What we do

Malvern Town Council is your grass roots local council responsible for the care and maintenance of a large number of assets in the town and for running events throughout the year for the community.  We plant seasonal bedding, provide hanging baskets and troughs, and comment on planning applications at district council planning meetings on behalf of the residents of Malvern.

We also look after Great Malvern Cemetery, Rose Bank Gardens, allotment sites, play areas, football pitches, sports pavilions, a skateboard park, gas lamps, bins, benches and bus shelters as well as a number of other green and open spaces throughout Malvern. 

Malvern Town Council recognises that the day-to-day operations of the council can impact both directly and indirectly on the environment and works to protect and improve the environment, through good management and by adopting best practice.  The Council adopted its current Environmental Policy in November 2022 and reviews achievements against this policy annually. Please click here for details

Annual events organised by the Town Council are for the benefit of the residents.  Most raise funds for the Mayor’s charity and we hope you will come along to join in the fun.  These events include the Health and Wellbeing Fair, the Mayor’s Peaks Challenge, Bands in the Park, Alternative Bands in the Park, Armed Forces Day, The Mayor’s Bonanza, Remembrance Commemorations, the Christmas Festival, and civic services and heritage days.  A calendar of events and meetings can be found under What’s On.  

The Council is also here to represent your views, as residents of Malvern.  Please contact your local councillor if you have any concerns or comments to make, either in your ward or in the town – or contact the Town Council offices on 01684 566667.

Parks and Play Areas

Victoria Park

Victoria Park, in Malvern Link has a variety of sporting facilities such as a football pitch, tennis courts, skate park and basketball courts, as well as a multi-use games area.  The football pitch can be booked by contacting Deborah Powell on 01684 566667 or emailing here.

Dukes Meadow
Rosebank Gardens

Rosebank Gardens were gifted to the town in 1918 by Charles William Dyson Perrins to be used as a public pleasure garden.  A house within the gardens called Rosebank was occupied until the early twentieth century before being used by the Women’s Royal Voluntary Service during the Second World War.  It then fell into disrepair and was demolished in 1959. 

Malvern Hills District Council took ownership of the gardens, leasing them to Malvern Town Council in February 2012 for a period of 99 years with the Town Council assuming responsibility for the maintenance of the gardens.

The Operations Team set about returning the gardens to their former glory as far as possible.  Significant work has already been carried out to repair stone walls and railings, open up overgrown areas, and replant and restore the many floral beds that gave the area its name.

It is now an ideal venue for outdoor events and these include outdoor theatre and the popular Health and Wellbeing fair, held each May. 

There are two sculptures, created by Walenty Pytel (one of the world’s foremost animal and bird metal sculptors), that have been installed into Rose Bank Gardens in recent years.  These were sponsored by Malvern Town Council, Malvern Hills District Council and private investors. The Buzzards mark the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II in 2012. The sculpture is matt grey in colour, has a wingspan of 8ft, and is mounted on a 16ft high steel girder.  The statue is easily visible from central Malvern as well as a superb way to enter the gateway to the hills.   ‘Lark Ascending’ was installed in 2017, further back in the gardens, drawing the eye to the hills.

Station Gardens

This small area of parkland outside Great Malvern Railway Station, shaded by mature trees, forms a lovely place to relax before hopping on your train.  The gardens are maintained by Town Council Operations staff and community groups plant bulbs each year.  The garden is a riot of colour in the spring, with snowdrops, daffodils, and crocuses blooming in succession.

Lansdowne Crescent

This island, surrounded by residential dwellings, has had a number of trees planted on it by Town Council staff.  The area is used for community events, and the Christmas lights are well worth a visit.

Library Grounds

The library grounds are kept looking their best by the Town Council’s head gardener who is assisted by several keen volunteers from among the residents of Malvern. 

Malvern Library’s grounds also contain the Great Malvern War Memorial, where Remembrance Sunday and Armistice Day observations are held each year.

Play Areas and Playgrounds

Play areas can be found at various locations throughout the town.  The play equipment varies in these areas and not all are suitable for very young children.

