Conservation officer backs replacement railings plan for National Trust venue
Plans to replace railings at a historic county venue have received the backing of conservation officers.
The National Trust has applied to Shropshire Council for permission to fit new railings at the main entrance to the Attingham Park, at Atcham.
The metal railings surround the lawns at the sides of the entrance to the site, off the B4380.
The trust has described them as being "in very poor condition" and said they "have suffered damage over recent years".
The proposal aims to replace them in a similar style and detail – but with double gates introduced to allow ground maintenance machinery better access to the lawns.
Shropshire Council has been consulted as part of the proposal, and the authority's conservation case officer, Karen Rolfe, has now said they are happy for the work to take place.
She said: "Having discussed this initially at an informal pre-application stage with the relevant National Trust staff, there is no objection to these works being progressed, where new estate railings will represent an enhancement to the appearance of the important and visually prominent entrance point to the wider park, while overall maintaining the existing character and appearance of this area of the site where this type of boundary treatment does not compete with the important historic features and wider landscape at the park entrance."
The proposal has also attracted the support of a member of the public, Peter Jessops, who praised the National Trust for its efforts to look after the site.
Responding to the application on the Shropshire Council website, he said: "I have been a neighbour and a visitor to Attingham Park for several years now and I feel privileged to know that that the National Trust are looking after our historic buildings and parkland.
"I was pleased when I saw the planning application at the front of the park.
"The existing railings look awful and have been broken for a number of years, there have been a number of times when I have walked passed and found vehicle parts on the footpath and several number plates jammed in the railings.
"I wholeheartedly support this application – bravo Attingham Park."
A decision on the application will be taken at a later date.
