Two parts of the Conservators' land have been designated as SSSIs:

1. The Malvern Hills SSSI was notified in 1954, revised in 1975, and re-notified in 1990. The site notification document, list of operations likely to damage the special interest, and a Site Management Statement are held in the Conservators' office. The site covers 732.3 ha. The site notification document states:
   • The site has been selected because it is one of the largest areas of semi-natural vegetation in the West Midlands supporting a mosaic of habitat types. Unimproved acidic grassland covers the top of the ridge which grades into tall herb communities at lower altitudes. Woodland occurs as narrow fringes at the northern end of the site and in more extensive blocks further south and there are smaller areas of other habitats such as heathland, flushes, open water and bare rock faces. The site is also important for a number of uncommon plants, including a nationally rare clubmoss, as well as butterflies and moths, including a nationally rare butterfly, breeding birds and mammals. The Malvern Hills are also of considerable geological interest with important exposures in several quarries.

2. Castlemorton Common SSSI was notified in 1955, revised in 1975, and re-notified in 1986. The site notification document, list of operations likely to damage the special interest, and a Site Management Statement are held in the Conservators' office. The site covers 158.66 ha. The site notification document states:
   
   
   • The prime importance of the site is its grassland communities. These include areas of dry neutral unimproved grassland which are relatively species rich. They are dominated by a mixture of crested dog's-tail, red fescue and mat grass. .... In some areas the water table is very high and this has given rise to a wet grassland community characterised by tufted hair grass. Two streams flow through the site bordered by marshy grassland, having an abundance of rushes. ...

Scheduled Ancient Monuments (SAMs)

There are four SAMS on the Conservators' land:

1. The Shire Ditch, constructed by Gilbert de Clare from 1287, also known as the Red Earl's Dyke;
2. British Camp/Herefordshire Beacon, an Iron Age village settlement;
3. Possible Burial Mounds, Bronze Age Tumuli on Pinnacle Hill.
4. Pillow Mound to the south east of British Camp/Herefordshire Beacon, near Broad Down and Clutter's cave.

Listed Buildings and other Features

St Anne's Well is currently the only listed building on the Conservators' land. Other features, such as boundary stones, the toposcope, etc., may also be found on the Conservators' land.

Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB)

As much of the Conservators land falls within the AONB, the national aims of AONBs are integral to the work of the Conservators. The principal aim of AONB designation is,
    to conserve and enhance the natural beauty of the landscape.

Two secondary aims complement the first:
    to meet the need for quiet enjoyment of the countryside;
    to have regard for the interests of those that live and work there.

The Conservators signed the 'Declaration of Support' for the Malvern Hills AONB on 1st October 1996. This document declared the Conservators' support for and commitment to the principles of the Malvern Hills AONB and the implementation of its Management Plan. The Conservators are represented on the AONB Joint Advisory Committee and are, hence, integrally involved with pursuing the local objectives of the Malvern Hills AONB.

The majority of the land under the jurisdiction of the Conservators is included in The Malvern Hills Landscape assessment produced by the Countryside Commission (1993). The hills are described in the document:

• The dramatic, steeply sided Malvern ridge which extends for about eight miles in a north - south direction is underlain by granitic Pre-Cambrian and Cambrian rocks which are amongst the oldest in the country. The rocks are extremely hard and this explains the prominence of the ridge, producing the unmistakable silhouette. The rocks and their climatic exposure have given rise to a very thin, dry, soil which supports an acid grassland on the hilltops. The name Malvern itself is derived from this feature - the Welsh for bare hill is moel bryn, which became modified to Moel-frynn and then Maelfern by about 1030. The faults and fissures in this impermeable rock carry abundant water, which springs out of the lower hillsides where the sedimentary rocks start. Many of the major springs have been well known local landmarks for centuries: the water was one of the principal reasons for the establishment of Malvern, nestled at the northeastern extremity of the hills.

The landscape of the Main Hills and commons under the jurisdiction of the Conservators is of national importance and significant in terms of cultural associations, with literary, musical and artistic connections. The character of this landscape is thus not only a result of the visual appearance of the land. It is also a product of its physiography and history; hence physical, human and aesthetic factors combine with historical and cultural associations, to contribute to what we perceive as 'natural beauty'. Issues surrounding landscape are therefore a product of component parts that need to be addressed individually under specific topics. For example, scrub encroachment on the hillside influences the appearance of the landscape but at a practical level it is an issue of vegetation management on the SSSI - this issue is consequently dealt with under nature conservation. Footpath erosion degrades the landscape (as well as the grassland and ancient monuments) but is dealt with at a practical level under visitor management.

The key issues for this management plan are the changing vegetation patterns, especially upward spread of scrub and woodland towards the ridge line and on the non-urban commons, the erosion of main hills by visitors, and the aesthetic impact of management practices.

Development Plan Policies

The Conservators' land is covered by the latest adopted statutory development plans as follows:

• Hereford and Worcester County Structure Plan,
• Malvern Hills District Local Plan,
• Gloucestershire County Structure Plan,
• Forest of Dean District Local Plan,
• Hereford and Worcester County Minerals Plan.

The re-organisation of local government in Herefordshire and Worcestershire took effect from April 1st 1998. The Conservators' land now falls within the jurisdiction of Herefordshire County (a unitary authority), Worcestershire County Council, Malvern Hills District Council, Gloucestershire County Council and the Forest of Dean District Council. Herefordshire County Council is preparing a Unitary Development Plan, which, when adopted, will replace the Herefordshire part of the joint County Structure Plan and the western part of the Malvern Hills District Local Plan now in Herefordshire. Worcestershire County Council is now preparing a new Structure Plan, which will provide a framework for a review of the eastern part of the Malvern Hills District Local Plan. Gloucestershire County Council is in the process of review of its own Structure Plan, which in turn will guide the policies in the Forest of Dean District Local Plan.

All the current structure and development plans offer a high degree of protection for most of the Conservators' land which is of high landscape values, nature conservation or cultural heritage value, particularly that which is also covered by AONB or SSSI designations. Tourism and Recreation policies also make special provision for appropriate development in the AONB. The Main Hills area is singled out as being subject to visitor pressure and in need of some form of visitor management. There are no active mineral workings on the Conservators' land and no future sites recognised for working. The relevant policies may be found in the appropriate Structure, Local, and eventually Unitary Development Plans. The general tenor of these policies is expected to continue in the new generation of development plans. Following trends initiated by Government Policies which give sites of landscape, cultural heritage and nature conservation value greater protection in the development control process, it is unlikely that protection of the Malvern Hills Conservators' land will diminish. Furthermore, development within the land the Conservators own is within their own control, subject to the provisions of the Malvern Hills Acts.

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