Green energy company buys two Shropshire quarry sites
Two quarries in Shropshire have been sold to a green energy company in a move that will create 16 jobs and a wildlife area which will be open to the public.
Edge Renewables has bought the limestone sites at Lea North and Lilleshall, near Much Wenlock, from Aggregate Industries, which ceased quarrying in the area around five years ago.
The company, which is based on nearby Wenlock Edge, plans to open up the 'canyon' area beside Lea Quarry, which is a local wildlife haven.
It will allow authorised geological visits to the site, and plans to appoint an ecologist to manage its wildlife.
Edge will also gift about a quarter of the land, which is in the Shropshire Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, to the National Trust and other local groups to conserve its wildlife and geology.
It comes after officials at Edge Renewables and the National Trust clashed over plans for the site. Both put in bids to buy the land, and officials at the National Trust had hoped to buy the Lea South and Lilleshall sites to use as a conservation area.
Aggregate Industries has opted to retain the Lea South quarry.
Simon Lloyd-Jones, managing director of Edge Renewables, said: "Conservation is a major consideration in our plans which will create much-needed local jobs and will create renewable energy for the local market, giving the renewable sector a real boost.
The company has applied for planning permission to change the use of the site from quarrying to processing woodchip, which will be used to generate energy for customers in the domestic, commercial and agricultural markets.
Edge has created 10 jobs at the site and expects to recruit another six if permission is granted with the potential for more.
