National Trust reveals plans for Wenlock Edge nature park
The National Trust has put in a bid to buy three quarries on Wenlock Edge and plans to turn the area into a nature park with a visitor centre, a public meeting has heard.
The meeting at the Priory Hall in Much Wenlock also heard how Edge Renewables – which is battling with the trust to buy part of a quarry from current owners, Aggregate Industries – is hoping to bring about 20 more jobs over three years.
The National Trust has put together a masterplan called 'Wenlock Edge: Elements of Surprise', which outlines plans to regenerate Lea Quarry North and South, and Lilleshall Quarry, over a number of years.
Edge Renewables hopes to use 10 per cent of Lea Quarry North to develop renewable energy after submitting a retrospective planning application, which means work has already begun.
Both companies have submitted offers to buy the land and are waiting for a response from Aggregate.
Speaking at last night's public meeting, National Trust general manager for South Shropshire, Marcus Halliwell, said: "The National Trust put in an offer to purchase Lea Quarry North and South, and Lilleshall Quarry last week. We received positive feedback but haven't heard anything since.
"If the retrospective planning application submitted by Edge Renewables was turned down, which we hope it will be, we would offer them help in relocating to another site."
Edge Renewables defended its decision to put in a planning application having already started building work.
Chris Bickerton, director of Edge Renewables, said: "We saw the site and Aggregate Industries agreed to rent the land to us, so we snapped it up.
"We then went straight to Shropshire Council which said our plans ticked all the right boxes and told us to submit a retrospective planning application."
