PUBLIC comment on the plan to introduce grazing animals to the Malvern Hills will be invited at a special meeting of Malvern Hills Conservators.

The Board will meet in Priory Lodge Hall on Tuesday, October 10, at 7.30pm, transferring from the smaller committee room at the Council House.

Chairman Brian Wilcock said he wanted as many people as possible to have the opportunity of hearing details of the Lottery-backed project to re-introduce grazing.

Director Ian Rowat would be seeking approval to appoint a shepherd and public comment would be invited before a vote was taken, said Mr Wilcock.

The Heritage Lottery Fund has granted £30,000 to the partners in a Malvern Hills heritage project, including the Conservators, to produce a detailed plan for positive conservation work.

The plan will be submitted the Lottery authorities within 12 months for approval which, if given, would release a grant of £863,500 to carry it out.

The scheme includes tackling bracken and scrub, safeguarding scheduled ancient monuments and restoring the historic network of water spouts. Grazing animals are a vital part of the scheme to control the scrub that is changing the nature of the bare Hills.

In a recent report to the Conservators' land management committee, conservation officer David Whitehorn suggested rotational burning to keep scrub in check "while the Hills and Commons remain undergrazed".

He said controlled burning would provide benefits for landscape and nature conservation, prevent uncontrolled fires and maintain productive grazing land.

Field staff have been invited to meet staff at Exmoor National Park to discuss methods of managing fires.