West Worcestershire MP Harriett Baldwin has called for a re-think on the sale of Malvern Hills College after local people shared details of a covenant preserving the site for teaching.

And the MP urged all parties to collaborate to attempt to preserve teaching in Malvern as well as securing the future of the historic building.

The Warwickshire College Group is looking to close the College and raise at least £1 million from the sale of the site, which it inherited when it merged with South Worcestershire College in 2016.

The massive price tag is proving a significant obstacle for Harriett’s efforts to secure a future for local post-16 education provision and the popular art courses for adults.

Harriett has had a series of detailed conversations with interested parties including talking to the successful Hereford College of Arts principal and exploring all options to try and preserve teaching at the popular Malvern Hills College site.

Harriett said: “I’m disappointed that the Warwickshire College Group has attached a huge price tag for the site – especially as, ever since it inherited the site, the group does not seem to have been especially proactive in marketing the courses.

“I’ve been told by the Further Education Commissioner that the group was already under scrutiny because of its extensive debts and I am alarmed at the way it is trying to sell off an historic local asset to fix its balance sheet.

“There is a lot of effort being put in to finding workable solutions and I hope that this covenant on the site will act as a brake on the sale of the site to developers.

“I have had constructive conversations with a range of stakeholders to see if there is a way of preserving teaching on the site and I hope that we’ll be able to collaborate to secure a sensible solution. I have also tabled a whole series of Parliamentary questions about local further education provision.”