PLANS are now being made for a new tourist information centre for Broadway on the Gordon Russell site.

Tourism consultant Philip Cook, who has been employed by Wychavon District Council to carry out a consultation on Broadway's tourism centre needs, gave a presentation to Broadway parish council last Thursday.

He said he was creating a business plan for the new centre which would secure a long-term future for tourism services in the village.

Mr Cook has already liaised with the parish council, hotels like The Lygon Arms and the Dormy House Hotel and volunteers at the village's current tourism centre in Cotswold Court and he plans more discussions with other organisations like Worcestershire County Council.

At the meeting he also praised the "superhuman" efforts of the volunteers, led by Dottie Friedli, and said the village's tourism centre has already been such a success they would not want to disturb current arrangements.

"Replacing that system is going to be difficult and I don't necessarily think it should be done," he said.

But Mr Cook added that volunteers could not be asked to take over new tasks like taking money and there would need to be salaried administrative staff working alongside volunteers acting as the public face of the new centre.

He said employing salaried staff meant the centre would have to increase its income to meet costs and he was already exploring funding through the Evesham Market Towns Forum but said the centre would also need sustainable funding to secure its long-term future.