Ironbridge Power Station: Firm to keep public up to date on towers

Uniper, the owner of Ironbridge Power Station in Buildwas and the company in charge of its decomissioning, has appointed Macbeth Lankester to act as a community liaison.

A number of stakeholders met with Uniper earlier this year to discuss the future of the site with the owners. A number of representations have been made to ensure that the local community is kept informed of developments and what measures are being taken to protect the area when the power station is brought down.

The station, in Buildwas, is within Shropshire Council’s boundary, but its future will have a significant impact on the Ironbridge Gorge World Heritage Site, which is within Telford & Wrekin.

Uniper announced in February that it had put the 141-hectare site up for sale. The company said it had reached the decision to seek a buyer after considering a number of options for the site. The coal-fired, and latterly biomass power station, which had been generating on the site ceased operations in November 2015. Full demolition of the site is expected to begin in 2018.

Macbeth Lankester is now working on a database of parties interested in the future of the power station site to include any residents that have expressed an interest and to ensure people are kept updated.

It has also proposed to create an email address specifically to answer any questions the public may have. A drop-in session is also planned.

This news comes weeks after Shropshire Council confirmed that Uniper does not require prior approval to demolish conveyors 6 and 7 and the accompanying conveyor tower of the former Ironbridge Power Station.

It is the first stage of the clearing of the station, and Uniper says it needs to bring these first buildings down because of ongoing risks and to make way for full demolition.

Uniper has already provided a comprehensive report about the structures of the station and their history as part of the demolition process, but further information will be needed form part of the heritage mitigation legal agreement, on how the demolition will be managed so close to the World Heritage Site.

Councillor Nicola Lowery, ward member for the Ironbridge Gorge said it was “extremely encouraging” to see that Uniper was looking to work more closely with those interested in the site.

She said: “At the stakeholder meeting earlier this year I, along with the Gorge Parish Council, emphasised the importance of holding a public drop in session to ensure our local communities are aware of the key information relating to the demolition and are given the opportunity to contribute to this process, which I know is of great interest to residents.“The cooling towers have understandably been subject to much discussion and regardless of preference are emblematic of the power industry. Uniper has provided a comprehensive report detailing the structures within the Ironbridge site and their history as part of this process and there is a preference to make this work public.”

“I recently made contact with Shropshire Council in an effort to begin dialogue with Macbeth Lankester as I appreciate the interest in this site and was keen to ensure we make progress on community engagement. I am delighted to confirm that I have now spoken with Macbeth Lankester are currently working with them on a stakeholder database to begin wider communications and have requested a commitment to delivering a public drop in session.

“In terms of the future use of the site, I maintain the strategic importance of master planning, as it is a site of considerable scale which could enable us to expand the destination offering for our region and sustainable transport links.

One area that I raised at the stakeholder meeting was the importance of a planning framework, essentially a development brief that could be made available for prospective buyers so they are aware of the local authority’s expectations and aspirations for the site to provide further guidance to inform their approach to the planning process.”

She said she was working with the contractors to ensure the views of people in the town are known. Anyone who would be interested in taking part in a drop in session should email nicola.lowery@telford.gov.uk