The Private Bill lodged by the Malvern Hills Trust will be moving to the Committee stage in the House of Lords over the coming weeks.
The Select Committee will examine the Bill clause by clause to consider whether the case has been made for the changes proposed in the Bill and will hear evidence from the Trust and petitioners.
Parliamentary rules require that, with certain exceptions, petitioners may only be heard by the Committee if they are "directly and specifically" affected by the Bill.
The Select Committee makes this decision. However, promoters of private bills are expected to draw to the attention of the Committee, any petitioners who might not fulfil that requirement. Affected petitioners will be notified shortly if the Committee will be considering whether they meet the criteria.
John Michael, Chair of Malvern Hills Trust, said:
"This is all part of the Parliamentary process and there have been instances where select committees have criticised promoters of private bills for not raising these points.
"Whether or not individual petitioners will be heard, the Select Committee will consider all of the clauses in the Malvern Hills Bill and will pay particular attention to the matters that were highlighted on second reading - the levy paying area, the composition of the board of trustees, the powers contained in the Bill and whether any provisions in the Bill would impede or restrict public access."
