THE TOURIST information centre in Petersfield Library has been re-branded and will re-open this month, courtesy of Petersfield Town Council funding.
The centre closed last month on April 25 after East Hampshire District Council withdrew funding, saying it wasn’t the best use of money – the closure came despite the town being regarded as a tourist gateway to the South Downs National Park.
But within days Petersfield Town Council (PTC) had pledged £45,000 to keep the centre, run under contract by Tourism South East, open for another year.
A PTC spokesman said: “Petersfield Town Council has agreed to fund the service until at least March 31 next year.
“We will be working with Tourism South East (TSE) to focus the efforts of the centre in becoming more town orientated, and the centre will be renamed ‘Town Visitor Centre’ to reflect this change of approach.”
The Town Visitor Centre will remain in the library, and re-open for business on Friday, May 11, with an official re-launch at 10am on Wednesday, May 23.
The spokesman added: “Refreshments will be available, and we hope that many of you will join us for this celebration event.”
In his speech at the recent annual town meeting, Petersfield Mayor Cllr Jamie Matthews, said he was delighted that the town council had agreed to fund the service for the year.
He said it was a positive step in supporting what he considered to be a vital service to tourism in Petersfield.
TSE chief executive Nigel Smith said: “We were both surprised and delighted that the town council decided to take over funding the information centre and will work closely with the council to ensure that it meets all the aspirations of the Petersfield community.
“We very much look forward to a new beginning on the May 11 and the celebration on May 23.”