Bid to build 200 homes near Shrewsbury hospital attacked

The Campaign to Protect Rural England is urging Shropshire Council's planning bosses to reject proposals to build on the site between Mousecroft Lane and Longden Road, saying the area was of a "too high a landscape value" to be "surrendered" to residential development.

And, in an official objection, it warned that previous studies conducted by the local authority had highlighted the value of the vacant site, which is next to the Nuffield Hospital and Priory and Meole Brace Secondary Schools.

Wyro Developments Ltd submitted outline plans for the mixed housing development earlier this month. The plans include new access to Longden Road.

But R M Carlyle, for the CPRE, said: "This area is liable to become waterlogged in places and development is likely to create access problems onto Longden Road.

"CPRE is of the opinion that it would be irresponsible and negligent to ignore all of the work carried out by previous bodies, often at considerable expense to the local authority concerned.

"The quality of this area has been clearly recognised as too valuable to the local environment to be sacrificed for development.

"We urge that the application is refused."

Residents have also registered their objections, claiming it would increase congestion at peak times, which would be detrimental to the adjacent ambulance station maintenance hub at the Abella Business Centre.

The proposed access is the only part of the proposal which will initially be considered by planners at Shropshire Council. But in a travel plan submitted as part of the scheme, it is revealed that up to 200 homes could be built on the site.

If approved, the north east of the site would back on to the car park of the Nuffield Health Private Hospital and emergency access to Mousecroft Lane would also be provided. There would also be a section left available for public open space within the development.