Express & Star

Staffordshire link road would hit ancient Moseley Old Hall say National Trust

The National Trust has objected to controversial plans for a link road in South Staffordshire.

Published

The trust has warned the plans could severely impact on Moseley Old Hall, the famous resting place of Charles II.

Developers have put forward nine options for a link road to ROF Featherstone, located over the road from Moseley Hall, as part of the redevelopment of the Royal Ordnance Factory.

Despite the nine options they have stated publicly they prefer options seven and nine, as they 'would allow the site to be developed to create jobs, manage increased traffic, including HGVs and reduce the impact on the existing roadworks'.

But it is option nine that has prompted a strong objection from the National Trust, which has warned the link road would have a 'significant detrimental impact' on Moseley Old Hall, adding it would end a 400-year history of people walking the paths to Northycote Farm.

Option nine involves the link road cutting through Moseley Old Hall Lane, the road leading up to the hall.

Michelle Fullard, the conservation manager at Moseley Old Hall, said: "There are nine different options for the proposed ROF Featherstone link road and we are objecting to option nine because of the significant detrimental impact it would have upon the historic setting of Moseley Old Hall.

"Moseley Old Hall provided a sanctuary for King Charles II in 1651 and continues to act as a peaceful retreat to its visitors today by offering a taste of a bygone, rural age with its woodland and farmland setting.

"This proposed new road, carrying 24-hour lorry traffic, would cut straight across the approach to this former 17th century farmhouse, as well as end a 400-year history of people walking along the country paths to its oldest neighbour, Northycote Farm.

"The M54 is already close-by and the proposed option nine route would run almost parallel, leaving Moseley Old Hall located between the two – far from the peaceful historic landscape it should inhabit.

"Allowing Moseley Old Hall to be isolated from its historic landscape setting would show a fundamental disregard for our nation's history as well as for the care of our local green spaces – something we should cherish so close to Wolverhampton."

The Trust has made it clear it is only objecting to option nine and not the overall development of the Royal Ordnance Factory.

Sorry, we are not accepting comments on this article.