Government lobbied for £60m to continue Ironbridge Gorge stabilisation work
Telford council is lobbying the Government for around £60 million for further work needed at a Shropshire World Heritage Site.
Telford & Wrekin Council is carrying out the Jackfield Stabilisation Project, in the Ironbridge Gorge, to stop part of Jackfield slipping into the River Severn.
The work is expected to be completed soon after two years of improvements, and so far the scheme has cost a total of £23.2 million.
But the council has said it would need a further £60 million over the coming years to address the instability issue within the Gorge.
Work on the smaller piles on the river bank, have now been completed, which will minimise the effects of erosion by the river and extend from the gardens in Church Road to Salthouse Lane.
This comes just days after the opening of the latest temporary road across the site. Residents and visitors have been using a temporary track through the site to access the far end of Jackfield during the past few months but that track has now closed.
With the piling now completed, the project moves forward into earthworks and restoration that will continue through the winter.
Councillor Richard Overton, cabinet member for land stability, said: "It is a hugely positive step that the mini piling is complete and while the piles are not visible they are key to the stabilisation work."
The project aims to stabilise land movement on the southern bank of the River Severn and it has a budget of £17.6m including a council contribution of £5.6m. Further stabilisation projects will be needed elsewhere in the Ironbridge Gorge World Heritage Site, but are currently unfunded.
