Village's hopes for railway station back on track as housing development is voted through

The 48-home development in Baschurch, near Shrewsbury, was backed unanimously by Shropshire Council's Northern Planning Committee, despite officers saying the plans should be rejected due to it not falling within the Local Plan development boundary.

The developer, Shingler Homes, has promised a patch of land to be designated for a station car park on the site which would be essential for a new station having any realistic chance of being approved in the future.

Baschurch Parish Council chairman, Councillor Andy Woodthorpe, spoke passionately at the meeting, appealing to councillors to vote for "what residents want", and pointing to the 118 comments in support of the plans on the application.

Resident Tracy Lakin offered and alternative argument, saying there are too many houses being built and the railway station would increase car emissions. An officers' report described the railway station plan as "aspirational", and Ms Lakin rubbished claims from previously made by North Shropshire MP Helen Morgan that this was a "now or never" chance to bring a station to the area.

However, committee members felt the argument in favour of the development was too strong, and all 10 councillors voted in favour.

Mr Woodthorpe told the committee this could be the "poster child" in demonstrating Shropshire Council's commitment to acting on the climate emergency. He also said if the development is not voted through including the car park commitment, the opportunity for a Baschurch train station could be "lost forever".

"This application has significant support from residents of Baschurch and surrounding villages," he said. "There is a significant community benefit. We hope you can approve what residents want."

Councillor Joyce Barrow, Conservative member for the St Oswald division, said: "This has near total community backing with the parish council and residents wanting this."

Mike Isherwood, Green councillor for Oswestry West, added that rejecting the application would effectively be "killing off" the chance for a railway station to be built. "You need to keep ideas like this alive," he said.

It comes after hundreds turned out in support of the plan at a meeting at The Corbet School in the summer. That was when Mrs Morgan publicly threw her support behind the campaign.

Transport experts Dr Nigel Harris and Professor John Whitelegg attended, sharing their advice and support. Dr Harris described getting a train station back as a "perfectly sensible" plan, but warned it could take several years.

Shropshire Council’s former infrastructure portfolio holder Councillor Dean Carroll warned that without strong backing from residents, the planning committee would refuse 48-home estate on the grounds of it not falling within the development boundary.

Residents took the advice to convince the committee to vote through the plans.

The disused station has been closed for six decades but calls have been mounting for it to reopen, with hundreds of people signing a petition last year asking Shropshire Council to fund a new feasibility study.

The former station, now known as Station House, is privately owned and in residential use, meaning a new station would need to be built in order to get the village reinstated as a stop on the Shrewsbury-Chester line.

The development will be made up of one, two, three and four-bedroom homes, with 10 being “affordable” properties.