Race against time for Ludlow recycling park bid
Champions of a new recycling park have only six months to put money on the table, those at meeting behind closed doors have been told.
As council offices next to Ludlow's closed waste tip go up for sale, hopes have been revived that the site might be turned into a recycling "resource centre" for the town, with various eco-friendly organisations sharing the former highways depot.
But as businesses and community leaders gathered last night to discuss the idea, they were warned any such park must make a profit - and there was only a matter of weeks to register interest in the idea.
South Shropshire MP Philip Dunne, who called the meeting, said: "This is a relatively short term opportunity to see if there is enough enthusiasm in Ludlow to see if this is a runner, before Shropshire Council disposes of the site.
"We want to establish in the first place if there are any groups who can think of uses for the site.
"We don't have a huge amount of time. We would be looking at formulating a timetable and level of interest over the next couple of weeks."
The meeting was held at the disused anaerobic digester next door to the site on Coder Road, and included representatives from not-for-profit group South Shropshire Furniture Scheme, eco-champions Ludlow 21, Church Stretton recycling charity Scrappies, Ludlow Town Centre Residents Association and Ludlow Town Council.
Adam Kennerley, of the environmental charity Cwm Harry Land Trust, hoping to buy the digester and former tip next door, said Shropshire Council had agreed not to put a 'for sale' sign on the offices until September.
"But everybody who's anybody knows the site is for sale," he said.
"It's a straightforward race to put a proposition on the table.
"The window of opportunity is here and now."
He said at any point somebody could "walk in, put cash down and buy it," but Shropshire Council would consider a lower price tag for a community scheme, and charities and not-for-profit businesses would qualify to have business rates waived.
He said he did not expect any one business or organisation to want to take on the whole site alone, but suggested a "lead tenant" collaborating with others.
"But let's be quite clear that whoever takes on the site, its a massive risk that has to be serviced by running profitable enterprises." he said.
However, Ludlow Town Councillor Graeme Perks said: "If we're going to get bigger businesses interested we need to be more specific, or we might get a 'that's a good idea'' but we're not going to get cash."
Fellow town councillor Nick Holcolm added it might not be popular with some "if taxpayers' money is going into an opportunity that may fail."
He said: "The town council think the idea of recycling is an excellent one," but he was not too hopeful for the scheme as despite "vehemently opposing" the closure of the Coder Road waste and recycling centre earlier this year, it had gone ahead anyway.
James Copper, general manager with South Shropshire Furniture Scheme, said: "If anything's happening here we'd like to be involved - it fits with our ethos."
He said if the facilities were better the organisation might consider moving its carpentry workshop from Ludlow's Mascall Centre to the site, and would be interested in working with private sector companies.
