10,000 Shropshire homes plan clears first hurdle

But a countryside campaign group has challenged the authority over its "dubious" use of data for its housing and business targets.

The Shropshire branch of the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) has deemed the council's calculations misleading.

Charles Green, spokesman for CPRE Shropshire, said: “We demonstrated our opposition to Shropshire Council’s proposed local plan when it was first published in October 2017.

"We subsequently submitted a thorough and detailed response, extending to 66 pages, as part of the consultation process at the end of last year.

“The council, however, has seemingly ignored our fundamental query which calls in to question the maths behind its employment land requirements and this gets no mention in its consultation response summary which was published ahead of the cabinet meeting.

“It is our belief that unrealistic and undeliverable employment targets are being used by Shropshire Council to justify similarly unrealistic and undeliverable housing targets.

"Aside from Shropshire Council and housing developers, the opposition to the currently proposed level of development across the county in the period to 2036 is significant and certainly not backed up by any robust data.

“The high targets are well beyond the demographic need of the county; are beyond even what the Government requires; and they certainly do not guarantee that enough affordable houses or homes for the elderly will be built.”

Mr Green added: "“In electing for the 'high growth' option as their preferred option, not only has Shropshire Council deliberately ignored the clear majority view of those for whom the consultation was intended, but it has gone on to justify the perceived economic growth that would require this level of housing with inconsistent data sources.

“It is absolutely time for Shropshire Council to be called to account for its dubious use of data and to stop pushing ahead with its plans to the blatant disregard of the local population.”

Councillor Robert Macey, portfolio holder for planning and regulation, said that the council had more than 600 responses to the previous consultation.

He said: "We have decided it is appropriate to not submit our preferred options before December 2019."

The local plan review will now see more consultation ahead of the publication of preferred candidate sites in October.

And a decision on whether major development sites at Clive Barracks, Ironbridge Power Station and land at Tong will not be made until next year.

The three sites could represent the county's largest individual development projects, although they are likely to take many years to complete.

The timescale means their contribution to housing targets may be part of future local development plans for the county.

Shropshire Council's cabinet approved the next stage of the local plan review at its meeting in Shirehall yesterday.