National Trust bids for regional park near Bromsgrove

The proposed area includes the Clent Hills

A new regional park could be created if the National Trust (NT) can get a bid added to a council's development plan.

The NT said the Eight Hills Regional Park would improve countryside access, and protect the landscape, wildlife and local heritage.

It said the park, near Bromsgrove, could also create income opportunities for farmers.

It hopes the benefits can be considered in future developments. Bromsgrove council said it was looking at the bid.

The NT describes a regional park as an area of farming, recreation, work and housing, "much bigger and more diverse than a country park or a park in a town, but smaller than a national park".

"Eight Hills" is a working title for the plans because the land contains eight distinct hills, but the trust said it was open to suggestions for better names.

The Eight Hills area covers land to the south of Birmingham

It would cover an area of greenbelt of around 47 sqm, in the Bromsgrove district, just south of Birmingham.

There was also the "potential to include neighbouring green areas in Birmingham and the Black Country", the NT said.

While it said the idea was not to prevent development, it said it wanted a "a robust plan for the landscape that boosts nature, recreation, active travel and sustainable farming, whilst accommodating potential housing growth".

The NT wants the principle of the park included in Bromsgrove District Council's Local Plan, a development framework for the area that is currently being revised.

There could also be what it calls an "ecosystems service market", in which companies that benefit from the natural environment could provide finance for farmers and landowners who look after the environment.

Bromsgrove District Council's head of planning and leisure services, Ruth Bamford, said the authority supported the NT's ambition of getting people to enjoy their open spaces and "feel better, stay connected and live full and healthy lives".

But she also said the council was working to better understand how the vision could be achieved and no decisions had been made about its inclusion in the local plan.