A REGULAR visitor to the Malvern Hills has spoken out about his difficulty in obtaining a parking pass under the current system, asking why he can't get one online – but the trust in charge says a web system would be too expensive to run.

The Malvern Hills Trust sells over 1,000 annual passes and around 8,000 resident's passes each year to make visiting their area easier. Money received from fees goes directly towards nature conservation and management of the hills.

David Wornham, 71, said: “In this day and age I should be able to get a parking pass online. Surely more tickets would be sold if this was possible?

“The current system of printing an application form, writing a cheque, and a stamped addressed envelope and posting them means I would pay postage twice.”

A spokesman for the Malvern Hills Trust said: “We offer the opportunity for people to buy a parking pass over the phone. This saves the the need to print an application form.

“There will still be a postage cost involved as we need to send the pass out. As a charity we have to balance all costs. We’ve looked into an online payment system but the cost is too prohibitive and we don’t want to put the cost back onto visitors.”

The Malvern Hills Trust manages approximately 3,000 acres of open grassland, woodland and scrub and is tasked with managing this land for the benefit of wildlife, the commoners, the local community and the hundreds of thousands of people who visit the area each year.

Annual passes are available for £37.00 and are valid for 12 months from the date of purchase. A second pass can be purchase for £14.00 for the same household.

Resident’s passes are valid from April 1 to March 31. The passes for 2020/21 are now available for £5.70. These are not available to buy over the phone as the trust needs to see a recent council tax bill as part of the eligibility check.