A VISION to make Great Malvern a lively and prosperous town centre is one that Malvern Hills District Council officers believe is still as relevant now as it was when it was written into the 1996 Town Centre Strategy.

While much has been done to try and revive Malvern's shopping centre, cultural scene and attractiveness to visitors, it is evident that the council's work is not yet done.

A few years ago it was thought the building of a Waitrose store would bring shoppers in their droves, not only to the supermarket but also along nice new pedestrian links to Church Street and Worcester Road to see what else Malvern had to offer.

The reality seems to be that while Waitrose has found outstanding success, expectations of what its development would bring to surrounding shops has largely been seen as an anticlimax.

To clarify perceptions about the town centre and help understand what could improve it, MHDC commissioned a Malvern Retail Study in 2001/2002.

That study found that local shoppers were significantly influenced by shopping centres in Cheltenham, Birmingham, Tewkesbury and Leominster, and that Malvern's limited floor space meant it had little realistic prospect in competing.

On the positive side people said they felt safe in Malvern, that it had good food shopping and a nice environment. Their worst criticisms were of a poor choice in non-food shops, poor accessibility by public transport and lack of car parking. Most wanted more and better shops.

Another view that arose from the study was that the poor quality of some shop fronts, which people suggested showed a lack of investment in upkeep. As a result the protection of frontages for retail use looks likely to become a council planning policy.

The report also looked into the number of empty shops in Malvern.

Head of planning Gary Williams said: "We found that vacancy levels in Great Malvern are actually comparable or better than the average. Perception about trading across the town centre is, as a whole, good particularly since the retail market is highly competitive and rapidly changing."

Assistant chief executive Stephen Leese said that MHDC still stood by its vision of the town centre as a bustling and popular spot for locals and tourists alike.