CONSULTANTS looking into the future of Great Malvern have recommended that Church Street should be made one-way downhill.

DTZ Pieda Consulting said the pedestrian needed to be given more priority as a first step in the regeneration of the town centre.

At a meeting this week, the Great Malvern Town Centre Partnership agreed to adopt the approach suggested by the consultants, whose work was paid for by Malvern Hills District Council.

As a result, a traffic survey will be carried out in Church Street before Christmas. The outcome will help the partnership decide whether Church Street should be pedestrianised in total or made one-way, and, in this case, in which direction the traffic should flow.

One of the advantages of a one-way system is that on-street car parking could be retained.

Other ideas include providing more retail outlets in Church Walk, opposite Somerfield, with the aim of creating a parade of quality shops, which would encourage more people to come from Waitrose into Church Street.

In the case of the Post Office site, the consultants suggested that if it were to be re-developed the most practical solution in terms of attracting private finance would be a mixture of residential and retail use, with a town square in front of the building.

Coun Tom Wells, who chairs the partnership, said the intention would be to hold a public meeting early in the New Year when the outcome of the traffic survey was known, by which time more details of what is proposed would be available.