WHEN Walford Parish Council was granted a licence to create a memorial garden in Howle Hill, a space was left in the centre for the relocation of the village’s War Memorial.

Herefordshire Council granted approval to create the garden at the top of Sharman Pitch in 2022.

The garden itself, complete with Tommy silhouettes, was completed in 2024 shortly before that year’s Remembrance Sunday.

The Memorial Garden project will only be concluded, in the opinion of the Walford Parish Council and local residents once the War Memorial has been moved from its current position, in a corner of the bus shelter area, to take pride of place in the centre of the garden.

The proposed works will move the existing memorial intact, in one piece, to the new location.

The memorial itself is 150 centimetres high and previous surveys show that there is no structure underneath the memorial in its current position. The new location already has a concrete base in situ.

It its application Walford Parish Council is fully aware of the need to proceed with utmost care in moving the memorial, ‘a listed building’, and have obtained a quotation and have appointed Monmouth Memorials to carry out the work.

The company states that it will erect a safety barrier fencing around site and clean the memorial using only brushes and clean water only..

The remove of the memorial will involve a large heavy duty gantry system to help transport the structure to its new location using power carrier.

At its new location, the memorial will be fixed to the ground with an anchor.

The cross plinth is already held to base by a method called a joggle, similar to tongue and groove so that there is no need to disturb this.

The application states: “The proposal would provide a much-improved experience for those wishing to remember those from the parish who gave their lives for their country.

“It will also allow additional protection from collision with motor vehicles for both the memorial and those visiting as it will be further away from the highway.

“Finally, the relocation to the centre of the garden will allow easier access to the elderly and those with mobility impairments.”

Comments can be made on the application, number P240126/L via Herefordshire Council’s planning portal by Thursday, April 2.

For more information about planning applications in your area visit publicnoticeportal.uk.