THE Three Counties Agricultural Society wants to create a development of 50 holiday lodges to counter a lack of accommodation in the town.

The society, which runs popular events such as the RHS Malvern Spring Festival, the Royal Three Counties Show and the Malvern Autumn Show, has applied for planning permission to build the lodges in woodland close to the showground.

Langdale Wood, off Blackmore Park Road, is described as being frequently used by dog walkers and on occasion as a campsite in association with events at the showground.

In a letter with the application, the society's chief executive Ken Nottage says: "If the society is to continue its long history of attracting visitors to Malvern, it must explore ways of securing its future.

"Shows run by the society are close to achieving their full potential and very little capacity exists for hirers of the showground.

"The limited quantity and quality of overnight accommodation in the immediate area has had a negative impact on visitor numbers to events. The lodges park at Langdale Woods forms an important element of the much-needed accommodation strategy."

He said that despite many successful years of running shows and letting the showground to third-part hirers, the society is never complacent and has been reminded of its vulnerability by occurrences such as the foot-and-mouth outbreak in 2002 and the recession of 2008, and in 2012 made a trading loss due to continuous poor weather.

The lodges project is the first stage in a planned upgrade of the showground, which also includes modernising existing buildings and creating a new state-of-the-art agricultural building.

The woodland is designated as a Local Wildlife Site, but the proposal includes "development includes extensive ecological mitigation and enhancement measures" offering "significant scope to achieve ecological enhancements".

But one objector who contacted the Gazette said: "The trees which have many bird-nesting boxes attached will have their habitat disturbed forever and other amenities will be lost.

"The very fast B4208 is not suitable for more holiday traffic. Can the local environment cope with so many visitors to a small unspoiled area of natural beauty?"