PUBLIC support is needed so an £80,000 project to restore the ‘Victorian heritage’ on a Malvern road can become a reality.
Malvern Wells Parish Council has launched a scheme to place a further 11 iconic gas lamps on Wells Road (A449) in a bid to enhance the road’s historic roots.
Gas lamps are an important part of Malvern’s Victorian heritage, with more than 100 dotted around the area which have been thoroughly restored by The Transition Gasketeers.
Currently there are 27 gas lamps along the A449 between the boundary of Great Malvern and the junction with Holywell Road but a measured survey conducted by councillors suggested there was enough space to add more.
The benefits of having the extra lamps would not only improve lighting along the pathway and reduce light pollution, but boost the ‘Victorian street scene’ according to council bosses.
Original lanterns are unlikely to be available but, as has been demonstrated by the restoration of the existing 48 gas lamps in the parish, modern replicas are indistinguishable.
However, to receive any funding the parish council must demonstrate the project has received ‘clear public enthusiasm’ and they have since set up an online consultation for residents and organisations to show their support.
The council will also need ‘special permission’ to install the gas lamps on the road from Malvern Hills Conservators for whom the land is under their control.
Malvern Wells parish clerk David Taverner said: “The lamps would be great from a tourist point of view but also they are very historical.
“C.S Lewis wrote about gas lamps in The Chronicles of Narnia as historical points of interest and that is something we’re hoping to achieve on Wells Road.
“We are hoping to get enough positive support because if there’s not enough clear public enthusiasm, we will not get the money from the Lottery Scheme.
“It’s a huge project as the lamps cost about £1,000 each and then we have to connect them, dig the road up as well as getting in touch with the Malvern Hills Conservators.”
The parish council will provide a contribution to the scheme in volunteer time and money and is seeking to apply for other grants from external bodies to cover the costs.
Malvern Hills Area of Natural Beauty (AONB) are backing the scheme and assisting the parish council in putting together a bid for funding from the Heritage Lottery Scheme.
David Armitage, assistant partnership manager at Malvern Hills AONB, said: “The Malvern Hills AONB is about conserving what makes the area unique and special.
“The gas lamps are very much part of that and it’s great that Malvern Wells Parish Council are working with us to re-install the area’s heritage.”
Anybody wishing to show their support to the project can do so by visiting http://tinyurl.com/hf4795q.
