Market Drayton residents in uproar as developers resubmit 'beautiful and sustainable' 100-home development

Gladman Developments has lodged a planning application with Shropshire Council for land north of the A53 at Longford.

The plan includes affordable homes, an informal public open space and children's play area, and bring with it road improvements.

It is a resubmission of a previous application that was only refused in January 2022.

The reaction from locals has been the same, with Ms Ruth Glover summing up many of the objections lodged on the council's planning website.

Ms Glover said: "There are enough houses being built without the proper infrastructure to support the increase in the population, for example school places and doctors' practice being overwhelmed.

"The majority of the houses are occupied by people working out side the town - this increases the number of cars on the road. Also the loss of farmland. The population continues to increase but people still need to be fed."

Peter Handley added: "The infrastructure in the area and town can't cope with what it has, let alone more houses on a country lane.

The medical centre can't cope now so with what's being built now plus this it defies common sense."

In their supporting documents, the applicants say that national planning guidance has changed since the recently-rejected application for the 5.26 hectare site, which is an irregularly shaped agricultural field.

In conclusion the developer's agents say it will be a "sustainable and positive addition to Market Drayton, enabling a healthy expansion to the existing town whilst also corresponding well with the position of other new development in the area.

"It lies in a sustainable location, with good accessibility to services, employment opportunities, facilities and public transport provision."

They say they have demonstrated how the land within the site has been used efficiently, and optimises the use of the land to meet as much of the identified need for housing as possible.

"This document has described the existing constraints and opportunities of the site, and establishes the parameters for a well-designed, beautiful and sustainable development," they add.

The application is out for public consultation at pa.shropshire.gov.uk/online-applications/applicationDetails.do?activeTab=summary&keyVal=RO8FR4TDLJN00

The development's reference number on the website is 23/00089/OUT