Campaigners rally to stop ‘disastrous’ Bridgnorth housing plans
A campaign group has been set up to fight "disastrous" council plans to build hundreds of new homes in Bridgnorth.
The "Save Bridgnorth Green Belt" action group want Shropshire Council to scrap developments plans for the town, that could see a garden settlement and employment land built over 40 hectares of land at Stanmore.
The plan, which proposes building 850 homes on the site, would be developed up until 2036.
A large section of green belt surrounding the site is also being set aside for further development after 2036.
The group has warned that the whole site would be a settlement the size of High Town in Bridgnorth.
It lies on both sides of the Stanmore Straight, up to the trees on Hermitage Ridge, on the Hobbins community, on the country park, and then down the fields beside the A454 to Swancote.
Sheila Edwards, Hobbins resident and the group’s chairwoman, said they wanted people in the town to be aware of the plans and to ensure they respond to a council consultation on them by February 8.
She said: “A large-scale satellite development on precious Greenbelt land close to the market town of Bridgnorth is both incongruous and unnecessary; it can only be filled by massive inward migration from outside the area. We have no infrastructure, no amenities (and no guarantees of any), and poor access to Bridgnorth.
Consultation
“It is imperative, if people share our concerns, that they complete the council’s preferred site consultation by February 8 – guidance on how to do that is on our website or you can get more information and a paper copy of the questionnaire from the library."
Peter Wilson, local resident and group member said, “The impact on local residents and the greenbelt, which is vital to protect the countryside, will be disastrous. But this isn’t just about Stanmore. The impact on Bridgnorth town will also be enormous. The infrastructure would be overwhelmed – doctors, schools, hospital, traffic, parking – and Shropshire Council admit there are no guarantees of any investment to address it.
"We’re finding that people in Bridgnorth are simply unaware of the scale of the proposed changes the council want to push through, and time is running out before the consultation closes. We’re appealing to people to speak up now, before Bridgnorth and our countryside is ruined forever."
People can find out about the campaign group at savebridgnorthgreenbelt.co.uk and can complete the council's questionnaire at shropshire.gov.uk/get-involved/local-plan-review-preferred-sites-consultation - alternatively people can visit the town's library for a physical copy.
