Shropshire Council planning committee is branded as shambolic

Shropshire Council's central area planning committee, which met over several large proposed developments on Thursday, has come under fire after accusations that some councillors were talking over public speakers during the meeting at Shrewsbury's Shirehall.

A member of the public also claimed today that certain newly elected members decided not to speak at all during cross-committee discussions.

The meeting considered Shrewsbury's £7 million multi-storey car park and plans for a £10 million out-of-town supermarket and a £3 million hotel and restaurant plan off Battlefield Road.

It was the first meeting since the local elections earlier this month with 11 councillors now on the committee – three of them new councillors and one new to Shropshire Council.

Jonathan Worton, of The Fairways, in Condover, near Shrewsbury, spoke as an objector over one of the applications and said he would be lodging a complaint over how the meeting was handled. "I was extremely surprised about the lack of protocol generally and there was very little cross-committee discussion. To call it shambolic would not be an overreaction," he said.

"You're talking about elected councillors presumably with planning expertise and yet some of them said absolutely nothing for the entirety of the meeting but were still voting.

"I didn't feel the committee was professional. It seemed there was less discussion given to each application as the afternoon wore on and there were too many councillors – particularly some of the newer ones – who seemed disinterested."

He added: "I was also annoyed that two members were chatting while I was making my three-minute speech."

Shropshire councillor Vernon Bushell, chair of the central area planning committee, said he welcomed genuine criticism and would address the members about the issues. He said: "When they're new, councillors tend to adopt more of a listening brief but there were six new members so I could understand them holding back a bit and I think they'll settle down."

Bagley councillor Dean Carroll said: "Shropshire Council has put on some good training but it does take a bit of time and can be a little bit overawing for new members at the first meeting, particularly when planning is so technical."