Protect beauty (From Malvern Gazette)

Protect beauty

9:26am Monday 11th March 2013 in Letters

 MALVERN Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) is now the subject of two planning applications in Malvern Wells.

Both plan to develop land wholely contained within the AONB. The total number of dwellings proposed is 229 (184 plus 45).

Those of us opposing the inclusion of AONB land in the South Worcestershire Development Plan have always felt that allowing any intrusion into this land would act as a precedent and threaten to allow development of more AONB land below the Wells Road.

I think that local people generally have been slow to realise that this type of development could ultimately destroy the character ofthe area.

This character is not important just to those of us who are fortunate to live here, but even more importantto the hundreds of thousands of visitors from all over the UK and beyond.

The AONB status should assure protection.

The Government has made much ofits assurances of protection for AONBs and countryside.

Atthe same time the local Conservative party has driven through the divisive SWDP plan with a whipped vote.The plan included approval of some developmentin the AONB.

PETER WALTER

Malvern