21st Century

In the late 1990’s it was recognised that the Memorial Hall was reaching the end of its useful life notwithstanding the tremendous support and assistance given by local volunteers. In the year 2000 applications were made to various charitable foundations to fund the construction of a brand-new building.  The demolition of the old hall and construction of the new Memorial Hall happened in 2001 funded primarily by the National Lottery Fund. It was officially opened on 17th November 2001.

Pool Piece,  in the centre of the village opposite the Farmers Arms, is the only residue of land that formed the common land originally grazed by cattle. A pond existed at the lower end of the land pre-1970. It was set out as a children’s play area in the 1970’s. In 2013 a volunteer group formed to redesign and improve the facilities there and grants were obtained to enable the work to be done. It reopened in its current form in 2014.

The Farmers Arms, owned by Enterprise Inns (a pub company), was closed in July 2012 due to a succession of unsuccessful tenants. The parish council were keen to keep the premises trading as a community venue and made an offer to the pub company. The offer was to be funded by the Public Works Loan Board. The offer was rejected and the property went to auction. Later it was purchased by a local builder and after considerable refurbishment was reopened in March 2014.

Following the Government’s Localism Act 2011 the parish council formed a working group to work up a Neighbourhood Development Plan. After considerable debate and public consultation such a plan was formed. The purpose was to set out in planning terms the location for new dwellings in the parish and how such new development was to blend in with the existing landscape. The Wellington Heath Neighbourhood Development Plan was adopted by Herefordshire Council in 2018. It received minor revisions in 2021. The 2021 plan is on the Parish Council website and can be downloaded here.

Technology continues apace. Many homes now have solar panels on their roofs providing a source of electricity. Fibre optic cable has been laid into the village and many households now have access to high speed connectivity to the internet. However, outside the village internet connection continues to rely on copper telephone cable. Access to Ledbury is marginally better than it was a century ago and vehicles are increasingly powered by electricity. With home delivery of all groceries now available how long before the bus service is consigned to history?

Photos of events that took place in the village back to 2009, as well as productions of the Wellington Heath Amateur Dramatics Society (WHADS) back to 2002, can be found on the Village web site: Past Events  , WHADS Productions