122 object to plan for five shops at Bridgnorth car park

The proposed development on the Old Smithfield site has caused a lot of controversy, and while it still awaits a decision from Shropshire Council, the number of comments objecting is rising.

Nearly 7,000 people opposing the plans signed a petition run by Bridgnorth Chamber of Commerce which was presented to Shropshire Council opposing the plans.

One of the main concerns of Bridgnorth Town Council when it discussed the development was the lack of parking it would leave. There have been 122 comments objecting to the proposal and just two in support, leaving three neutral comments.

A letter in support of the application from an independent project management consultancy was posted last week on Shropshire Council's planning portal.

The letter proposes removing the recycling area on Innage Lane car park to compensate for lost parking spaces on Old Smithfield, and offers Shropshire Council a financial contribution towards enhancing that car park if the planning application is accepted.

Stephen Robbins, chairman of Bridgnorth Chamber of Commerce, said: "It also mentions the offer of a financial contribution towards the park and ride, the chamber has already refused this offer, as it does not enable a long-term sustainable solution, and we certainly would not want to have any involvement with anything that could be misconstrued as a bribe."

"The chamber's legal team remains confident the application by Ziran will fail and no retail development will be allowed on the land in question."

Developers Ziran Land defended the proposal saying it has already addressed a number of concerns, including the £100,000 offer to the park and ride.

The developers said they had undertaken surveys which showed there would be enough parking.