Views sought over £50m visitor scheme in Staffordshire

People in a Staffordshire village have been given questionnaires over proposals to convert a quarry site into a £50m visitor destination.

Moneystone Park near Oakamoor would focus on outdoor activities, wildlife, the environment and the quarry's heritage, the Laver Leisure firm said.

Oakamoor council, which put the survey out, wants to know how residents feel about the proposals.

But the company has said there has been "a lot of support for the idea".

'Very carefully'

The parish council said it was asking residents to consider issues including traffic, noise, the effect on wildlife, whether it would contribute to the beauty of Churnet Valley and whether it would benefit the community financially.

The council's chairman, Nick Cresswell, said: "We need to have verifiable data to present to the interested parties.

"The interested parties [are Staffordshire Moorlands] district council, regarding any planning application that may be put forward by Laver Leisure, and indeed Laver Leisure would probably want to see the results."

The company has stressed the ideas were not "plans" but "initial proposals and ideas".

Operations director Mark Bower has said: "One of the things we've got to do is make sure that the highway situation is looked at very carefully...

"The idea is that we're going to be fully open and fully inclusive of the local community and take on board what their views are."