THE champagne is set to flow at a new media centre for the community in Malvern this summer, as work finishes on the ambitious project.

Paul Farrer, owner of West-Malvern-based company Music Mint, was granted planning permission in 2004 to convert Raglan House in Westminster Bank, West Malvern into a media centre.

Work has been ongoing on creating the complex since June 2004 and now Mr Farrer has said the project is set to be fully complete by the end of August.

Finishing touches are being made to the interior, including painting and plastering and work on the basement extension will soon be completed.

Mr Farrer said: "It's quite a high-tech building so wiring for things like the internet have taken time. There's an awful lot of things that have to be done overall.

"We're not under any great pressure - I'm doing it right rather than quickly so that it appears that it's dragging its heels. But it's not really, it's coming along very well."

Once complete, the centre will comprise three recording studios on the ground floor along with conference facilities and an activities room for the community.

The first floor will consist of four big office suites for multimedia companies, while two luxury apartments will be situated on the second floor. The basement - one of the last aspects of the project to be finished - is set to house the Leapfrogs pre-school playgroup and West Malvern's St James's Primary School After School Club.

Mr Farrer said he had already had a considerable amount of interest from multimedia organisations in the area - including video-editing, web design, photographic and graphics companies keen to set up base in the centre.

Talks were held with Malvern Hills District Council earlier this year about opening the facility up for community use.

Mr Farrer added that, once the work was complete, he planned to organise some form of celebratory event.