Residents 'concerned' with National Trust plans

7 hours ago

Ellen Knightin Atcham

News image — Howard Parsons is worried the scheme will see "queuing" and "frustration" outside the business park

ELLEN KNIGHT/BBC Howard pictured looking into the camera with a serious expression. He's wearing a white collared shirt with thin blue stripes, and a V-neck navy blue woollen jumper over the top. He's stood outside, in front of a large yellow sign that reads 'Atcham Business Park' in dark green writing, with a map of the site laid out beneath the name. Below the sign are two red postboxes, and beyond it two large, green warehouses can be seen. There are trees and shrubbery planted on grass verges either side of Howard, and the tarmac ground is slick with recent rain. The sky is grey and overcast. — Howard Parsons is worried the scheme will see "queuing" and "frustration" outside the business park

People living and working near Attingham Park have voiced concerns about the National Trust's plans to expand the site.

Planning has been approved for the trust to build a new car park and miles of trails to the east of the existing house and grounds, near Shrewsbury.

Howard Parsons is the managing director of Hereford Storage, which owns nearby Atcham Business Park, and he said the local infrastructure was inadequate for the number of extra people expected.

A spokesperson for the National Trust said the organisation had contributed £40,000 towards road improvements and would "keep working openly and constructively" to "support safe access and minimise disruption".

According to the National Trust, Attingham Park received 589,000 visitors in 2023-24, making it one of its most popular sites in England - but this is predicted to increase to 1,000,000 by 2033.

The trust believes the new outdoor hub could attract about 350,000 visitors a year by 2036.

ELLEN KNIGHT/BBC Photograph of the turning into Atcham Business Park. On the right side of the photo, a large sign is staked into the ground, reading 'Atcham Business Park' in light yellow text on a dark green background. On the left, the B-road stretches away into the distance, with the smaller access road running across the bottom of the photograph. A green grass verge runs either side of the main road, with fencing and a brown hedgerow on the right. In the distance, a row of coniferous trees can be seen lining the horizon. The sky is grey and overcast, and there are puddles on both stretches of road indicating recent rain. — The National Trust is proposing to use the business park road so visitors can access the new site

Last month, planners approved the application - subject to a highways agreement.

The application states the main entrance for visitors is expected to be off the B4394, via the Atcham Business Park access road, sparking concerns about an increase in traffic.

Parsons said while he supported the idea of encouraging more people to enjoy the countryside, he was concerned about the impact that the use of the business park's access road would have on its tenants.

"There are over 50 occupants of the buildings on the industrial estate, all under legal obligation for us to ensure they contain unrestricted access," he said.

"I'm concerned that the additional traffic flows projected will cause queuing, frustrations, and in particular trouble at the highway on the junction with the B Road."

Parsons said he was also wary of visitors hoping to sidestep parking fees at the new National Trust site by using the business park or the sides of nearby road, which he believed was "inevitable".

"Then we've got dogs and children running around, which would be a major concern for safety," he said.

"I think first of all they need to consider a new entrance, a different entrance."

ELLEN KNIGHT/BBC Susan pictured looking into the camera with a neutral expression. She has short blonde hair, and is wearing a navy blue quilted jacket with light brown suede patches on the collar and shoulders. She's also wearing a dark blue scarf with a purple, red and green paisley pattern on it. Susan is stood in front of a hedge, which is bracketed by a wooden fence. Behind her, a grassy field stretches into the background, with a row of trees running along the left side of the photo. In the far distance, and slightly out of focus, electricity pylons can be seen. The sky is grey and overcast. — Councillor Susan Coleman said nearby roads were a "black spot" for crashes

Like Parsons, Conservative councillor Susan Coleman recognised that the outdoor hub was "something many people in the area are keen on".

But Coleman, who represents the Severn Valley area on Shropshire Council, is "concerned for the residents close by" and is concerned about "the unintended consequences of having an extra 300,000 visitors".

The nearby junction, known locally as Norton Crossroads, is a "real accident black spot," she said.

"There have been some very serious accidents over the years, and this extra volume of traffic is bound to cause more."

The councillor said she believed there was unlikely to be any "economic benefit" for the local community.

"Because [the National Trust] relies on volunteers, there probably aren't going to be a huge number of jobs created," she said.

Coleman added that the rural location meant "we don't have any shops and businesses close by" to benefit from increased visitor numbers.

ELLEN KNIGHT/BBC A tarmac-d road, with white lines running down the middle of it, and the word SLOW painted onto the right hand side. Either side of the road are wooden fences, with brown hedgerows on the field-side. The road stretches into the middle distance, with a main road just visible at a junction. On the left, a row of coniferous trees runs alongside the fence. The sky is grey and overcast. — The access road is owned by the business park

Citing concerns about road infrastructure and the financial impact of maintenance, Coleman said she "would like to have conversations" with the National Trust regarding "some sort of financial contribution".

"Nobody wants to see more accidents happening," she said.

"We hope that they will come and talk to us a little bit more and listen to concerns," Coleman said, adding that "residents feel perhaps they haven't been listened to".

Road capacity

A spokesperson for National Trust Attingham Park said that surveys had been carried out on "key roads", alongside consultation with Shropshire Council.

"Traffic studies from the highways authority concluded that with appropriate mitigation, the development would not result in an unacceptable impact on safety or road capacity," they added.

The trust is also contributing £40,000 towards road improvements, the spokesperson said.

"We've regularly engaged with the local community throughout the five years of this project," they continued, adding that "planning is already in place to address security concerns".

The organisation also acknowledged that "planning permission doesn't grant land rights," and that it would "keep working openly and constructively" to "support safe access and minimise disruption".

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