Shropshire Council has launched a survey to gather the views of people over the possibility of a water sports centre in Ellesmere.

The potential plans would involve the development of the disused Swan Hill depot site and include an indoor play facility inside a Meres and Mosses interpretation centre and cafe.

The aim of the project is to develop and promote the Mere as a outdoor recreation centre and ‘Gateway to the Meres and Mosses’ by creating more outdoor recreational opportunities for an all year-round tourist destination at the country park.

This will also increase visitor numbers in other seasons rather than just the summer.

The second aim is to use the project as a way to raise awareness of the Meres and Moses landscape and how important it is.

Mark Blount, Shropshire Council’s countryside development manager, said: “Shropshire Council is undertaking a visitor survey on the mere at Ellesmere to get opinions of some possible options for developing the ex-countryside depot site at Swan Hill.

“The council believe there could be potential to improve the site as an outdoor recreation centre, and once the information from the survey is assessed, we will consult with interested parties and stakeholders as to the way forward.

“The site is already used by a number of companies for water sports and we are soft market testing to see if there is the potential to formalise the site for delivering more water sports activities.

“The Swan Hill site is also adjacent to the well-used adventure play area and we are asking if this area should be enhanced with a café/indoor play area/interpretation centre.

“At this moment in time there is no formal project that has any costs associated with it.

“Our survey is to get some visitor feedback on some ideas we have before any further action is taken.”

The plans are part of Shropshire’s Great Outdoors 2018-28 development plan which focuses on public accessible greenspace to improve health and cherish public land around Shropshire.

The consultation will be open for views and comments until July 31.

You can have your say by completing the survey at www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/the-mere-user-survey-2018

More information of the consultation can be found at shropshire.gov.uk/get-involved/shropshire-s-great-outdoors-2018-28