Broseley given the green light to prepare local plan by Shropshire Council

The town's council hopes to put together the plan, which outlines how the area should develop in future years.

Just two responses were received to a consultation, neither of which objected to the proposal, according to a report which was presented to a cabinet meeting this week.

Councillor Simon Harris, for Broseley, said Broseley Neighbourhood Steering Group met last year and discussed expanding the town into the Benthall area.

He said: "We held a public meeting which was extremely well attended and they went away to Barrow Parish Council and rejected the new town boundary, and it's been agreed that the town boundary does stand as agreed.

"We've since had other public meetings and the meetings are extremely open and it's going to allow the portfolio holders and officers to come and sit around and listen to the way that Broseley people are thinking and the way they want the town to progress."

Councillor David Turner, for Much Wenlock, said he was "impressed by the enthusiasm" that the local neighbourhood group has managed to attract.

Referendum

The report was passed by cabinet and Broseley Town Council will be able to prepare a neighbourhood plan for that area, which will be subject to public consultation, examination and local referendum.

If the subsequent local referendum is successful, Shropshire Council’s full council will then be asked to adopt the final version of the neighbourhood plan.

Shropshire Council's ongoing local plan review will have to be considered through the neighbourhood plan's preparation.

The council’s 'preferred scale and distribution of growth' proposed Broseley would continue to act as a ‘key centre’ and accommodate about 250 dwellings and three hectares of employment land between 2016 and 2036.

Subject to cabinet agreement, the council will be publishing preferred site allocations for a number of settlements, including Broseley, in October 2018 for further consultation.