FOUR possible locations have been identified in Malton to rehome the town's museum.

Consultants working for Malton Museum presented their interim findings to a well-attended meeting at St. Michael’s Church last week.

The team at Malton Museum are keen for local businesses and residents to get involved in the discussion and this was the first opportunity to hear about the work and canvass local views and opinions.

Malton Museum, which is run by volunteers, is currently based in Yorkersgate but is looking for a permanent home to house its extensive collection.

Museum chairman Phil Crabtree, who chaired the meeting, said the new facility must be sustainable financially.

He said: "Malton Museum must become more of a regional asset as a way to contribute to that goal and of bringing more visitors to the town."

The consultants are led by Chana Projects, who are working together with York-based Purcell Architects and museum design specialists HSD to advise on the best ways to display the museum collections. All parties have experience of working on other museum projects including Nuneaton, Hartlepool and Hull museums.

Peter Chana, from Chana Projects and Tom Walker, of Purcell Architects, ran through the progress they had made to date.

This included some market analysis of the tourist market - tourism makes up 11% of the North Yorkshire economy - and identification of the requirements of museum visitors, staff, trustees and other partners such as Malton Town Council.

The project team and trustees had visited a number of sites in the town and a long list of 11 sites was initially drawn up. These were reviewed against several criteria including position in the town, accessibility, site availability and whether a new build would be required. The higher cost and difficulties in attracting funding for new builds led to two sites, one near the Cattle Market and one next to the Delgovicia Roman Fort site , dropping off the list.

The remaining short-listed locations were:

• The former Fleece pub(on the Market Place)

• The disused Conservative Club, also located on the Market Place

• Stanley Harrison House (adjacent to the railway and bus stations)

• A further location in Railway Street

The next stage of the project will look more closely at these locations and identify which one would be most suitable, using further criteria to come up with a preferred site.

A question and answer session attended by over 50 people followed.

North Yorkshire and Malton Town Councillor Lindsay Burr underlined both councils' support for the project.

She also shared her experience of working at the food festivals, where visitors from outside Malton frequently asked about what else they could do in the town.

“It’s important to have a variety of things to do for all ages,” she added.

The public and the Malton business community will be invited to a meeting in April, when the consultants will present their final report.

Funding for the study has been provided by North Yorkshire Council via the Government’s Shared Prosperity Fund.

A copy of the interim presentation is available on the Malton Museum website - https://www.maltonmuseum.co.uk/news/museum-feasibility-update/ and the museum welcomes comments on its social media pages. Alternatively email maltonmuseum@gmail.com