Decision deferred on 600-home Shrewsbury development
Plans for 600 new homes have been deferred after a campaign by residents concerned about access.
Members of Shropshire Council’s central planning committee were this afternoon expected to make a decision on an application for up to 600 homes on land between Preston Street and London Road, Shrewsbury.
Planning officers had recommended the scheme for approval.
But councillors have asked for more work to be done on the access roads to the proposed site before they grant permission.
Councillor Jane MacKenzie, also mayor of Shrewsbury, urged members to defer the plans for the application to be improved.
She said: “I welcome housing developments in Shrewsbury which are of a high quality and allow new residents to access amenities. Sadly this development doesn’t meet this criteria.
“I think Shrewsbury does deserve better from housing developers. They seem to be let loose on our town.
“This application is unimaginative and doesn’t reflect the beautiful environment or the wonderful heritage of this town.”
She said she recognised the site is allocated in SAMDev, the council’s planning blueprint for Shropshire, but said the access and community facilities were not acceptable.
The housing estate, proposed by Taylor Wimpey and Persimmon Homes, would be built in two phases if successful.
Part one is for 353 houses, accessed via Preston Street, and includes building a new access from London Road. The second stage is for a further 257 homes, accessed by the new link road.
Planner Vincent Maher told members that the applicant has stated the new road would be built by the time the 250th house is occupied.
However, residents in Preston Street have raised concerns about the increased amount of traffic and construction vehicles coming through the residential area.
They have asked for the new road to be built earlier on in the construction process to alleviate the pressure on Preston Street.
Councillor Kevin Pardy praised residents and said the developers should work with them to take the application forward.
“They’re not Nimbys,” he said. “They’re just saying how they think it should be improved. If I was living nearby I would be concerned too.
“They’re not out there with placards saying ‘not in my back yard’, so the developers should go back and talk to them before this goes any further.
“The developers will get what they want eventually but all these people want is for it to be done correctly and safely.”
He also said he was disappointed that there was no plan for shops or other community facilities within the proposals.
Councillor Nick Hignett added: “We need to look at the access to this as a priority. However, I think a developer like this could probably finance another access road earlier than mentioned. I think 100 homes to be built before the construction of the road would be nearer to the point.”
Members voted to defer the application indefinitely for further discussions with the developer about access.
It will return to the planning committee at a later date.
