Major work planned for popular Malvern park

A number of public meetings are set to be held to discuss major plans to build a new community hub in a popular town park.

Malvern Town Council is planning to knock down an empty pavilion in the town’s Victoria Park and replace it with a new community hub.

The proposed building would contain a café, new public toilets, a community room and meeting space and the town council’s new offices.

Three public meetings are due to be held in Malvern in February to present the plans with residents invited to have their say.

The park already boasts a popular play area, skate park, two new basketball courts, a football pitch and netball and tennis courts.

The first public meeting will take place between 12pm and 7.30pm on Thursday, February 10 at the Eden Centre in Grovewood Road.

Meetings will then take place on Monday, February 14 between 10am and 2.30pm at the Malvern Link United Reformed Church Hall in Worcester Road before the final meeting is held between 12pm and 7pm on Wednesday, February 16 at Malvern Town Council in Belle Vue Terrace.

The latest part of the scheme, which is likely to start next year, would see the park’s old pavilion – now described as “obsolete” – replaced with a low-energy and eco-friendly community hub.

The town council said the current pavilion is in a poor state, is becoming more expensive to run and is inaccessible for many.

The town council said: “The design of the new building will be carefully considered and developed so that it is inclusive – so that everyone can use it safely and easily – and welcoming with no disabling barriers that might exclude some people. This will be a huge improvement on the existing pavilion, where accessibility is limited.”

The pavilion has also regularly become the site of vandalism and anti-social behaviour and public toilets have also had to closed regularly due to damage.

As part of the work, Malvern Town Council will move its offices from Belle Vue Terrace, its home since 2001, to the new community hub.

The sale of the current town council offices will contribute towards the £1.5 million needed to build the new facilities. The council also plans to use some of its reserves and take out a £310,00 public works loan to pay for the project.