Ian Rowat, the Director of the Malvern Hills Conservators is writing to all local organisations with an interest in the preservation of the Malvern Hills as an open space for public enjoyment. The culture of separate organisations going their own way in isolation from everyone else has been superseded by an era of collaborative partnerships. Accordingly the Director has written to the Civic Society seeking our help and mutual support. We are grateful to him for this development. The Conservators are going through a period of consultation in the process of which they are due to update their Management Plan. In doing so they need to evaluate the ongoing Management Plan of 2000-2005 and to set the priorities for the next five years in the new plan. What follows is a summary of a two page document that has been published and is in the public domain. Meanwhile we shall be grateful for your comments so that we may reply on your behalf.
John Handley, Chairman
Introduction: Delivery of this strategy will require additional funding, the strategy will need close collaboration with other partners. The aim is to specify to potential funding bodies and partners exactly what the Conservators seek to achieve.
The Strategy
The Conservators believe that they need to continue with all their current activities. In addition they need to do more in certain areas, i.e.
Specific Objectives
Existing facilities on the Northern Hills to be improved by restoring the open views across the Severn Plain as will the Regency/early Victorian landscape on the Eastern slopes between Ivy Scar Rock and the southern end of Foley Terrace. A continental style train, possibly pulled by a tractor, would take visitors from Great Malvern to St Ann's Well and possibly elsewhere. St Ann's Well will be further improved.
On the middle hills from Wyche to British Camp, the lower walks would be cleared of the present obstruction caused by self seeded trees. No additional parking will be provided on Conservators' land. The aim being to encourage visitors to combine a visit to the hills with one to the town and to use bus transport, e.g Hill Hopper Service, etc
South of British Camp bye laws will be used to ban mountain biking initially on and around the ancient monuments and possibly to extend this ban across a wider area of the southern hills and possibly as far as the middle hills. This is with the aim of protecting the biodiversity and the scheduled ancient monuments.
Present efforts to encourage grazing will be increased. The historic preference is to encourage commoners to exercise their existing rights but if this fails the Conservators may resort to licensing external graziers or ultimately for the Conservators to increase their own stock and obtaining their own in-bye lands to support the stock to be used. The Conservators recognise that this will have to be supplemented by some one-off mechanical clearance. Subsequently another historic method of conserving the hills and commons, namely regular controlled burning of scrub, undergrowth and dead grass will be re-invoked.
Enforcement of bye-laws and reduction of rowdy anti-social behaviour on the hills and commons will be tackled primarily by employing more 'warden type' resources.
The general tenor of the document gives greater support to the concept of encouraging visitors to combine a visit to the town with one to the hills