Residents invited to have their say on future of former Ironbridge Power Station site
Local residents in Ironbridge are being invited to have their say on the future of the former power station site at a public consultation next week.
The owner of the former Ironbridge Power Station is inviting local residents to a public consultation event on-site on Thursday 11 October 2018 to have their say on its future.
Harworth Group plc is a leading regenerator of land and property for development and investment and bought the site in June 2018 with the intention of redeveloping its 350 acres to create a new mixed-use development over the next 15 years. It has spent the past three months working with its technical advisors and key local stakeholders including Shropshire Council, parish councils, Network Rail, National Grid and other statutory bodies to better understand the site’s assets and liabilities and its link with other settlements within the county.
The consultation event will take place on-site on Thursday 11 October 2018 between 2pm and 7pm, where Harworth will present initial options for the site’s redevelopment. Harworth will also be publishing these options from 11 October via ironbridgeredevelopment.co.uk for those unable to attend to feedback on proposals. The response to these options will ultimately help guide Harworth to establish a single masterplan for the site, influencing its work with local authorities prior to a planning application being submitted in 2019.
The site has a proud history. Construction of the original coal-fired Ironbridge A station began in the 1920s, with commercial operations of the first phase of development starting in 1932. Ironbridge B coal power station, with a generating capacity of 1000MW, was commissioned in 1970. Ironbridge A and B co-existed until the demolition of A in 1982/3. Ironbridge B produced electricity for the final time in late 2015.
Stuart Ashton, Head of Planning at Harworth Group, said:
“This is an important first step in establishing the future of the Ironbridge Power Station site. We have thought long and hard about the nature of the land that we’d be building on, the access to and from site, the potential re-use of buildings and other key environmental considerations in generating options for local people to scrutinise.
“As for all of our developments, we want as many local people to attend as possible in order to influence the masterplan as early as possible and to shape what will ultimately be a high-quality redevelopment. We look forward to welcoming people on 11 October.”
Claire Wild, local Shropshire Councillor for Severn Valley, added:
“The former Ironbridge Power Station site is about to begin a new chapter and I urge local residents and those from farther afield to attend the Open Day and have their say.
“With the site situated in the rural parish of Buildwas, currently some 130 properties and a new development of this size will, without a doubt, have a huge impact on this small parish.
There will also be significant challenges and changes for local residents in the surrounding parishes and the towns of Much Wenlock and Broseley.
“However, with challenge and change comes opportunities, including opportunities for local people to have their say on what the new development could contain. I am sure local residents will want to know what the new development can offer, be it new housing, especially for local people, new jobs, shops, improved transport links, access to leisure opportunities, and so on. This could also be a way of bringing together the rich industrial history of the site and include the many other historic assets in the local area. We should certainly not underestimate how strategically important the future of this site is for both the Shropshire Council area and the neighbouring authority of Telford and Wrekin.”
