MALVERN Hills Trust has voted to move ahead with its private bill despite much backlash from concerned campaigners. 

At a meeting last night (Thursday, October 17) trustees voted to proceed with the final drafting of the private bill, which they feel will make the trust fit for the 21st century, to send to Parliament on November 27. 

This is despite a petition of more than 2,000 people being submitted opposing the bill. 

The bulk of the bill will be made up of the existing acts of Parliament, however, several key changes will be made following a consultation on proposals. 

These include hotly debated changes which would grant the trust a general power and a proposal to slash the number of trustees from a maximum of 29 to just 12.

The general power has led to fears the trust may be able to do anything it likes without constraint, such as, for example, build solar farms on the hills. 

However, trustees have dismissed this as misinformation, insisting the general power could only be used to further its charitable objectives.

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The meeting saw many public speakers in favour of and against the bill. 

Among them was Katharine Harris, on behalf of the Malvern Environment Protection Group, who submitted its petition against the bill.

The petition, which 2676 people signed, urged trustees to halt plans to submit the bill to Parliament. 

Mrs Harris claimed there had been a 'lack of transparency' about the process and the implications of the additional powers sought. 

She added the proposals are not in the best interests of the trust and are contrary to current legislation.

"We seriously question the justification for pushing ahead with this bill in the face of such opposition.

"The proposals allow for considerable development, endangering what makes Malvern so special.

"Malvern as we know it will be consigned to the history books- is that really what we want?"

Trust chair John Michael said: "The Trust has been transparent in its process and in the powers we are seeking.

"The consultation period followed good practice. 

"I'm pleased Katharine Harris and some colleagues finally agreed to meet with us and discuss their concerns last week. 

"The Trust has been seeking a dialogue with them since the beginning of this year. 

"We all agree that public access to the Malvern Hills and Commons is fundamental.

"We want to do justice to the nearly 500 people that gave us their views. 

"Some comments received in the public consultation were uncomfortable reading for staff and trustees and I know we must communicate about our work more effectively.

"That is, to care for the iconic landscape of the Malvern Hills and Commons. 

"What we are proposing is an important step in the Trust's history and would make it fit for the 21st century."

Trustees have also delegated power to the chair, vice chair, CEO and governance change officer to take the steps they see necessary to make this happen, but they will refer back to the board if necessary. 

The process in Parliament is thought to take between two and three years.