New visitor facilities are set to be created at Haughmond Hill in Shropshire over the next 12 months as part of a new £172,000 scheme to transform the beauty spot.

The Forestry Commission is behind the proposals to develop a new visitor centre and café at the site, which is intended to offer information about the forest and the geology of the hill. Work will be carried out off-site to assemble the facility in a bid to reduce disruption to visitors and the surrounding woodland, while the car park has already been increased by 50 spaces.

It is anticipated the new visitor centre will become a hub for the beauty spot, and will act as the starting point for all four walking trails through the woodland. The team behind Pine Tops - an existing café at Haughmond Hill - will run the new café, while a new rock play area and a toposcope are also set to be installed.

Funding has come through Natural England's Aggregates Levy Sustainability Fund Grant scheme, which supports projects that reduce the effect of aggregate extraction on the land. Georgina Sharp of the Forestry Commission said: "The range of new facilities being developed at Haughmond Hill over the next year will enable us to offer visitors a higher quality experience."

It is hoped work will be completed by March 2011.