MALVERN Hills Conservators has said it cannot allow a cable car to be built on the Hills, even as backers of the plan say they will be launching a public consultation on the issue next February.

Earlier this year High Street Malvern unveiled an ambitious prospectus for a £6 million cable car linking the town centre with a site near the top of the Worcestershire Beacon.

It said it could be a "silver bullet" to boost tourism and the local economy.

But this week's statement from the Conservators says that the Acts of Parliament under which it operates meant they cannot give consent to a cable car.

Director Stephen Bound said: "It is not simply a question of the Conservators deciding whether to allow a cable car. The fact is that we would be acting unlawfully if we were to give consent; it seems clear that Parliament intended the Conservators to ensure that the hills and commons were kept free of intrusions on the landscape such as the proposed cable car."

He said the Malvern Hills Acts of 1884, 1930 and 1995 forbid development on the hills, and that the 1995 act specifically forbids the installation of overhead cables.

Roger Sutton of High Street Malvern said: "The Conservators have dug their trench and are defending it. But they are allowed to grant easements or access across their land, and we believe that allows us a cable car.

"We are planning a public consultation in February, possibly in the library or theatre, and we're currently preparing visualisations and other materials for that.

"We're also looking into the possibility of carrying out a referendum, to be held at the same time as the council elections next spring."

The Conservators said that in a recent consultation on the future of the hills, objectors to a cable car outnumbered supporters by more than two to one. But Mr Sutton said High Street Malvern was attracting enthusiastic support for the idea.

This week, Mr Bound said: "‘Supporters of a cable car have pointed to similar facilities in the Peak District or the Alps. They are not remotely comparable. These areas cover hundreds or even thousands of square miles, whereas the Malvern Hills are just eight miles long. Any structure on the hills would be visible from most points in the surrounding landscape. A cable car would unquestionably have a negative impact on the natural beauty of the hills."