A PLAN to develop open land off Sling Lane hit the headlines in the Gazette 25 years ago.

Malvern Hills District Council had received a letter from a housing development firm, saying it was going to submit two new schemes for the site.

An earlier scheme, to build 56 houses on the 5.5-acres, had been rejected in November 1978 by a planning inspector.

He said one of the main reasons for not allowing development was the need to preserve the land-scape quality of the site and its amenity value to members of the public.