Highways pledge by bosses at Oswestry tourist attraction

The Highways Agency has responded to a retrospective planning application for the use of the centre near Oswestry as a rural enterprise and land as a sculpture park and car parking.

Highways experts are insisting on a series of measures including entrance and exit works, including visibility splays and action plans for traffic management during special events at the Ironwork Centre, if planning permission is granted by Shropshire Council.

It says such improvements would have to be in place within a year of the granting of permission.

Clive Knowles, chairman of the British Ironwork Centre, said the Highways Agency report was very positive.

“We are relieved and our staff are very relieved,” he said.

Committed

“This is a very important step in the planning process and, I hope, can make a difference to the process going forward.”

He said that the conditions imposed by the Highways Agency were greater than the centre had anticipated but said the company was committed to carrying them out.

“They are completely do-able and we are confident that we will be able to complete them within the 12 months,” Mr Knowles said.

“The measures can only benefit our staff and our visitors and there is real enthusiasm now to get on with it.”

“We have 90-plus members of staff here and hopefully this is one very big step forward towards securing the future for us all here.”

A previous planning application for the centre, with details the then possible plans for years ahead were withdrawn last year.

The current application seeks to obtain the official go-ahead for the uses of the site that do not already have planning permission.