A LEDBURY museum will reopen this month following pressure from residents and town officials.

Herefordshire Council has agreed to reopen the Heritage Centre for the summer tourist period.

The historic building on Church Lane closed last month ahead of a touted move to the Master’s House development.

Staff and councillors say they were not informed of the move, blamed on centralisation and a lack of volunteers.

More than 100 residents criticised the move during a public meeting at the Burgage Hall.

Around 40 people also offered to act as volunteer stewards in response to council claims there were not enough staff. The centre will reopen on May 22, although it faces closure or reduced funding after the summer season.

Councillor Peter Watts said an action group and business plan were being considered in a bid to save the building.

“It’s an important building for tourists in Ledbury, but it has to stand on its own two feet,” said Coun Watts.

“To that end, we hope to get an action group together to explore ways in which the building can be reused and reopened. It’s not a reprieve, as such, but things are definitely brighter than they were a few weeks ago.”

Coun Watts added that items from the centre could be shared between the current building and the Master’s House.

Herefordshire Council wants to centralise services to the £2.9 million development, to include the town’s library and tourist information centre.