Hillfort campaigners call for controversial site to be removed from Shropshire Council's housing plan
New figures showing Shropshire having a surplus of land to meet housing needs have raised hopes that controversial housing earmarked for an Iron Age site can be reconsidered.
Despite huge opposition, land near Old Oswestry Hillfort was included in Shropshire Council's SAMDev plan to help it meet the five-year housing land supply.
But the latest figures show the county has a 6.04 year supply of deliverable housing land, equating to 2,140 homes above target.
Campaign group Hands off Old Oswestry Hillfort (HOOOH) is now calling for the 117 houses allocated near the hillfort, which are included in the five year figure, to be reviewed and removed.
Dr George Nash, a heritage advisor to HOOOH, said: "Shropshire planners have clearly been working hard to turn around housing land supply and should be congratulated on the new figures.
"This must now provide the basis to review the hillfort allocation which is strongly opposed by many county electors, national heritage and environmental groups, and at the highest levels of British archaeology."
The report also reveals that the amount of housing build in Shropshire in 2016/17 is exceptionally high and "significantly exceeds the housing requirement".
In all, 520 extra homes were finished during this period, some 37 per cent more than the 1,390 required.
Dr Nash said: “Shropshire’s five year target is 10,282 houses, almost 50 per cent more than the county’s identified housing requirement of 7,090. Given the latest figure exceeds this requirement by a massive 5,331 homes, surely the statistics can sustain the removal of 117 houses impacting on a national heritage icon?"
Members say there are new sites in Oswestry coming forward to help meet a local need for housing and have shown their support for plans to build up to 600 homes on the edge of town.
The report published by Shropshire Council says it has planned enough housing until 2026 which will meet the land supply and address the past under-delivery.
Tim Malim, a heritage expert and adviser to the campaign, added: "The imperative that the hillfort site, in the absence of alternatives, is needed to meet five year housing targets is now obsolete.
"With the established upward trend in supply of housing land, other more appropriate sites are clearly available, providing ample justification to remove it from the plan.
"Old Oswestry within its unspoilt setting is used frequently in magazines and publicity promoting tourism in Shropshire. But it will not be such an iconic image when it has been blighted by housing with associated detriment to the local economy."
HOOOH says it is writing to the local planning authority, Oswestry Town Council, and other stakeholders to invite new discussion about conserving the hillfort.
