One of the area's most successful tourist attractions is set to end months of uncertainty by seeking planning permission for its activities.

The British Ironworks Centre has grown over the years to become a popular visitor destination, with a sculpture park, shop and cafe.

Chairman Clive Knowles has told to the Advertizer in the past the business had been continuing without the proper planning consent from Shropshire Council.

Now, after a couple of false starts, permission has been lodged with the authority. And if the decision goes against the Ironworks, it will be forced to shut down its visitor attractions.

Mr Knowles said permission was being sought to continue as an attraction – and includes extensive changes to the entrance, including a new feeder lane off the A5.

He said: "I'm no planning expert but the application has been submitted, and I understand it is going through validation now and will become public in the next few days.

"We are seeking permission for everything we have here at the moment. Although we have previously outlined some extra attractions, none of that forms a part of the application. There are no thrills and additions.

"We already have permission to make and sell metalworks – we have had that since 2009. We are seeking permission for the attractions to continue and to receive visitors, tourists, schools, disabled centres and community groups.

"I appreciate it has taken too long to get to this point. I was ill for a long period, and that held everything up and, looking back, I didn't receive the best advice and misinterpreted some of the advice we were given.

"But the staff at the centre need this to be cleared up. They deserve it. A lot of people work here – some of them married couples – who rely on us for their income and they need assurances about their future.

"If we do not get permission, we would have to go back to making and selling metalwork. People could still come here to see what we were selling, and to pick up items they had ordered, but that would be all.

"The business has grown and evolved over the years and, if I'm honest, we didn't always take time to sit back and consider what the legal restraints were."

Changes to the Ironworks entrance form a large part of the planning dossier and Mr Knowles – who will be picking up the 'substantial' bill for the work – said he had been working closely with Highways England.

"They have been very helpful – they are very professional and very thorough and won't skimp on anything. The safety of roads users is imperative and we are agreeing various steps to improve access," said Mr Knowles.

"Yes, it's an expensive process because there are only a certain number of contractors we can use – not everyone can work on a key road like the A5. We are looking to provide a separate feeder road coming from Oswestry, and an extra turning lane from Shrewsbury with a wider, better entrance.

"I don't know what timescale we are looking at for the application. We just want things sorted.

"We have a staff of almost 90 people and have become the biggest tourism employer in the area. The staff have lived under this cloud for a long time."

Mr Knowles does not expect to have any problems over the quality of the buildings on the site.

"We would never have put up buildings used by visitors if we were not 100 per cent assured of their safety," he said.

"Everything we have ever done at the Ironworks has been completed to a very high standard. Everyone who comes here can see that for themselves.

"We have received a lot of support for our application – we have about 6,000 signatories on a petition and have received about 500 letters of support.

"We are very grateful that we have a place in the hearts of a great many people.

"People look at what we provide and have asked me whether we are a charity, whether we are government owned or a business. The lines have become blurred because of what we try to achieve. We are a very different type of firm. We broke the mould of the way businesses behave.

"That has been very endearing for us. People are comfortable coming here and being under no pressure at all to buy or to spend any money – and to let their children enjoy our open spaces. We try to embrace every generation.

"If we do not receive permission, I believe it would be devastating for the area. It would be devastating for the young entrepreneurs with the Shropshire Youth Support Trust – what would happen to them? What would happen to the Buy in Shropshire initiative we support from here? To the charities, organisations and community groups we support? To our national campaign against knife crime?

"The impact the Ironworks have had on the area has been quite profound."