There is exciting news just in about Coder Road from Adam Kennerley of environment charity Cwm Harry. Adam has been coordinating plans for a Zero Waste Enterprise and Education Zone on the former highways depot site.
Alongside the former biodigester and former recycling centre, both of which are currently managed by Cwm Harry, this will create an environmental centre of excellence.
The bid to create an enterprise and education zone follows a meeting in August, attended by around twenty interested parties. Following that meeting, Cwm Harry has:
- Worked with the social enterprise community to develop the ideas.
- Approached a number of potential financiers.
- Talked with Herefordshire and Ludlow College, which is keen to help develop a work experience / apprenticeship function at the site.
- Held meetings to establish the potential for an Anaerobic Digester training centre.
Cwm Harry submitted a bid to Shropshire Council on the 6 November to purchase the site on behalf of the community. It issued an update on progress this afternoon.
This proposal is very exciting, but it could still fail. Shropshire Council has had the site up for sale for a while. The council should not make a decision solely on price. It should consider the community benefits that will come from a green centre of excellence like this. This project will create jobs not just at Coder Road but across a wide area.
The enterprise and education zone will help us improve the environment. It will create jobs in the rapidly growing green economy. And it will establish Ludlow as a centre of excellence in Anaerobic Digestion.
That ticks every box for me.
