Public meeting over Bishop's Castle housing plans

More than 80 people turned out to a public meeting amid fears that plans for new homes could expand the size of a Shropshire town by more than 50 per cent.

Residents of Bishop's Castle claim plans to build between 200 and 500 homes in the town leading up to 2026 would seriously alter its rural character and argued there was no need for so many homes in the area.

They also warned that the area would need to attract new business to justify building more homes.

The claims were made at a meeting held at Bishop's Castle Town Hall last night as part of consultation into Shropshire Council's site allocations and management of development plan.

Jim Gaffney, town councillor and chairman of the meeting, told residents there were about 750 homes in Bishop's Castle and said that the mid-range of the proposed allocation would increase the size of the town by between 50 or 60 per cent.

Residents heard a presentation by Andy Mortimer, of Shropshire Council's planning policy team, who said no decisions had been taken over any specific sites.

Resident Michael Dawes told the meeting the proposed rate of housing expansion for the town was twice what was expected of Ludlow.

A series of public meetings have been held during the consultation which runs until June 25.