A TENBURY estate agent says that she is optimistic about the prospects for the property market in the area despite all of the economic hits that the town has taken this year

Mary Stone thinks that things will improve when the restrictions are eased.

“There will still be people who want to move and although things are quiet at the moment I am working from home,” said Ms Stone.

“I will show people properties in special circumstances such as if they are a victim of domestic violence.

“At the moment there are a lot of people also who are doing decorating and I am looking forward to being able to visit some properties.

“People are generally not moving at the moment, but I am very hopeful that things will improve.”

Ms Stone said that Tenbury was a lovely area to live and that people would still be keen to locate to the town and to the Teme Valley.

Tenbury and the surrounding area has seen significant new development in recent years both in the town and in surrounding villages.

Many of the people who come and live in Tenbury do not work in the area that is short of large employers.

The impact of the news of the closure of St Michael’s College remains a major unknown although Tony Penn, the Malvern Hill’s District councillor for Tenbury, fears that it has the potential to be devastating.

He has speculated that the college buildings may be suitable to be converted into accommodation that could bring people to live in the area.

But the closure of the college will mean the loss of some 60 jobs, many of them well paid and this will be a blow to the town that is already having to deal with two major setbacks already this year.

In February serious flooding resulted in the closure of many small shops in the town and some have not reopened.

The Regal Cinema was badly damaged, and it is not known when it is likely to be able to reopen. Mr Penn thinks this is unlikely to be before Christmas.

Immediately following the floods came the coronavirus that has resulted in businesses having to close or scale back their activities.

In an area that is heavily dependent upon tourism the Covid-19 pandemic could hardly have come at a worse time with the early part of the season at least wiped out.

Tenbury Show, the biggest event of the year on Saturday, August 1, is currently scheduled to go ahead but that will depend upon how the coronavirus epidemic develops in the coming weeks and months.