Shropshire population rise: Big questions posed by future growth

To put this into context, it is about half the population of Shrewsbury – or the equivalent of four new towns the size of Ludlow.

For many people, this will pose two questions – where are they going to live, and how much will the rural character of Shropshire change within the next couple of decades?

Your view on this will probably depend on where you live.

In theory, plans are already in place to cope with this. Shropshire Council's Site Allocations and Management of Development plan has already earmarked sites for 27,500 homes over the next two years, which should be more than sufficient to cope with the projected population growth.

But anyone who has followed the strength of protests against plans to build 117 houses in the shadow of Oswestry's historic hillfort will realise this is unlikely to be the end of the matter.

About 300 people turned out to a Valentine's Day protest at the site, and the campaign has been picked up by comedian-turned-television historian Griff Rhys Jones, and even became the subject of a full half-hour programme on BBC Radio 4.

At the opposite end of the county, there are also concerns.

Thirty miles away, there have been growing concerns about the pace at which the (still) small market town of Shifnal has been expanding.

A report published last year revealed that planning permission had been granted for a total of 1,167 homes across the town. It's population is expected to grow by 50 per cent over the next five years.

To deal with this, Shifnal Town Council has drawn up its neighbourhood plan, which will be adopted by Shropshire Council as official policy if it is supported by more than half of voters who will take part in a referendum in the autumn.

Councillor Kevin Turley said managing the demand for new housing in the town is not an easy task.

"It's getting more and more difficult," he said. "The problem is the impact it is having on doctors and schools, access to NHS dentists, it's more the services that people are worried about.

"When planning for this sort of growth, you also have to ask questions like have you got enough coverage for ambulance services."

He said traffic is also a growing concern, with parking and road congestion becoming a major problem at busy times.

"I think the biggest concern for people in Shifnal is that a medieval market town is having to take in all this extra development," he said.

"Aston Street and the market place has been looked at by the highways team, but you now find that at school coming-out time and the rush hour that the traffic queues are moving further away, we're now starting to see queues in Curriers Lane. In many ways, I think Shifnal has become a victim of its own success," he added.

"A few years ago it was voted as one of the top 10 places to live, and that has meant that a lot of people want to come to live here."

In neighbouring Telford & Wrekin, new leader Councillor Shaun Davies said the growth should be seen as a positive thing, arguing that attracting inward investment to the borough will inevitably lead to more people coming to live in the area.

"It was always envisaged that Telford as a 1960s New Town would be a dynamic and vibrant place that would continue to grow and evolve," he said.

"We have the available land to cater for this growth and our drive to attract new business to the borough while supporting existing businesses to expand is already proving hugely successful.

"The more we can raise the aspirations of our residents by encouraging new jobs and economic growth, the more our population will grow."

He pointed out that the past few years have seen significant investment in the borough's infrastructure, including the £200 million Building Schools for the Future programme and the first phase of the £250m development at Southwater.

"There has also been massive investment in our roads network including making the town centre box road two-way, significant investment in expanding the capacity at key gateway roundabouts and new footways and other works in Ironbridge," he added.