  • Adam Lee
  • Avon Close
  • Craig Lea
  • Dukes Meadow
  • Duke of Edinburgh Way
  • Jamaica Crescent
  • Kent Close
  • Lower Howsell Road
  • Michael Crescent
  • Townsend Way
  • Victoria Park
Green Space

There are many public open spaces in Malvern, ideal for picnics, outdoor games or walking.  These are at:

  • Avon Close
  • Dukes Meadow
  • Elgar Avenue
  • Greenfields Road
  • Jamaica Crescent
  • Lower Howsell Road
  • Michael Crescent
  • Townsend Way
  • Victoria Park
  • Yates Hay Road

Sports Pitches

Malvern Town Council allocates sports pitches to teams on an annual contract basis.  If you would like to book any of the sports pitches, please contact Deborah Powell on 01684 566667, or email here. 

Sports pitches – charges 1 April 2023 – 31 March 2024

Facilities available:

Victoria Park – Football Pitch, Netball Pitch, Tennis Courts & Skate Park

Lower Howsell – Football Pitch, Pavilion & Rounders’ Pitch

Dukes Meadow – Football Pitch, Pavilion & Rounders’ Pitch

Benches, Bus Shelters and Litter Bins

Benches

BENCHES IN MALVERN

  • Abbey Road (by steps junction Abbey Road)
  • Alexandra Road (opp. Alexandra Lane)
  • Avenue road (by Council House)
  • Barnards Green (bus shelter)
  • Barnards Green (by bus shelter Clock Tower)
  • Barnards Green Island
  • Church Road (corner of Lower Howsell Road)
  • Church Street (by Post Office)
  • Church Street (corner of Victoria Road)
  • Church Street (entrance to Priory Churchyard)
  • Churchill Drive (corner of Lower Howsell Road)
  • Geraldine road (by car park entrance)
  • Graham Road (by old Job Centre)
  • Graham Road (opp. Library)
  • Guarlford Road (on common)
  • Guarlford Road (on common)
  • Guarlford Road (on common)
  • Poolbrook Road (corner of Werstan Close)
  • Richmond Road (by bus shelter)
  • The Lees (off Thirlstane Road)
  • Victoria Road
  • Wells Road Bus Stop (By Rose Bank Gardens)

Please contact the Town Council on 01684 566667 to report any damage or concerns regarding any of the street furniture mentioned above.

Bus Shelters

BUS SHELTERS IN MALVERN

  • Avenue Road (2)
  • Barnards Green outside 133 Barnards Green Road
  • Barnards Green/Clock tower
  • Brookfarm Drive (2)
  • Church Street outside chemist
  • Cotswold Road/Pickersleigh Road corner
  • Graham Road
  • Hayslan Avenue/Pickersleigh Road corner
  • Howsell Road/Worcester Road corner (2)
  • Leigh Sinton Road, opp. No. 9
  • Madresfield Road, opp. Delamere Road
  • Madresfield Road/Pound Bank Road corner
  • North Malvern Road, adjacent to MEB Sub-station
  • Pickersleigh Road, opp. medical centre
  • Pickersleigh Road, outside medical centre
  • Pickersleigh Road/North End Lane corner
  • Pound Bank Road/Borrowdale Road corner (3)
  • Rose Bank Gardens
  • Station Road (2)
  • Worcester Road, junction with Newtown Road
  • Worcester Road, outside No. 271
  • Worcester road by Depot (2)

Please contact the Town Council on 01684 566667 to report any damage or concerns regarding any of the street furniture mentioned above.

Litter Bins

LITTER BINS

The following litter bins are owned and maintained by Malvern Town Council.  However, please note that it Malvern Hills District Council is responsible for emptying them.

