THE future of Andover's Tourist Information Cen-tre (TIC) hangs in the balance following the news that it's to be sidelined from its Town Mills base to a temporary home.

From April tourists visiting the town will instead be offered a reduced hours information service at Andover Museum.

In the winter season, the temporary TIC's opening hours will be cut to three hours a day, five days a week.

"We are not saying this is going to be an improvement in service - it's been very hard to do," said Cllr Carl Borg-Neal, who presented a report on the move to Test Valley Borough Council members at Wednesday's overview and scrutiny committee.

The TIC's current Town Mills site, meanwhile, is to close permanently in April and will then be let out by Test Valley Borough Council.

But six months before the move, the long-term future of Andover's TIC is yet to be secured. A permanent future base for the TIC is dependent on the council acquiring two separate grants.

Head of leisure services, Ian McKie, says the preferred option is to include the TIC in a newly-developed Guildhall. But to develop the Guildhall, the council needs to secure a heritage lottery grant of between £300,000 and £500,000. Another option would be to open Andover's TIC in Andover Library if it is transformed into a discovery centre - again dependent on a grant.

The council says that moving the TIC from the Town Mills site will save the taxpayer £19,000. The relocation plus costs of running the service at the museum for one year total £21,000.

For the full story see Friday's Andover Advertiser