A TOURIST Information Centre (TIC) looks set to return to Hereford.

City Mayor, Cllr Charles Nicholls, has told the Hereford Times that Hereford City Council has backed a plan to open the unit in the former Thomas Cook shop on St Peter’s Street in the city centre.

He says a five-year lease is in the process of being vetted and would include a two-year break clause.

The city council would also receive a six-month rent-free period for fitting out the unit.

Previously, Cllr Nicholls expressed an interest in converting a vacant shop in Widemarsh Street into a TIC but this would have cost more in rent.

The Hereford Tourist Information Centre in King Street closed in December 2010. The space was then occupied by the Visit Herefordshire group, which then moved to Hereford Town Hall, when Herefordshire Council said they were unable to make further funding available for the organisation.