Rejected plan for 150 homes on land next to retail park is revived
Rejected plans for up to 150 homes to be built next to a retail park have been revived.
The scheme, for land next to Meole Brace Retail Park in Shrewsbury, was thrown out by Shropshire Council planners last year on the grounds that the site lies outside the town’s development boundary.
But a fresh application for the same number of properties has now been lodged.
The applicant, Savills Investment Management, says the development will provide much-needed housing and bring economic benefits to the area.
Under the plans, the homes will be built on an piece of land between the retail units and the park and ride site. Vehicles will access the development and park and ride from both the retail park and a new turning off Hereford Road, which the developer says will help ease current congestion problems.
It is proposed to create an area of public open space in the centre of the development around the site of a Neolithic ‘double-ring ditch’ discovered by archaeologists in the 1990s.
A design and access statement by The Harris Partnership, agent to the applicant, says: “The scheme objectives were to deliver a scheme of modern, high quality residential units, including affordable housing units, within a desirable and accessible location.
“The development would also provide high levels of open space to meet local policy requirements.
“The design incorporates a new vehicular connection to the Hereford Road. This would provide a separate access to the park and ride as a priority, which would significantly improve the efficiency of the service.”
The exact layout and design of the scheme will be subject to a separate application, but an indicative site layout submitted by the developer shows 145 three and four-bed houses.
A quarter of the properties will be affordable homes, which is five per cent higher than required by planning policy.
The land is earmarked for housing in the council’s new local plan, which is currently undergoing its final stage of public consultation before being submitted for government examination.
In refusing the previous application last year, planning officers said it was too early in the local plan review process for this to be given any weight.
But the applicants say the local plan review is now at a much more advanced stage and therefore the proposed allocation of this site for housing should be taken into consideration.
The application will now be decided by Shropshire Council.
