Fears that housing plans could ruin Shropshire village
The population of a Shropshire village would increase by a third if proposals for new houses go ahead, protesters have said.
A petition has been raised by Leintwardine Parish Council against plans for about 60 houses in the village on the Shropshire border near Ludlow, over fears the development would "overwhelm" the community.
The plans by LWD Developments, for 57 homes ranging from two-bedroom bungalows to four-bedroom detached houses, are planned for 2.6 hectares of land off Rosemary Lane.
But at a public meeting held by Leintwardine Parish Council, chairman Alison Kay said villagers were shocked and disappointed at the proposal.
She said the village of 750 people had a full school, no local employment and only an occasional bus service, with roads not up to an increase in traffic.
Unacceptable
The development was "so out of proportion that it is unacceptable to everyone here," she said, and with other speculative housing applications would add over 30 per cent to the population.
Olwyn Barnett, Herefordshire Councillor for the Mortimer ward, added: "The problem is that there's another application in the pipeline and this village could be landed with 100 houses in a very short space of time.
"This is a nonsense that should not be allowed to happen, and it needs to be stopped."
North Herefordshire MP Bill Wiggin said he will write to Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government Eric Pickles to urge the development does not go ahead.
However, Louise Steele, of Framptons, acting as agents for the developers, said: "The site is well positioned in a sustainable location within the wider context of Leintwardine."
