The leader of Shropshire Council has called for the county to become self-sufficient in food production and to start producing its own electricity from the River Severn.
Councillor Keith Barrow said north Shropshire had plenty of beautiful features such as the meres to attract tourists, while Market Drayton dairy giant Muller had done an excellent job in promoting the county through its TV advertisements.
But he claimed red tape and over-strict health and safety rules were hampering bed and breakfast providers from making the most of the area’s potential.
Oswestry-based Councillor Barrow said he was a big supporter of green power and was interested in the latest hi-tech inflatable weirs used successfully to generate hydro-electricity in the USA.
The idea of installing weirs to create power and enable boats to use the river upstream of Shrewsbury has been put forward by campaigners including the Severn Navigation Restoration Trust.
“Shropshire Council is looking into the feasibility of this,” he said.
“A new range of technological solutions is on offer and the council has decided to invite organisations to submit bids so a decision can be made on the best option.”
He said farming was still a major feature in Shropshire, despite a decline in recent years, and he believed it would become increasingly important.
“Population projections show we will not have enough food to feed ourselves by the middle of this century,” he said.
“I think it is really important that we try to make Shropshire self-sufficient.
“It’s nonsense that we should be buying things like potatoes from Egypt when we can grow our own.
“Promoting sustainability should be high on our agenda.”
Councillor Barrow said tourism was increasingly important and the county needed more bed and breakfast accommodation.
But the problem was people were put off by bureaucracy and health and safety rules.
“Some of the regulations are outrageous, such as the requirement to have separate TV licences for every room,” he said.
By Peter Johnson