Shropshire business park expansion recommended for approval
Bishop’s Castle Business Park is set to be expanded in a bid to boost the local economy, with plans set to be given the green light next week.
Shropshire Council submitted plans to add four new industrial units to the business park in a bid to attract new investment in the town.
The plans are recommended for approval and will go before the newly formed southern planning committee on Tuesday.
In the application, the council said: “The business park has been partially developed in a piecemeal fashion to provide owner-occupier industrial accommodation for local businesses including a building supplier and veterinary surgery.
“There are allotments to the north-west, a lane to the north-east which leads to a sewage treatment works to the south-east and to the south-west derelict building which was a children’s nursery.
“The proposed business units will occupy the undeveloped and unserviced land to the north of Bishop’ Castle Business Park which extends to approximately 1.61 hectares.
Consequences
“The economy of Bishops Castle requires support to ensure that the businesses already in the town can have the opportunity to expand and grow and to ensure the future vibrancy of the community.
“If the development does not take place, the consequences could be that the businesses relocate to areas that can provide the expansion land they need, forcing employees to either commute, creating the potential of a dormitory town, or the employees will relocate with their jobs.
“Both scenarios will be detrimental to the future sustainability and viability of an active market town.”
And recommending the plans for approval, Heather Owen, planning case officer, said: “The parcel of land subject to this application is a site allocated within the SAMDev settlement policy for Bishops Castle as the most sustainable location for new employment development.
“In principle as such the use of this site for development to provide accommodation for Class B uses is acceptable.
“The units proposed would provide for a range of Class B uses and the design and scale are compatible with the adjacent business park to which the site would connect.
“The scheme complies with the main objectives of relevant development plan policy and it is recommended that planning permission is granted subject to conditions.”
