Sugar site homes leave bitter taste

More than 60 people packed into an extraordinary meeting of Wrockwardine Parish Council to have their say on plans for the former sugar beet factory at Allscott, west of Wellington.

On a show of hands the residents – who had come from Admaston, Wrockwardine, Rushmoor Lane, Bluebell Lane and Wellington – voted overwhelmingly against the planning application which is currently being considered by Telford & Wrekin Council.

The parish council agreed to formally object to the plans. It also agreed that should the development win planning permission, the council would ask for a list of measures to be included in a Section 106 agreement to help alleviate some of the problems.

The list included traffic calming to reduce speeds and improvements to junction seven of the M54 to cope with thousands of extra vehicle movements each day.

Councillor Jacqui Seymour, who represents the area on Telford & Wrekin Council, said meetings between the developers and planning officers were ongoing. She called for a public meeting so that the planners could hear all local concerns.

Sue Boardman, who lives in Wrockwardine, said the village already suffered from satnavs directing large vehicles along single track roads into the village. She said: "I wouldn't want to be on the football field, have an accident then have to wait for an ambulance. It's a disaster waiting to happen. There must surely be a minimum standard for roads set by either the Government or the borough for developments?"

Councillor Ken Ballantyne urged everyone there to put their objections in writing to Telford & Wrekin Council's planning department, although he warned them they could only object on planning grounds.

He said: "Given the land bank issues, given the new homes bonus, I think the prospect of refusal is very dim, so we have to decide how to mitigate it the best we can."

The main concern was the problem of so many more potential journeys on narrow roads. Several called for a railway halt to be built to serve the development, and others called for a new relief road linking the A442 with the A5/M54 to take traffic away.

Northern Trust has submitted plans for up to 470 homes, a primary school and sports facilities on the 100-acre site. The parish council has already asked Homes and Communities Secretary Eric Pickles to "call in" the plans and consider them at national rather than local level.

The factory closed in autumn 2007.