MALVERN is in urgent need of a facelift, says the town’s civic society.

It says among the town’s problems are uneven pavements, blocked drains, unmaintained shop fronts and shabby alleyways.

Clive Hooper, a former chairman of the society and a member of Malvern Town Council, is calling on Worcestershire County Council to take action on the state of the footpaths.

In a draft letter which is soon to be sent to the county highways department, the town council says that no action has been taken on patching-up work to footpaths identified on a site visit which the Civic Society arranged over three years ago.

There has also been no progress in dealing with water run-off problems from Worcester Road highway, he said.

Cllr Hooper said: “Those problems were caused directly by the actions taken by the highways authority when the road was resurfaced several years ago and, without any consultation and contrary to conservation area policy, the historic granite sets forming edging gullies were removed.”

He also said resurfacing work promised for the top of Church Street and leading into Worcester Road in front of the Foley Arms Hotel had not been done.

“We all recognise the importance of having attractive and well-kept public areas, particularly in an historic town which has such a superb natural setting at the foot of the Malvern Hills, and which depends on visitors to help to support its prosperity," he said.

“Malvern in Bloom is an excellent example of how the appearance of the town can be transformed by splendid initiatives of this kind, and it is a pity if the public esteem of this is lost by insufficient care and attention being given to other aspects of the town’s appearance.

“Malvern Civic Society is keen to ensure that Great Malvern always looks smart and presentable so that its status as the premier Victorian spa town is preserved.”

The town council is now calling on the county council’s chief executive and the relevant cabinet members to attend a meeting to explain what action will be taken to address these matters.

Town councillor Peter Smith said: “The state of the pavements in the town centre is a matter of concern, and as a town council, we need to use our influence to put pressure and make sure that the necessary maintenance can be done as soon as possible.”

Cllr Hooper said: “This highlights issues in the central area of the town. There are, however, other parts of the main roads in Malvern, including North Malvern and Malvern Link, where footpath work is needed.”

A spokesman for Worcestershire County Council said “Chief Executive of Worcestershire County Council, Paul Robinson attended a Full Council meeting of Malvern Town Council on the 6th of November 2019. Any concerns raised in the meeting will be addressed by the relevant parties in due course.”