Dudley Council has submitted planning proposals for a new visitor centre, café and play area at The Leasowes, one of the borough's most significant historic landscapes.
The single-story visitor, education and café facility would be built on the footprint of the existing play area. A new play area with wooden equipment would be installed in the current picnic area, and the existing Portacabin would be demolished to make way for additional car parking.
Inside the visitor centre, the council plans to include a senior warden's office, toilet facilities, a meeting room, and café with outdoor seating. The building will feature a green roof.
Why the changes are needed
The proposals follow a visitor survey conducted last year. Feedback from visitors highlighted a lack of quality play facilities and adequate visitor amenities, which limited how long families stayed at the site.
The plans have been developed with extensive input from the Friends of the Leasowes and other key stakeholders within the Leasowes Green Gateway Group.
The historic significance of The Leasowes
The Leasowes is Grade I listed and designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). It features wooded valleys, open grasslands, lakes and streams. The Grade II listed Leasowes Walled Garden, owned and managed by Halesowen Abbey Trust, is also located within the site.
The landscape was designed by poet William Shenstone between 1743 and 1763 and is considered one of the first natural landscape gardens in England and one of the most important and influential landscapes of the 18th century.
What happens next
If planning permission is approved, Dudley Council and the Friends of the Leasowes will need to source external funding to deliver the development.