Call for rethink over Telford industrial park plan
The leader of Telford & Wrekin Council's Conservative Group has called for a rethink over controversial plans for a new industrial park on the outskirts of Telford.
Councillor Andrew Eade says it would bring traffic problems to an already 'choked' road network and a more suitable location should be found.
The controversial proposals by Telford & Wrekin Council and Homes England would see a development of up to 80,000 sq.m built on land north and east of Shawbirch roundabout.
The scheme would be used for offices, research and development, industrial use, storage and distribution, but there have been hundreds of objections online.
Councillor Eade has now added his voice to the objections.
Chaos
He said: "The plans have been announced alongside existing proposals for 400 houses on the opposite side of the road which together will cause chaos on the surrounding road system which is already creaking from other industrial and residential schemes put in place by the council.
"This scheme has been proposed without any thought whatsoever on how the infrastructure will be able to cope with huge volumes of traffic.
“Those of us who use the local roads already know how choked they can become and to add a further 800 cars and hundreds of commercial vehicles to either access the M54 past our hospital on Whitchurch Drive or the A442 out of Telford is stupid in the extreme.
“Additional business is always welcome in the town but the council needs to think again, join up the dots, and try to understand the consequences of their proposal and find a more suitable location.
“It is high time that this council started to listen and respond positively to local people rather than continually ignoring them and forcing their own will on our community.”
Boost
The council says it, together with the land owner Homes England, had submitted a joint outline planning application for land at Shawbirch which is allocated for employment use within the adopted Telford and Wrekin Local Plan.
Those behind the scheme say it will provide a significant economic boost to the local area, linking in with other strategic sites along the A442.
Objectors have complained that the impact of lorries and loss of green space around their homes would cause 'irrecoverable damage' to the area.
Last month, Councillor Bill Tomlinson said a rumoured toilet roll factory on the site would bring potential health problems for people living nearby.
