Shifnal campaigners respond to food energy plant planning objection
Campaigners have responded to a major landowner which has plans to build thousands of homes near Tong after it objected to a food energy plant expansion on the Shropshire border.
Shifnal Matters highlighted comments made by the Bradford Estates after it filed an objection to Staffordshire County Council in relation to development plans at the Lower Reule food energy plant in Gnosall.
The action group said the estate's comments were "bizarre" and raised similar issues to ones expressed by residents over the Bradford Estates' own proposals – which consist of creating a 'garden village' of up to 3,000 homes and a 50-hectare business site on green belt land near Junction 3 of the M54.
The estate said the proposed nature of the facility in Gnosall was changing from a substrate storage site and processing facility to “what appears to be a regional hub for food processing and energy generation".
Other concerns raised included a significant increase of traffic movements, in particular lorries and HGVs, as well as concerns over the “smells from decaying food” at the site.
Zoe Turner, Shifnal Matters spokeswoman, said: "Shifnal Matters/residents are amazed at the latest statement from Bradford Estates in response to a request by Lower Reule to extend their site in Gnosall.
"The development runs alongside land owned by the estate and some of the concerns raised focused on the detrimental effect on the rural character of the local area, an increase in traffic movements and the inappropriate scale of the extension.
"Bradford Estates’ objections are bizarre considering their own plans to build over 3,000 houses and 50 hectares of employment land near Tong, a picturesque village near Junction 3 of the M54."
Shifnal Matters has been vocal in opposing the plans to create a 'garden village' near Tong, which it says will put added pressure on GP surgeries, schools and other infrastructure in neighbouring towns such as Albrighton and Shifnal.
