Developer appeals over homes plans that could put Ironbridge's World Heritage Status at risk
Developers behind housing plans that could put Ironbridge's World Heritage Status at risk have launched an appeal over the scheme.
Shropshire Homes applied to Telford & Wrekin Council in April 2021 for permission to build up to 101 homes on the site of the former Coalbrookdale Works on Wellington Road.
The foundry closed in 2017 – after 300 years of work at the site.
No decision has yet been taken on the proposal, and the applicant has now applied for the scheme to be determined by a planning inspector at a planning appeal on the grounds of 'non-determination' – where an appellant claims the planning authority has taken an unreasonable amount of time to make a decision.
It means a planning inspector will now decide on the proposals, with a hearing set for Tuesday, June 25, and a decision expected by August 29.
The impasse over the decision has been largely due to concerns about the plans from ICOMOS, which is an advisory body to the UNESCO World Heritage Committee – the organisation which grants the Ironbridge Gorge its coveted 'World Heritage Status', and has the power to take it away.
The status is hugely prestigious, and is shared with Machu Picchu in Peru, the Great Wall of China, the Great Barrier Reef, and the Great Pyramids of Giza.
ICOMOS had previously warned that the scheme could impact the 'outstanding universal value' of the area – a measure used to grant 'World Heritage Status'.