  • Albert Park Road between Quest Hills and Highfield Road
  • Albert Park Road opp. Frederick Road
  • Avenue Road (2 by Willows Stores)
  • Avon Close
  • Barnards Green Road by bus shelter
  • Barnards Green Road by Somerfields
  • Barnards Green Road by Threshers Wine Shop
  • Barnards Green Road by Hunts
  • Barnards Green Road by chemists
  • Church Street by Bus Stop opp. Highlea
  • Church Road by St Matthias Church
  • Church Street by Priory Park entrance
  • Church Street entrance to Church Walk
  • Church Street outside Iceland
  • Church Street by Post Office
  • Church Street; bottom of Belle Vue Island
  • Church Street by Tourist Information Centre
  • Church Walk outside Wilko
  • Church Walk by newsagents
  • Cotswold Road by corner bus stop
  • DERA by Chase High School
  • Edith Walk
  • Elgar Avenue outside shops
  • Geraldine Road corner of Barnards Green Road
  • Graham Road by shops (two)
  • Graham Road, corner of Como Road
  • Graham Road, corner of Edith Walk
  • Grange Road by ‘on street’ car park
  • Grange Road by Festival Theatre
  • Grange Road by toilets
  • Hampden Road corner of Worcester Road
  • Hayslan Road by Eversley Grove
  • Howsell Road corner of Bond Street outside Travis Perkins
  • Lower Howsell Road by New Inn (2)
  • Madresfield Road (corner by bus stop)
  • Madresfield Road Cemetery
  • Madresfield Road by Manor Park
  • Manby Road by junior school
  • Moat Way (by the Spar shop)
  • Orchard Road by bowling green
  • Orchard Road by medical centre
  • Pickersleigh Avenue car park
  • Pickersleigh Avenue car park
  • Pickersleigh Avenue car park
  • Pickersleigh Avenue corner with Victoria Park Road
  • Pickersleigh Avenue inside car park
  • Pickersleigh Avenue opp. Spring Lane access road
  • Pickersleigh Grove
  • Pickersleigh Grove opp. school
  • Pickersleigh Road by Bicknells Garage
  • Pickersleigh Road by school
  • Pickersleigh Road corner by Chase Road
  • Poolbrook Road by Goodwin butchers
  • Pound Bank Road by bus shelter
  • Richmond Road by bus shelter
  • Russell Drive by footpath
  • Somers Park Avenue by Ascension Church
  • Spring Lane by Rugby Club
  • St Ann’s Road
  • St Matthias Churchyard (inside)
  • Station Gardens (3)
  • Upper Howsell Road (between nos. 16 and 18)
  • Upper Howsell Road (by Post Office)
  • Upper Howsell Road opp. Yates Hay Road
  • Victoria Park Road by health clinic
  • Wells Road by bus stop Rose Bank Gardens
  • Woodshears Road junction of Court Road
  • Worcester Road (outside Brays)
  • Worcester Road bus shelter (Junction with Newtown Road)
  • Worcester Road (by Co-op)
  • Worcester Road by fire station
  • Worcester Road by Link Top shops outside newsagent
  • Worcester Road by pedestrian crossing
  • Worcester Road (outside Santler Court)
  • Worcester Road by Priory Cleaners
  • Worcester Road by traffic lights at Pickersleigh Road
  • Worcester Road corner of Pickersleigh Road
  • Worcester Road corner of Queens Road
  • Worcester Road opp. Cromwell Road opp. Lloyds Bank
  • Worcester Road, corner of Pickersleigh Road
  • Worcester Road, Eversley Stores
  • Yates Hay Rd by Dyson Perrins School
  • Yates Hay Road by Anchor Inn
  • Yates Hay Road opp. Beauchamp Road
  • Yates Hay Road by chip shop
  • Yates Hay Road/Knapp Way

Please contact the Town Council on 01684 566667 to report any damage or concerns regarding any of the street furniture mentioned above.

Clocks

Tank Quarry

The clock at Tank Quarry Clock Tower is wound once a week.

Please contact the Town Council on 01684 566667 to report any damage to or concerns regarding the clock.

Lyttelton Well

The clock at Lyttelton Well is maintained, but not owned by Malvern Town Council, being wound once a week.

Please contact the Town Council on 01684 566667 to report any damage to or concerns regarding the clock.

United Reformed Church, Malvern Link

The clock at the United Reformed Church is owned and maintained by Malvern Town Council but is wound by the church.

Please contact the Town Council on 01684 566667 to report any damage to or concerns regarding the clock.

Barnards Green Memorial Bus Shelter

The clock in the bus shelter is owned by Malvern Town Council and has an electric mechanism.

Please contact the Town Council on 01684 566667 to report any damage to or concerns regarding the clock.

Great Malvern Cemetery

History

From around the mid-18th century onwards, England’s towns were experiencing a growing burial crisis, where traditional churchyards and burial grounds were becoming overcrowded and increasingly unhygienic.  This prompted the development of new ideas for burial, including the opening of new urban cemeteries.  These were laid out as a new type of landscape, taking inspiration from the C18 country house pleasure grounds, with networks of paths and walks with ornamental planting, and the idea of cemeteries also as places of pleasure and social gathering.  These cemeteries often had their own chapels and burial plots which were divided between religious denominations.  They became places where people of all social classes could be buried, and where family and friends would meet to walk the grounds.  These were known as garden cemeteries, and they were generally operated on a commercial basis by private companies.  Their numbers were increasing particularly from around the 1820s.

