Organic gardening plan at Shropshire castle
A proposal has been lodged to change the use of an early 19th century walled garden at a castle near Shrewsbury.
Bosses at Rowton Castle have submitted a planning application to use the walled garden for bio-intensive organic gardening.
It is thought the garden has not been in use since the site was sold to the Royal Normal College in 1941.
The castle was then turned into a luxury hotel in 1986.
A statement which has been sent to Shropshire Council's planning department says parts of the walls have collapsed, with most of them heavily overgrown.
It added: "The design brief for the site was to use the walled garden for bio-intensive small scale gardening, mainly growing vegetables as an organic approach to horticulture.
"The activities are carried out using hand tools and are similar to the no-dig organic gardening made popular by Charles Dowding.
"The proposed use will be more consistent with how the walled garden was traditionally used and provides an opportunity to bring it back to life.
"The proposed use will not harm the non-designated heritage asset that is the walled garden and with regards to the impact of the proposal on the nearby heritage asset Rowton Castle, it is clear that the proposal will complement and enhance the Grade II listed building and its setting."
Council planners are expected to make a decision on the application by April.
