Plans are being explored to reopen the former National Trust shop in Cheddar Gorge as a visitor centre.

The Cheddar Vision Group is investigating the possibility of opening the building as a tourist information centre, while promoting local food and products, places to stay and outdoor activities.

This is happening alongside the creation of a Discover Cheddar website and a project officer to support the work of the group.

It is also working on to other priorities at this time, with the first being improving integration of the gorge and village to create a single sense of place that celebrates what makes Cheddar unique.

Several new initiatives uniting the village and gorge have recently been developed including walking routes, a food and drink festival, and the Window Wanderland at Christmas.

Secondly, work is also under way to look into other options regarding road safety in the gorge and reducing anti-social driving to make it safer for pedestrians and cyclists.

The gorge has already been reduced to a 30mph speed limit and now a 20mph in the lower gorge.

Money has been secured from Sedgemoor District Council's Active Travel budget to run a consultation on future changes to the highway. This will take place during the summer.

The Cheddar Vision Group aims to identify opportunities for investment, tourism, quality and experience, to regenerate the economy of Cheddar, while respecting and working with the environmental importance of the gorge.

The group consists of representatives from Cheddar Parish Council, Sedgemoor District Council, Somerset County Council, the National Trust, Cheddar Caves and Gorge (Longleat Estates), Somerset Wildlife Trust, Cheddar Walking, Cheddar Chamber of Commerce and the Mendip Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty Unit.

Avon and Somerset Police and Bristol Water are invited to attend regularly as are other organisations like Visit Somerset.

The group has an action plan to try and achieve the following "visions" - the gorge and village are united, the outdoor experience is high quality, Cheddar is the outdoor capital of the South West and the gorge is improved for people and wildlife.

A spokesperson said: "Visitors are vital to the Cheddar Valley and the Mendip Hills area, however tourism has historically been very seasonal with many people visiting during the Easter and summer holiday periods though relatively few throughout the rest of the year.

"The vision is to enhance the visitor experience to boost tourism, to the benefit of local businesses and the wider community.

"To achieve this the area needs to attract people who will stay longer and visit out-of-season, be interested in a broader range of activities and above all will respect and appreciate the natural environment.

"Cheddar Gorge is an iconic landscape, vitally important for wildlife and the natural beauty is one of the key reasons people visit.

"Supporting the visitor economy, conserving the natural environment and helping nature to recover can happen together with the organisations working together through the Vision Group.

"This will lead to more sustainable employment due to seasonal jobs being less of a factor, will also increase employment opportunities by encouraging inward investment and stimulating new small business creation. Local residents will also enjoy the resulting enhancements to the built and rural environments."