A DISUSED part of Malvern Council House looks set for a bright future after a project was launched to bring it back to life.
The Conservatory, situated off Avenue Road, has fallen into a poor state of repair in recent years, with damaged floor tiles and a leaking roof. It has also previously been under threat of demolition.
But council bosses are keen to breathe new life into the building as they carried out a restoration project last year.
And following a meeting of Malvern Hills District Council’s Southern Area Planning Committee last Wednesday (August 19) a further £3,157 of taxpayers money is set to be used to install underfloor heating.
Concerns were raised by Malvern Civic Society as members felt further investigation should be made to find an alternative way of restoring the floor.
But councillors backed efforts to revamp the Conservatory, which has been used for storage in the past.
Coun Hannah Campbell said: “I can understand the Civic Society being concerned about the heritage of the floor tiles, but I think there is a far greater benefit for the community. We could use it to hold weddings and find more use for it for 365 days of the year.”
Coun Roger Hall-Jones added: “What we are going to do to is actually protect that floor, so it can be opened up again at some point in the future.”
Speaking after the meeting, Sandra Hudson, estates and facilities manager for Malvern Hills District Council, said they were keen to explore ways to utilise the Conservatory better. “Installing heating is important to protect the conservatory from damage due to variations in temperature and will initially provide additional meeting space,” she added.
