Students visit new hydro scheme

Posted 12 November 2010

A group of first year Harper Adams students visited the Earl of Plymouth’s Oakly Park Estate recently to learn about successful food centres and how to construct a hydro scheme.

The first year Rural Enterprise and Land Management (REALM), and Rural Property Management students visited the estate in Bromfield, near Ludlow, as part of the construction and surveying module delivered at the University College.

Whilst at Oakly Park, the students were also given a presentation about the new Ludlow Food Centre – a tourist attraction championed for combining farming, food production and retailing together.

REALM Lecturer, Simon Keeble, helped to organise the visit in conjunction with Project Manager, Mike Woolcock. Simon said: “The hydro scheme replicates the weir built in around 1880. This enables minimum disruption to the existing flow and flooding of the river and is sympathetic to the fish.

“There will be two turbines producing 200kW of electricity which will supply the estate, the quarry and 400 nearby houses. This is an excellent example for the students to visit.”