New homes to be built on site of former garage that served town for 80 years

The site of Victoria Garage on Scotland Street in Ellesmere has been earmarked for eight houses, and councillors will next week be asked to approve the plans.

Originally built as a chapel and later turned into a bike shop, the building had been used as a garage since the 1940s. It had been operated by the Scott family for 50 years when it closed in December 2021.

Shropshire Council considers the garage to be a non-designated heritage asset, but the scheme put forward by Haigh Developments would see most of the building demolished to create a wider access to the land behind.

The plans show two terraces of three homes and a pair of semi-detached houses are to be built, with a small part of the original building retained to create a bin storage area.

Ellesmere Town Council has opposed the application, saying it will worsen existing traffic problems and compromise road users’ safety.

The town council said: “Scotland Street has already been identified as too narrow and has been the location of several incidents of either actual road traffic accidents, collisions with pedestrians or many reported near-misses.

“The town council feels very strongly about the current health and safety issues already present on Scotland Street and has been continually asking for these concerns to be addressed by Shropshire Council Highways since long before the Cambridge Court development was built further along the road.”

The town council added that the site should be retained for commercial use.

There have also been five objections and three letters of support from members of the public.

A report by Shropshire Council planning officer Mark Perry says that while the building is considered a heritage asset, its loss “is outweighed by the public benefits” of the scheme.

Turning to the road safety concerns, Mr Perry said: “The existing commercial use of the site could generate more vehicle movements through the existing poor access than the proposed residential use would though the much-improved access.”

The report concludes: “The proposed development would deliver eight dwellings on a previously developed site in a sustainable location where there are various services and facilities available within a short walk.”

The application will be decided by the council’s northern planning committee at a meeting next Tuesday (March 7).