MUCH-needed repairs to Malvern Hills District Council's meeting chamber got the go-ahead from the council's own planners this week.

Members of the southern area planning committee voted unanimously on Wednesday to approve the plans for Priory Lodge Hall, off Avenue Road, where most of the council's meetings are held.

It was built in the early years of the 20th century to provide a gym for a nearby school, and has been used for council meetings since 1974.

The repair work to be carried out includes inserting mini-pile foundations to stabilise the structure, repair the timber frames, put insulation in wall cavities and carry out other preservation work.

The building was listed last year following an application from Malvern Civic Society to Historic England.

The council applied for a review of the decision, but it was upheld by the Minister for Arts, Heritage and Tourism.

The listing scotched a plan by the district council to demolish the building to make way for a new structure that would include the town's tourist information centre.

Following this week's planning approval, the district council's executive committee is set to approve spending up to £250,000 on the repair work.

A report to go before the committee says: "The decision by Historic England to list Priory Lodge has left the council with no alternative but to undertake the repairs identified in the structural report both to enable it’s continued use as a council chamber and to maintain an historic asset."

The committee meets on Tuesday, May 29.