I am happy to say that illegal encampment at Victoria Park was moved on Friday (4 July) evening by Malvern police after a heighten number of calls regarding anti-social behaviour.  

It has been a tense week for all involved including our community, and I can assure residents and businesses that Malvern Town Council did its utmost to find ways to remove the illegal encampment off our site at Victoria Park prior to Friday. Unfortunately we had to follow legal protocol and on Friday morning had put measures in place to act via a court order to evict, but thankfully in the end the Police did step in and placed an order to vacate that evening.

I want to thank the Malvern Town Council Operations team, who have done a fantastic job tidying up the mess that the illegal encampment had left at Victoria Park. Their work has ensured that the park is safe for the community to use again.

At the weekend, I was pleased to see the playground full of little ones, games of rounders taken place and dog walkers returning to the park. It was also great to see the community coming to enjoy a coffee and cake at the Bilberry Café.

I understand the feeling of anxiousness you all must have felt during this difficult situation, and I want to thank, you our fantastic community for pulling together, providing resilience and supporting us and each other during this time. Malvern Town Council staff and councillors have really appreciated your patience during this situation.

I want to ensure everyone that it is my intention to hold a debriefing meeting so we can learn from this situation and secure our green spaces in the future with the support and assistance of the relevant organisations and authorities moving forward.

Marilyn Birks, Mayor of Malvern