Field at foot of the Wrekin to be turned into pay-and-display car park
A field near the base of the Wrekin is set to be turned into more than 100 pay-and-display car parking spaces after a planning application succeeded.
CCTV cameras and a new footpath leading to the foot of the hill will also be installed under the extensive plans for a 24-hour car park on the 'Donkey Field' northeast of the famous beauty spot. Pay-and-display machines will be in operation and visitors will also be able to buy annual parking passes.
The scheme for 131 spaces, including four disabled spaces and one for a minibus, was proposed by Sambrook-based company Design by Nature last summer and approved by officers at Telford & Wrekin Council this week.
The company said in a statement at the time 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, dozens of vehicles park along the narrow roads near the hill and pedestrians are forced to walk in the road.
The design and access statement said: "Parking along the lane which adjoins the eastern boundary of the Donkey Field has long occurred during busy periods, when the Wildlife Trust car park (which can accommodate up to 50 cars in unmarked spaces), located several hundred metres to the south-east at the Forest Glen quarry, is full.
"However, 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 planning permission for the proposals on Tuesday, with work to begin within three years.
Plans for a toilet block, picnic tables and a catering van have also been approved, with more details yet to be submitted.
