Plans to ‘shoehorn' 'very invasive' houses onto green space next to existing estate criticised

The proposals relate to land between the new care home currently under construction on Victoria Road in Oswestry, and the Victoria Close and Victoria Green cul-de-sacs built in the early 1990s.

Under the plans, three new houses would be built on the site after Shropshire Council planners advised that initial proposals for five homes would likely be refused on grounds of over-development.

The scheme was blasted at a meeting of Oswestry Town Council’s planning committee, with members unanimously voting to object to the application.

Hannah Butler, who lives next to the site, told the committee that she had only found out about the plans earlier that day by chance, as no site notices had been put up.

She said residents were promised an “adequate, sufficient boundary” between their properties and the new care home, which the plans would remove.

Ms Butler said: “This is an over-intensity of buildings. It seems that these houses are shoe-horned in and very invasive to my privacy.”

Another neighbour said it felt as if the plans had been “snuck in” as an afterthought.

Their concerns were echoed by councillors, who said they would request the application goes before Shropshire Council’s northern planning committee, rather than be determined by officers.

Mayor Jay Moore said: “I think it’s quite apparent that it will very much encroach on the local space. It’s completely decimating that small bit of green space.

“I can’t help but agree with the gentleman that, with these things getting put in last minute, it feels dishonest for lack of a better term.”

Councillor Frank Davis said: “We have to question why it wasn’t part of the original development if it’s suitable for development. It seems strange that piece of land was left.

“I’ve had phone calls off residents saying the land is used for children to play on. It’s nice and safe down there, from what I can see of it.

“There are a lot of children on the estate and it’s somewhere for them to go.

“If you took that away there’s actually nothing in that area for them at all.”

Councillor John Price raised concerns about drainage, saying the development could displace water which could cause issues at the nearby cemetery.

“They would have built there if it was logical to build there,” he said.

So far eight members of the public have also objected to the application, which will be decided by Shropshire Council at a later date.

A design and access statement submitted with the application says: “The applicant has undertaken detailed pre-application discussion with the local authority, applied their recommendations to reduce the proposal to three dwellings, and commissioned specialist sustainable drainage advice to supplement the proposal and minimise the impact on the amenity of the local community.

“The proposal has been considered in-line with national and local planning polices, and therefore is considered an acceptable form development for the application site.”