Demolished buildings on former AGA site in Coalbrookdale must be 'reinstated' says Historic England
Retrospective planning permission for the demolition and partial demolition of two listed buildings in Coalbrookdale has been withdrawn after concerns were raised by Historic England.
A retrospective planning application was being sought by Shropshire Homes for the demolition and partial demolition of two buildings on the site of the former Coalbrookdale Works.
The site, once home to the Coalbrookdale AGA foundry, was purchased by Shropshire Homes in 2018, with plans lodged three years later to build 101 homes on the site.
Those plans looked to be going full steam ahead until the International Council on Monuments and Sites (Icomos), a body which makes recommendations to Unesco over world heritage sites, intervened.
The chairman of the Icomos-UK World Heritage Committee warned that the development would transform the site "into a dense, high-rise housing estate" and led the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) to warn that the Ironbridge Gorge's World Heritage Site status could be placed at risk, and the gorge might ultimately be delisted if the proposal went ahead.
After almost three years of stagnation, Shropshire Homes asked for the scheme to be determined by a planning inspector, who ultimately dismissed the appeal - refusing planning permission for the site.
Then, in February this year, as part of continued attempts to successfully redevelop the rotting former factory, the developer applied for retrospective planning permission for the demolition of the Grade II listed Pattern Shop, and the partial demolition of another - the Wing Shop.
The developer claimed the structures were already in an "advanced state of dilapidation" when the site was purchased and the latest application revealed that both the Pattern Shop and Wing Shop were demolished in 2021 after Telford & Wrekin Council's building control manager found them to be dangerous.
A position statement to the DCMS from the council noted the rapid deterioration of both buildings, stating: "Our building control manager has undertaken a site visit (November 18, 2021) and had ordered that the Pattern Shop must be dismantled in its totality and the Wing Shop roof must be removed and the building propped. These actions are being made immediately."
Demolition began on November 25, 2021 and was completed by Christmas Eve 2021.
The application provoked backlash from some residents, who called for the buildings to be reinstated.
The plans have since been withdrawn by the developer. Announcing its withdrawal of the application, Shropshire Homes said plans for the buildings would be included in a wider application for the site.
But that was only after Historic England raised concerns that the loss of the buildings has the potential to damage the 'Outstanding Universal Value' (OUV) of the World Heritage Site.
Their response also stated that the Department for Culture, Media & Sport had "decided that it will inform UNESCO about these applications".
Benjamin Williscroft, inspector of historic buildings and areas wrote: "Historic England is concerned that the approval of these applications would not deliver or secure the implementation of the repair and restoration of both the Pattern Shop and the Wing Shop.
"Historic England are clear that both the Pattern Shop and Wing Shop (in a reconfigured/adapted form), need to be reinstated, supported by relevant information such as repair method statements and informed by a robust Heritage Impact Assessment.
"These documents need to be provided, so that reinstatement can be delivered as authentically as possible, and in an informed manner. The permanent demolition and replacement of these buildings with new structures is not appropriate, although adaptive reuse may form part of a successful holistic scheme.
"We believe these applications are premature and potentially prejudicial to securing a holistic scheme that addresses the significance of these structures, the character of the conservation area and the outstanding universal value (OUV) of the World Heritage Site.
"These buildings [are] important to the overall historic significance of the site and how it in turn contributes to the OUV. Were the buildings’ loss to be regularised, that would mean accepting the harm to the Conservation Area and OUV of the World Heritage Site.
"Historic England is concerned that if approval is given to these applications, even with robustly worded conditions for their reinstatement, that this would not secure the conservation of the relevant heritage assets."
The applications can be viewed online on Telford & Wrekin Council's planning application using reference numbers TWC/2025/0104 and TWC/2025/0106.
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