Caravan park plan for Church Stretton

A caravan holiday park and car park could be built on the outskirts of Church Stretton as part of a tourist trail through local beauty spots.

The development to the east of the A49 in Church Stretton would provide extra car parking for visitors to the town and would encourage more people to explore beauty spots such as Caer Caradoc, according to landowner Elwyn Parks.

Mr Parks said it would link with a mountain biking and walking trail near his land to the north of the town which will join cycling trails which are being developed by the National Trust in former quarries near Much Wenlock.

No timescale has yet been set for the project.

All parking in the town is on the west side of the A49 and in the town centre, providing easy access to the Long Mynd and attractions such as Carding Mill Valley.

Mr Parks said: "I'm planning to build a caravan park and a lodge and it will include a car park for people to use.

"People in Church Stretton want to push on with tourism and there is a general feeling that the Long Mynd side of the valley is over-populated and more people could be encouraged to places like the Caradoc.

"It would help people to see other areas of the Stretton Hills and could form part of a tourist track through Cardington, linking Much Wenlock to Church Stretton.

"The National Trust has the old quarry in Much Wenlock and is refurbishing a green lane which runs behind our land for mountain bikers and walkers.

"It's still all in its infancy and I will need to talk to Shropshire Council's planning department before I have a firm idea of the scale of the caravan park.

"But we want to do this as soon as we can."