New Albrighton homes get go-ahead despite road safety worries
Plans for 24 new homes in Albrighton have been given the go-ahead, despite fears over traffic safety close to the village primary school.
Residents say the scheme, on land to the east of Garridge Close, would exacerbate the problems of too many cars parking in the close.
The scheme that was given permission at the Southern planning committee on Tuesday, is for three, one-bedroom terraced bungalows, which are proposed to be affordable homes, three three-bedroom detached bungalows, and six four-bedroom detached homes.
It also includes two three-storey apartments containing eight two-bedroom and four one-bedroom units.
It is the access to the one and a half acre site through Garridge Close that led to objections from residents.
Speaking to the committee on Tuesday, residents said that every school day parents would park in the Close before taking their children to school a few hundreds metres away.
They said putting more homes with access via the close would bring huge dangers and cause unsafe bottlenecks and make those who already live in the Close feel "like poor relations on a feeder road".
Councillor Nigel Lumby said that West Mercia Police had also been against the proposals on traffic safety grounds.
The agent for the application said that the majority of the bungalows and the houses would be aimed at people of retirement age, likely to have fewer vehicles at their property.
Albrighton Parish Council in a written objection, said that while the local plans had intended that the land be used for housing for people of retirement age – with a proportion of one and two-bed homes sought for the site.
However the proposed site layout plan demonstrated that the vast majority of the land area of the site was to be occupied by larger homes.
It also said the proposal would be "over development" of the site, saying it had been earmarked for 20 homes in the local plan.
Shropshire Council's highways officials dismissed concerns over traffic, saying they have no objection, although there must be a traffic management plan during construction.
The planning committee voted to grant planning permission.
