THE Tourist Information Centre in Great Malvern will be on the move later this spring.

The centre will be leaving its current premises towards the top of Church Street and moving into the former office of Great Malvern Priory at the Lyttelton Well, alongside the entrance to the priory churchyard, further down Church Street.

The move is being made after a deal to relocate it was reached between Malvern Hills District Council, and Great Malvern Priory and the Lyttelton Well.

Work has already begun on converting the former priory parish office at Lyttleton Well to become the TIC’s new home, with an opening date scheduled for Friday, May 17.

The TIC will continue to operate in its current location until Sunday, May 12, when it will close for a few days to allow the move to take place.

It was announced in October last year that the district council and Great Malvern Priory were in talks about the TIC’s future.

A five-year deal has been agreed, which will see the council rent the building and remain responsible for employing TIC staff and promotion of the district as a tourist destination.

The new TIC will continue to offer the majority of services it does now including face-to-face advice for visitors six days a week around the year, and on Sundays throughout the summer or during major events.

It will also stock visitor information leaflets and guides, provide event information and ticket sales, an accommodation booking service and issue Malvern Hills Trust car park passes.

Two staff members are taking voluntary redundancy, and the existing Lyttelton Well Café and Bookshop are unaffected by any of the changes.

The council says it needs to make changes to the TIC as it is unsustainable in its current form - particularly as the council needs to save £1.45 million from its budget by 2021 due to reductions in government funding.

Simon Smith, economic development manager for Malvern Hills District Council, said: “I’m delighted we’ve been able to agree a deal that retains Malvern TIC in a town centre location and ensures it will continue to offer the same high-quality service.

“I’m grateful to both Great Malvern Priory and Lyttelton Well and the TIC staff for their tremendous support during this process.”

An earlier proposal to move the TIC into a new building alongside the existing MHDC council house in Avenue Road ran into widespread opposition, with some 500 people signing a petition objecting to the centre’s being moved out of the town centre.

Businesses, including shops and hotels, and Malvern Town Council, also opposed the move.

And the proposal floundered when Historic England listed Priory Lodge Hall, preventing its demolition to make way for the new TIC.