'No magic answers' to traffic problems in Ironbridge Gorge, meeting told

There are no “magic answers” to easing traffic problems in the Ironbridge Gorge World Heritage Site, a meeting heard.

Road capacity, traffic, parking and safety concerns were ranked as the most negative factors affecting use of the gorge even as responses to a survey overall were “overwhelmingly positive”.

A meeting of Telford & Wrekin Council's environment scrutiny committee heard that a new management plan is being prepared for the UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is set to be adopted in 2027.

The plan will set out priorities for protecting and enhancing the area for the next 10 years. Some 24 per cent of it sits in Shropshire Council's area, the meeting heard.

Answering a question from Councillor Thomas Janke (Liberal Democrats, Newport South) the council's World Heritage Site coordinator Laura Fildes said: "[Traffic] is probably the hardest thing to tackle.

“The road network was established for carts and wagons rather than modern-day cars.

"That's the reality and I don't have the answers to that but it is something that we are working on.

"I'm afraid I don't have magic answers to give at the moment but it is something we are working towards trying to consider."

Ironbridge Gorge councillor and cabinet member Carolyn Healy (Labour) said: "It is also a through route with a river crossing.

"It is a real challenge and it is going to be a difficult one.

"We will be focusing on how to deal with the visitor pressure."

Ironbridge-born Councillor Eileen Callear (Labour, Hadley & Leegomery) said she supports extending the World Heritage Site boundary to include Broseley.

Support has also been expressed for considering extensions into Benthall, Buildwas, Dawley, more parts of Madeley and towards the town park.

"I was born in Ironbridge and raised in Broseley where there is a really important link to the world heritage site," said Councillor Callear.

"I have travelled all over the world and when I tell them I am from Telford, they say ‘OK, where is that?’

"When I say ‘Ironbridge’ they know it.

"I was married in Las Vegas and the clerk looked at my passport and said he had been there.

"It is a massively important site."

Ms Fildes told the meeting on Wednesday (October 21) that extensions of the boundaries will be "fully assessed".

But she added: "This kind of assessment is likely to take four to five years."

She revealed that the Ironbridge Gorge is the first UK World Heritage Site to be working through a new "management plan toolkit" provided by Historic England and said there is "an element of trial and error as we work through this toolkit”.

"It is taking longer than anticipated to put together because of capacity issues."

There is set to be a public consultation exercise next year before the new plan goes to cabinet for approval in the summer.

It is set to be formally adopted by both Telford & Wrekin Council and Shropshire Council later in 2027, followed by submission to the Government and UNESCO.

Officials are considering eight issues: highways capacity and transport; planning control and development; conservation of heritage assets; tourism management and events; flooding, water management and land stability; ecology and biodiversity; traditional skills and culture, digital connectivity.

Climate change adaptation and education will be a “cross-cutting consideration”.