partnership. Chris is a Fellow of the Institute of Place Management and a former expert member of the Government-backed High Streets Task Force (HSTF). People & Places have been assisted by their associate Diane Cunningham who is also a former HSTF expert and specialist adviser on city centre markets and events.

The work adapted the methodology of the Local Government Association’s Revitalising Town Centres Toolkit that was edited by Chris Wade. This follows an evidence-based approach and guided consultation with city centre users and businesses to help develop an action plan aimed at improving Hereford city centre’s look and feel.

Five stage approach

There were five stages to this initial action planning process between January and April 2025 that were aimed at improving Hereford’s look and feel:

1. analysis of existing evidence & strategies
2. preparation of town centre customer profile
3. city centre stakeholder surveys
3a. customer survey
3b. business confidence survey
3c. access and visual assessment
4. Assessment of existing & potential markets & events
5. Stakeholder engagement and report publication

Engaging residents, community group and businesses

An online city centre users’ survey sought residents’ perceptions and priorities for improving Hereford city centre’s look and feel. There was a also city centre business confidence survey that will be sent out through Hereford BID.  In addition, key local groups and stakeholders, such as market managers and events organisers, were contacted directly.

A total of 732 responses were received from the users survey, with 82% stating that Hereford is the city or town centre that they use most frequently. From the survey responses, we know that the most popular reasons for visiting the city centre are leisure (21%), convenience shopping such as groceries (21%), comparison shopping such as fashion or gifts (14%) and access to banks and financial services (13%).  The responses indicate nearly half of city centre users are in and out in 1-2 hours (49%), while nearly a third linger for 2-4 hours (29%).

Detailed findings from the survey included that cafes/restaurants (57%), convenience retail including groceries (44%), independent shops (41%), access to banks (33%), pubs/bars (33%) and comparison retail including fashion (27%) all rank in city centre users’ top positive perceptions. The proportion of empty shops was the top negative concern for customers (87%), with the variety of comparison retailers (41%) also amongst the negative perceptions.

In general, the headline findings from the surveys included that there was a strong consensus on positives and negatives peerceptions, plus prioririties for future improvement from city centre users and businesses.

Next steps

The draft action plan for improving Hereford’s look and feel, has now been considered by Hereford City Council, Herefordshire Council and the Hereford BID, as steering group partners.  The proposed immediate next steps that these partners need to pursue in conjunction with key stakeholders are:

1. Role, structure and ways of working for a Hereford City Centre Place Partnership: To individually and collectively develop a perspective on the development of a Place Partnership necessary to add value, using the good practice steps for creating a place partnership behind a plan created as part of this report.
2. Year 1 priorities and medium-term ambitions: To individually and collectively agree initially priorities to demonstrate success through a coordinated approach, and to plan proposed ways forward in years two and three.

Having taken a deep dive in to perspectives and priorities for the city and come-up with evidence-based recommendations for making progress, we are confident of the possibiulities for success in enhancing the role and identity of Hereford city centre.

Guidance on good practice

An abridged version of the baseline review and action plan for improving Hereford’s look and feel, includes the following good practice guidance on recommended next steps:

• Tackling empty shops with a joined-up approach.
• Shaping customers’ parking experience and use.
• Community-empowered campaign for city centre stewardship.
• Varied outdoor events programme using partners.
• Branding for pride in place and promotion.
• The evolution of a City’s Place Board.
• Improving the ‘how’ to better deliver the ‘what’.

Coordinated action plan

The study report concludes with a coordinated action plan that tabulates all recommendations, intended outputs/outcomes and indicative timings.  The recommendations are divided in to the ‘what’ and the ‘how’ of city centre revitalisation, with the former further sub-divided in improvements to Hereford’s ‘look’ (physical change) and the feel (animating the city).  This structures broadly follows that of the LGA revitalising town centres toolkit, with a focus on short to medium-term priorities.  Key themes within the action plan are:

1. Planning and travel
2. Business support, markets and events
3. Core coordination and communication

Though perhaps a simplistic perspective in relation to the complexities of putting a partnership together and agreeing a deliverable plan, our parting message to local partners is:  “Hereford is a good city that could be valued as a great city –if you want it to be!”

More information

This work in Hereford is using the approach developed by People & Places for the Local Government Association’s revitalising town centres toolkit.  This toolkit includes case studies on action planning for town and city centres including case studies on People & Places’ support for reopening & revitalising Selby town centre and and reopening East Suffolk’s towns.