THE views from the Malvern Hills are as important as the hills themselves, but the would-be populist campaign supposedly to make these views more accessible is wholly misconceived and inappropriate.

Stephen Bound and the Conservators deserve our full support in faithfully carrying out their responsibility to protect and conserve the hills for future generations to enjoy without unnecessary visual intrusions.

However, development of another kind looks likely in the future to destroy the appeal of the landscape surrounding our precious hills.

Thanks to the reckless coalition Government, a planning system which has protected the countryside for decades from some of the worst excesses of sprawling estates of poorly-designed mass housing has been completely undermined and the door thrown wide open to opportunistic developers and their councillor allies.

Such developers are always ready to seize the chance to make huge profits on greenfield sites with utter disregard for landscape beauty and contempt for the concerns of local residents.

To make matters even worse, the notorious South Worcestershire Development Plan manoeuvres, together with the shenanigans and blundering of our so-called representatives on the district council, have left Malvern totally exposed to the arbitrary diktat of an unelected planning Inspector.

Democracy has been ill-served by Malvern Hills District Council, but it is completely negated when the final decision about the scale and location of housing development is put into the hands of one man whom none of us elected.

It is a travesty of democracy. No wonder that for this and other reasons there is so much disillusionment with the sorry state of British politics.

In the unlikely event of the absurd cable car scheme being coming to fruition, the views from the hills would be of a developers' paradise.

Those who are able to should go now to enjoy the green and pleasant views, because in a few years' time most will be gone.

Dr Eric H Jones

Guarlford