Despite these new cemeteries, the problem of overcrowded burial grounds became acute in the first half of the 19th century.  Cholera epidemics of the 1830s and 1840s prompted action from the governments of the day, with a series of Acts of Parliament in the 1850s becoming known as the Burial Acts, giving local authorities the power to open public cemeteries.  These were generally set up by local Burial Boards, who often held competitions to find designers for these new public cemeteries.

At Great Malvern, the town saw considerable growth through the 18th and 19th centuries, particularly as a fashionable spa resort.  This led to the inevitable problems with finding appropriate burial space and thus the Great Malvern Burial Board was established in the late 1850s with parishioners appointed to the board to investigate options for a new cemetery.  They set about acquiring land for the new cemetery, and in the early 1860s held a competition for the design.  This was won by the Cheltenham architect William Hill Knight, whose successful design proposed a pair of chapels standing in landscaped grounds, with a lodge at the entrance.  Knight had already laid out Hereford Cemetery (1858), and was working on Bouncer’s Lane Cemetery, Cheltenham at around the same time as Malvern, and would go on to design Shipston-on-Stour Cemetery (1863).

The Anglican, Nonconformist and Mortuary chapels, built in 1861-1863 and designed by W H Knight for the Great Malvern Burial Board, were laid out with the Anglican chapel to the east, and the Nonconformist chapel to the west.  These were approached via a central drive from the entrance to the south.  It appears that the central tower was added between 1873 and 1874 by Henry Haddon, it being of a different stone from the chapels, and with carving by William Forsyth of Worcester possibly carried out at the same time.  It seems likely that a central tower would have been intended by Knight, but was perhaps not carried out at the time of the original construction.  The relationship of the tower with the corridor which connects to the Anglican chapel bears similarities with Knight’s chapels at Cheltenham Cemetery.

The Chapels are listed at Grade II for their architectural and historic interest.

The Cemetery Today

Today, Great Malvern Cemetery is fifteen acres in total having been extended in 2017 when Bishop Michael Hooper, on behalf of the Bishop of Worcester, consecrated a further section of three acres.  It is divided into two parts – pre and post 1950.  There are approximately fifteen thousand six hundred graves, and these are being digitally documented by the Malvern Family History Society.  

Great Malvern Cemetery was the first cemetery to be entered into Caring for God’s Acre which is a small independent charity helping communities to care for and interpret churchyards and burial grounds.  As part of participation into the scheme, a biological plant survey was carried out jointly with the Herefordshire Biological Records Centre; many plant species were recorded and the survey also brought to light small early flowering annuals.  Areas of grassland in the cemetery are left uncut in the early summer to encourage wild flowers, whilst in the older parts of the cemetery, autumn sees colourful grassland fungi.  A wildlife area of the cemetery (plot 4) has been set aside to encourage wildlife, both flora and fauna, and acts as a ‘green lung’ to the area.

The cemetery is beautifully maintained by the Operations Team at Malvern Town Council and has won several awards, most recently the Gold Award in the Parks and Open Spaces category of the Heart of England in Bloom competition.

There are several persons of note buried in Great Malvern Cemetery and we welcome visitors between the following times.  Please be mindful of other visitors who may be bereaved families and of the cemetery rules and regulations. 

A list of notable graves can be found here.

Cemetery Enquiries and Opening Times

If you have any queries about Great Malvern Cemetery please contact Louise Wall on 01684 566667 or by email lwall@malvern-tc.org.uk

Please note, you can no longer pre-purchase grave spaces.

The pedestrian gates in Great Malvern Cemetery are open daily between the following times, including Saturdays, Sundays, Good Friday, Christmas Day and Public Holidays:

1 April to 30 September                              8.00 am to 6.00 pm

1 October to 31 March                                 8.00 am to 4.00 pm

Current rules and regulations of Great Malvern Cemetery can be downloaded here or ring the office to request a printed copy.

Allotments

Would you like to grow your own fresh fruit, flowers, herbs and vegetables?  If so, then renting an allotment from the Town Council could be for you.  An allotment is not only a way of growing your own good-quality fresh produce at low cost, it is also a great way of getting out in the fresh air, meeting like-minded people, a good source of exercise and beneficial for the environment. 

