Traffic fears over 200-homes plan near Shrewsbury schools
Traffic congestion fears have been raised in connection with a planned major housing development close to two Shrewsbury secondary schools, a hospital and an ambulance hub.
Shropshire Council's central planning committee is to meet tomorrow to decide whether to approve outline plans to build up to 200 homes between Mousecroft Lane and Longden Road.
Dozens of people and several groups have objected to the proposals by Wyro Developments, but council officers are recommending the scheme is given the go-ahead.
Now Councillor Mike Owen, who represents the Meole ward, has written to council case officer Andy Gittins to express his own concerns about the additional traffic that would be created by the new homes.
"I know that an officer involved in this project stated that this contained site to the brook posed problems with management issues with two schools, the ambulance station and the fact that commuters use the areas as a rat-run, from Meole Village towards the A5," he said.
Councillor Owen said he did not agree with a suggestion by the council's highways department that traffic lights at the Roman Road roundabout would ease congestion.
He added that a wider view of development in the Meole area needed to be considered when looking at the application.
"The report to planning does not satisfactorily address the many issues and does not address the full highway problems facing Meole and in my view it is of paramount importance that you need to do this instead of dealing with applications in a single piecemeal fashion," he said.
Councillor Owen said other schemes due to be built close to the area include a new Waitrose store and further expansion of the Meole Brace Retail Park and a "well-thought through highways strategy and action plan for the area" taking account future developments was required.
The report by Mr Gittins to the central planning committee said the council's highways team had not objected to the proposal.
If the outline planning application by is approved, Wyro Developments will have to contribute more than £1 million of funding to the council, with money earmarked for spending on areas such as improving the road network.
