Mixed reaction to new car park at Wrekin 'honeypot'
A parish council has welcomed the approval of a new 131-space car park near the base of the Wrekin but others are lukewarm in their backing.
Every year the hill attracts many thousands of visitors who make the ascent to the top of its 1,335 ft summit and enjoy commanding views over the Shropshire countryside.
Now a big new pay-and-display car park with a wall and pedestrian footpath has been approved by Telford & Wrekin Council on land at the junction of Wrekin Course/Cluddley Lane.
The parish council in Little Wenlock was one of scores of consultees who lodged their support at the consultation stage. Many others were opposed, however, citing worries about the impact on the environment.
The parish council this week reacted positively to the news.
Councillor Howard Betts, who chairs Little Wenlock Parish Council, said: "Little Wenlock Parish Council raise no objection to the planning application for the car park.
"When the car park opens is will be a major help with traffic congestion at the foot of The Wrekin. It is good news.”
Karen Stephenson, a supervisor at The Huntsman pub in Little Wenlock, also thinks it is great news.
"There definitely is a demand for more car parking space," she said. "When I am driving to work I see cars parked on the roads."
But Sally-Anne Robinson, of Telford Bridleways Association, who was among many people who wanted space set aside for horses, fears not enough will be done for riders.
"We contacted the applicant and offered to pay for a dedicated area for horsebox parking but we didn't hear anything back," she said.
"We support any effort to provide safe, off-road facilities. Every five years when they have a new housing plan we ask for provision for horses but nothing happens."
However horseriders were recently delighted to win a campaign to have a circular riding route designated around the Wrekin.
"It took 22 years to get that," she added.
Anne Suffolk, who chairs the Telford and East Shropshire Ramblers, recognises that the Wrekin is a very popular spot for families but would like to see provision for a shuttle bus from Wellington Station to the Wrekin.
She lives nearby and walks from Wellington to there and thinks a service similar to a bus that runs in south Shropshire could also work in the Wrekin area.
She also believes that people should try to explore more parts of Shropshire other than "honeypot" sites, to take the pressure off those areas.
"There are solutions other than a huge car park," she said. "It's not far from Wellington and maybe some people could walk to the Wrekin from there.
"Walking is a great benefit to the local economy, so maybe start and finish at a local pub and explore areas other than the honeypot sites."
The scale of the parking issue was revealed in a statement provided by Sambrook-based company Design by Nature last summer.
They said that a new car park could make it safer for families to visit the Wrekin, near Wellington, in busy periods when the existing Forest Glen car park fills up quickly and dozens of vehicles park along the narrow roads near the hill forcing pedestrians to walk in the road.
"On many weekends/bank holidays and during the summer approximately 25 to 30 cars can be parked on a 200m long stretch of the lane which adjoins the eastern boundary of the site, causing a constriction and making passage for large vehicles difficult.”
The situation was exacerbated during successive Covid lockdowns when families visited the hill for their daily exercise and the roads were blocked up.
Council officers granted full permission on Tuesday, with work to begin within three years. A toilet block has also been approved.
