When hearings on plans for 30,000 new homes in sites around Shropshire will resume

Planning inspectors have set a series of dates for hearings on Shropshire Council's proposals – which will set out where thousands of homes will be built in the county up until 2038.

Hearings on the proposals first started in July 2022.

Last month inspectors confirmed they were happy to proceed with examination of the plan as put forward by the council – instead of asking it to re-evaluate the proposals in light of the new Labour Government's demand for a huge increase in house building across the country.

The draft timetable for the resumption of the hearings sets an opening date of Tuesday, October 15.

Hearings are proposed to conclude on December 5.

Under the council's proposal it wants to build 31,300 homes on sites across the council area between 2016 and 2038 – along with the creation of 320 hectares of employment land.

There has been significant controversy over some of the proposals – both those which have been included and those which have not.

The council opted to drop plans for hundreds of homes at Stanmore in Bridgnorth in favour of a major development on the other side of the town at Tasley.

Other proposals for thousands of homes on green belt land to the west of Tong have been resisted by the council, but have been the focus of challenge from the landowner, the Bradford Estates.

As part of a total of 14 sessions included in the draft timetable, inspectors will discuss a range of topics, including development strategy, 'housing need, requirement, and supply', along with plans for a new settlement on the Clive Barracks site at Tern Hill, and employment land need and supply.

The meetings will also consider individual plans for towns across the county, including Albrighton, Bishop's Castle, Bridgnorth, Ellesmere, Ludlow, Market Drayton, Minsterley and Pontesbury, Much Wenlock, Oswestry, Shifnal, Shrewsbury, Wem, and Whitchurch.