Iconic power station could become Ironbridge Gorge gateway

Councillors and business owners met with developers Harworth to talk about the potential for its future.

And those who attended the meeting said the company's project would celebrate the area's history as the birthplace of industry.

Opportunities and constraints, employment and housing and other issues were also discussed at the meeting, which took place at the power station.

Councillor Nicola Lowery, ward member for Ironbridge, said it had been a very successful meeting.

"The sessions were really productive, engaging and enabled us to cover all of the key areas, opportunities and constraints that exist within this iconic site," she said.

“Harworth are undertaking a consultative and collaborative approach to working with the local community and have a strong track record of creating beneficial and deliverable schemes by working with the local community.

“A lot of information came out of the workshops and some key themes started to emerge such as envisaging the site as a gateway to Ironbridge and the importance of identity given the site’s proximity to the birthplace of Industry, connectivity in terms of rail, cycling and walking routes.

"There was also mention of the importance of high quality design, creation of open publicly accessible places for wildlife, preservation of the natural environment, employment opportunities and appropriate commercial uses, re-use of the pumping station, expansion of social and physical infrastructure such as a primary and secondary schools, GP surgery, two access points and expanding our highways network to sustainably develop the site and limit the impact to our existing communities."

Councillor Lowery said they had discussed reintroducing Ironbridge to the main railway line, and additional parking for the Gorge.

“This redevelopment presents both an opportunity of unique proportion for the Ironbridge Gorge as it has the unparalleled potential to positively contribute and further unlock the potential of the Ironbridge Gorge World Heritage Site and also is one of the greatest issues currently facing our community’s future," she said.

"As the ward member of the Ironbridge Gorge I spoke of how the reintroduction of rail could improve our sustainable transport links, the potential of the site to provide additional relief parking for Ironbridge to expand our infrastructure and provide a more suitable location for Park & Ride.

"We also explored the establishment of circular walking routes, a larger tourist information point with a partner organisation, a museum to acknowledge the history of the site and local area and the possibility of expanding the local university to have additional multifunctional educational and community facilities available, as well as additional leisure and hospitality offerings to compliment the Gorge to encourage visitors stay longer in our destination.

“It was fantastic to see such a variety of stakeholders engaged in this process and sincere thanks to Harworth for organising such a productive day. Today was an encouraging start to the future journey of the former Ironbridge Power Station and I would encourage as many residents as possible to attend the public consultation as it’s vital this site’s future is shaped byline local community”.

The public consultation will take place on October 11 from 2pm until 7pm at the power station.

The Harworth Group wants to develop the site with several hundred new homes, commercial and leisure uses, and a ‘significant’ public open space.

It comes after the company confirmed its purchase of the site for an undisclosed price.

The power station was closed in November 2015 and demolition plans, including the destruction of its four pink cooling towers, were submitted by former owners Uniper last year n September 2017. The regeneration plans are due to be submitted next year.

It was the first chance for stakeholders to have their say on the future of the landmark site. Members of the public will be able to share their thoughts at a public consultation even next month.