Campaigners 'win the battle but not the war' as Shrewsbury care unit plans rejected

It's a case of 'one down, one to go' for campaigners after Shropshire Council planners rejected a proposal for up to 182 units of care accommodation and a 75-bed nursing home and dementia unit at the Hencote estate off Ellesmere Road.

In the same area another planning application is yet to be decided for up to 450 new homes.

Campaigner Ben Jephcott, from Herongate, said: "It is one battle won but not the war. There is still time for people to have their say."

The 450-home development has been proposed by Barwood Development Securities Ltd. It includes infrastructure and open space as well as a local centre.

The application says the development would be in two phases, up to 150 homes in phase one and the rest in phase two.

Mr Jephcott, who has created a Facebook page to discuss the issue, says he is not against housing but is worried that local roads and schools would not be able to cope.

"It would be 450 homes being dumped with no infrastructure, and looks like a bog-standard suburban development with no sense of place," he added.

The land in question, unlike the rejected Hencote proposal, has been identified in the draft local plan. But in the Hencote plan, council officers said Shropshire Council already has enough land for housing requirements.

And the land identified by Barwood is linked to the controversial North West Relief Road being built.

For their part, the developers insist that the proposal will deliver tangible benefits to the town and the local community including affordable housing, a high-quality network of green infrastructure, including play spaces, which will simultaneously deliver a net biodiversity gain.

Mr Jephcott said campaigners were relieved to see the Hencote plan rejected but added: "We must remain vigilant.

"I fully expect an appeal - and it's important that the council has been clear in that decision.

"We have won a battle but not the war."