Homes plan on ancient Ludlow meadow racks up more than 150 objections

Andy Boddington, Shropshire Councillor for Ludlow North, said the town is “unanimously” against the plans for seven houses on Castle View Terrace.

A campaign group was recently set up to oppose the plans on the grassland just off Castle View Terrace, as it is home to wildlife, grazing sheep and wildflowers.

The group, ‘Save The Meadow’, made up of nearby residents, had previously offered to buy the meadow to ensure it is not developed on, but they learned it had instead been sold to Shropshire Homes.

Now, the plans have racked up 153 objections on Shropshire Council’s planning portal.

Councillor Boddington said people are mainly against the loss of green space and biodiversity.

“I can’t recall a planning application in Ludlow in the last 10 years that had that many objections,” he said.

“It is part of the original medieval field system around Ludlow. The area was called Little Field and was part of the medieval system of our town. The plans break every planning rule in the book.

Design

“We are destroying an ancient meadow to build a small number of houses. We are not in desperate need of houses – there are between 600 and 700 houses, I think, in the pipeline at the moment.

"For a small town like Ludlow, that is a lot of houses.”

Among the objections is one from the Shropshire Council Rights of Way team who said they cannot support the application due to restriction of public footpaths in the plans.

The comment said: “Footpath 13Z will run within the proposed site boundary and will be surfaced and made into a highway pavement.

"As laid down in Defra’s Rights of Way Circular 1/09, the Highway Authority should avoid coinciding the use of estate roads/pavements and public rights of way wherever possible.

“Preference should be given to the use of made up paths, through the development, therefore officers cannot support this application and recommend that the layout is redesigned accordingly.”

Councillor Boddington added that the house design is plain and ordinary, not in keeping with the town.

“They could be in Brighton or Northumberland, or anywhere,” he said.

“They are completely undistinguished. They don’t reflect the design of the town at all.”

Andy Sheldon, land director at Shropshire Homes, said: "Shropshire Homes have submitted a planning application for a high quality scheme of 7 houses which is in keeping with the immediate surroundings of the site and which is in accordance with planning policy .

"We have been mindful of comments from neighbours and the local councillor regarding some of the details of our proposals and will be making some amendments accordingly .

"We therefore anticipate a positive response from the local planning authority to our application."