A lottery grant of £740,000 means work can begin on a project to restore water features and encourage grazing on the Malvern Hills.

The £1.2 million Malverns Heritage Project involves a partnership of local organisations working to restore 15 springs and wells and improve the view from the Malvern Hills by grazing animals to control vegetation.

Education projects and a marketing exercise for Malvern-bred lamb are also planned.

Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty project officer David Armitage was in charge of the funding bid.

He said: "It feels great to be able to get things started."

The list of water features to be restored includes the Clock Tower in North Malvern, Holywell, the Jubilee Spout, in Malvern Wells, and landscaping work at St Ann's Well.

The water feature work should be completed by April or May 2005. Two cattle grids should be in place at British Camp and Midsummer Hill by February, as the project has been given permission to install them by DEFRA. To install the other three grids at sites around Chase End Hill and Hollybush, permission is still needed from the Department of Transport.

Objections to the grids from local residents delayed confirmation of the Heritage Lottery Fund grant. The project will negotiate alternative ways of spending the money earmarked for the three grids if permission to build them is refused.