Residents voice fears over planned huge housing development

Benjamin Webb will decide whether Shropshire Homes can build  101 homes at the former Coalbrookdale Works site, in Wellington Road, Coalbrookdale.

It has huge historical interest, and was home to the iconic Coalbrookdale AGA foundry.  However, if given the green light, it could be mean that the Ironbridge Gorge site could lose its World Heritage status.

The development, which also includes the conversion of the former compressor house and the reconstruction of the former pattern shop, was submitted in April 2021.

Telford & Wrekin Council formerly approved the proposal two months ago. However, because it took three years for it to go before the council’s planning committee, the final decision will be made by Mr Webb.

The inspector was due to visit the site on Wednesday morning following Tuesday's hearing and is set to make his decision in the next few weeks.

“Bringing the matter to appeal would be a way of facilitating a decision and for the issues to be put forward,” said Ian Kilby,  head of development and project management at Berrys, who has worked alongside Shropshire Homes.

Penny Stephan, principal planning officer at Telford & Wrekin Council, told the hearing that several discussions and consultations had been held with the developer prior to the application being submitted, as well as with Historic England, the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) and UNESCO World Heritage Centre.

However, locals who sat through the day-long hearing felt some of their concerns have not been addressed.

“Residents are aware they live in a World Heritage Site,” said Councillor Maureen Bragg, from The Gorge Parish Council.

“When they put in a planning application, they have to put in lot of detail.

“My concern is that listed buildings need to be 21 metres between two-storey buildings and 27.5 metres between three-storey buildings.

“But these two listed buildings are 12 metres from a four-storey building and at one point it is 8m.

“We’ve been raising queries since 2021 but they are just being ignored.”

Councillor Carolyn Healy, cabinet member for climate action, the environment, heritage and visitor economy, added that photographs of the site provided were taken from hip level and do not show the true picture.

“I can often see the site at all times of the year, whether there are leaves on the trees or not,” she said.

“There are a number of listed buildings on the site and you can see everything. I’m not saying don’t have a development, but it’s about getting it right.”

Flooding worries were also highlighted, especially as the plan is to open up the culvert.

Claire Studd, who lives in a cottage in Dale Road, said: “It raises the question of if enough detail is in there, especially because of the level of flooding there,” she said.

“There is an ageing combined sewer system. I understand there is a legal right to connect, but the response from Severn Trent was it could take years.”

Councillor Healy added that the Upper Furnace Pool is in danger of over-tipping, while Marion Blockley, an archaeologist who was the chair of the Ironbridge Gorge World Heritage Site Steering Group, said that you have to look all elements, including blockages of the culvert.

In response, John Branson, principal engineer for Wardell Armstrong, said there will be a control at the end of the culvert to limit the drainage from the development.

“The Environment Agency use us to provide betterments – we make the situation better than it is currently,” he said.