However, allotments do take time and energy to look after properly and you should think carefully about how many hours you have available each week to spend on the plot.  If plots become overgrown and neglected, your tenancy may be terminated and the plot re-let, so it is worthwhile being realistic about what you can do.

There are two allotment sites owned and run by Malvern Town Council: Goodwood Road (103 plots) and Knapp Way (29 plots). 

Each allotment plot is 125 square metres and the current fee is £36 per plot per year.  This fee is invoiced in January and covers nine months in arrears and three months in advance.  Fees are reviewed by the council at the start of each financial year (1 April).  An initial deposit of £40.00 must be paid on signing the contract.

Allotments can only be let to residents of Malvern Town. 

If you would like us to add your name to the waiting list for an allotment, please email Hazel Allen hallen@malvern-tc.org.uk

Allotment fees for 2023-24

A further site at Monksfield Lane is now being self-managed on a five-year basis by the Monksfield Lane Allotment Association. 

Gas Lamps

There are 109 gas lamps in the local area, which are owned by four different councils: Malvern Town Council (20), Malvern Hills District Council (16), Malvern Wells Parish Council (48), and West Malvern Parish Council (25).

The gas lamps are an important part of Malvern’s history and are believed to have inspired elements of the ‘Chronicles of Narnia’ novels by C S Lewis. Legend states that after drinking in The Unicorn Pub one winter evening, Lewis and a group of friends were walking home when it started to snow.  They saw a lamp post shining out through the snow and Lewis turned to his friends and said “that would make a very nice opening line to a book”.  The novel The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe later used that image as the characters enter the realm of Narnia.

Malvern Town Council started refurbishing the town’s historic gas lamps in 2011, in partnership with Sight Designs of West Malvern, and Transition Malvern Hills.  The refurbishment project has reduced energy usage and maintenance costs whilst at the same time increased light intensity.  The Town Council’s Operations Team are trained to maintain the lamps.

The gas lamps maintained by the Town Council are at Heywell Walk (2), Hospital Road (3), Moorlands Road (5), Ninety-Nine Steps (4), North Malvern Quarry (1), Poolbrook Common (2), St Matthias Churchyard (2) and Woodshears Road/Priory Road footpath (1, not active).

Water Courses

The Town Council is responsible for the following 14 watercourses (streams & ditches) in Malvern. These are inspected and maintained on a regular basis by members of the Council’s Operations Team.

The watercourses (streams & ditches) are at the following locations:

Elgar Avenue – by Malvern Town’s football ground and by the small football pitch

Townsend Way – main stream running east to west, ditch running north to south, pond by footpath 102

Victoria Park – stream north side of the park, by tennis courts

Lower Howsell – ditch on north side of the park by dressing rooms, and ditch on south side by railway line

Queen Elizabeth Road – stream that runs from Summerfield Road

Goodwood Road Allotments – stream runs past the south boundary

Yates Hay Road – stream running east to west

Knapp Way Allotments – ditch on north boundary

Craig Lea Estate (Tomato Land) – stream running east to west

Dukes Meadow – ditch on north boundary

Malvern and its Twin Towns

Malvern is twinned with two towns – Bagnères-de-Bigorre in the south-west of France and Mariánské Lázně in the Czech Republic. 

The twinning associations were set up by volunteers in conjunction with the town council to celebrate the cultural similarities and differences between Malvern and its twin towns, facilitate cultural and educational exchanges and to promote Malvern so that our local economy will benefit.

The Neighbourhood Plan

The Malvern Town Neighbourhood Plan is part of the Government’s approach to statutory plan-making.  It was ‘Made’ (adopted) by Malvern Hills District Council in August 2019 and all decisions on planning applications by the Local Planning Authority will be made in accordance with the plan, other parts of the statutory development plan (the SWDP) and other material considerations.

You can download a copy of the Neighbourhood Plan here.

Grants scheme

Malvern Town Council recognises the immense value of voluntary and community activity and its contribution to residents’ well-being, the local economy and the sustainability of a wide range of services which benefit people living and working in the town. The grants scheme aims to enable local community organisations to deliver activities and/or projects to the residents of Malvern by awarding small grants up to £500 and large grants up to £2,500. The scheme runs twice a year and will reopen in August 2024.

See how grants have been spent in previous years:

Grants report March 2022

Grants report 2021-22

Grants report 2019-20

Grants report 2020-21

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