Work begins on Severn Valley Country Park improvements

Work has been started on the extension of the Visitor Centre at Severn Valley Country Park by Pave Aways, the chosen contractor for the project.

L-R: Edward Andrews (Shropshire Council); Diana Bunn (Rural Payments Agency); Anna Wilson (WWT Consulting); Tina Woodward (Shropshire Council); Beth Morafon (WWT Consulting); Jamie Evans (Pave Aways)

The new extension will feature a much larger interpretation space to tell visitors about the fascinating history and wildlife of Severn Valley Country Park.

The café will also be improved and will include a new ‘play zone’ for younger visitors and a comfortable snug area to sit and enjoy a drink in front of a roaring fire.

Temporary café facilities are available offering take away drinks and snacks to visitors at weekends and during the school holidays.

WWT Consulting were appointed to design and build the new Visitor Centre due to their experience of designing visitor centres on country parks all around the world.

The extension is expected to be completed by the end of June 2019, in time for the busy summer period.

Lezley Picton, Shropshire Council Cabinet member for culture and leisure, said:

“Severn Valley Country Park is well-loved by locals and visitors alike and I’m delighted that work is now underway to improve the Park for local people and as a visitor destination.

“The new Visitor Centre will enable the staff and volunteers to deliver more top quality public events and enhance the visitor experience to safeguard the future of this wonderful facility.”

Jamie Evans, Construction Director for Pave Aways, said:

“This is an exciting and innovative project to be working on. Our team are already hard at work to deliver this transformation of the country park and we look forward to handing it over in time for visitors to enjoy this summer.”

Anna Wilson, Principal Consultant at WWT Consulting, said:

“The Severn Valley landscape has such a fascinating story: from its geological formation, through quarrying and coal mining heritage, to the Country Park that visitors enjoy today.

“WWT Consulting is delighted to be working with Shropshire Council on this project to improve the visitor centre and encourage people to explore the Park and learn about its heritage and wildlife.”

Funding for the extension is the result of a successful grant application to the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) under the Marches LEP Tourism Infrastructure priority. The total cost of the project will be around £411,000, of which £295,839, will be grant-funded.

Shropshire Council manages the third largest Rights of Way network in the country; 5,600km, which is the same distance as Shrewsbury to New York, as well as around 13,000 ha of publically accessible parks, heritage sites and nature reserves.

For more information about Shropshire’s Great Outdoors, visit the website.