Ironbridge museums bid to install number plate cameras to cut lost revenue

The Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust has applied to Telford & Wrekin Council for permission to put in four automatic number place recognition (ANPR) cameras at some of its car parks.

The museum trust is responsible for a series of historical venues alongside the Museum of Iron, including Blists Hill Victorian Town, Enginuity, the Jackfield Tile Museum, Coalport China Museum and the Museum of the Gorge.

The application says the cameras would be put in place at the Coalbrookdale museums' car parks.

A design and access statement from Osbornes Chartered Architects on behalf of the museum trust explains that it is currently losing money because it cannot properly enforce parking charges.

It states: "The current parking payment system uses a pay and display machine which requires visitors to pre pay for parking. It is currently very difficult for Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust to enforce payment for parking and as such a considerable amount of revenue is lost through visitors failing to pay the relevant parking fees over a number of attractions run by the trust."

The application also explains that the cameras will be fitted at the Museum of Iron car park and on the wall of the Enginuity building.

The statement says: "The proposed alterations to the parking payments system will be implemented across four car park sites within the Ironbridge Gorge area. This includes the Coalbrookdale museums car parks.

Advise

"The proposed system will be a Automatic Number Plate Recognition system (ANPR) This system makes use of sensors and dedicated cameras to detect and record entry of vehicles into the car park. This system will allow visiting vehicles to be charged for parking without the need to install physical barriers.

"Two new ANPR Cameras will be installed in the larger car park to the front of the Museum of Iron building. One of these will be mounted on a new three-metre high post at the entrance of the larger car park. A new welcome sign with also be mounted on this new post and will advise visitors on parking payment.

"The second will be mounted underneath the existing canopy/overhang of the Long warehouse building.

"A second ANPR camera will be installed on the external wall of the Enginuity building to serve the smaller second car park area."

Under the plans the existing pay and display machines will be replaced and new mains powered machines will be installed in their place.

New payment tariff signs will be installed next to the new machines.

The application says that the trust does not believe the new signs and machines will have a negative impact on the historic and listed buildings.

It states: "It is anticipated that he proposed works will have minimal impact to the listed buildings on site. The only alteration to the existing buildings will be the mounting of a new cameras to a wall of the Enginuity building and one to the overhang of the Long warehouse building.

"These can be removed in the future with relatively little impact on the existing building.

"It is anticipated that the proposed signs will have minimal impact to the heritage of the area."

A decision will be made on the application by Telford & Wrekin Council.