Shropshire Star comment: Homes are vital, but at what cost?

For two decades, the county has suffered from a lack of affordable housing.

Increased prices and decreased supply has put young adults at a disadvantage and there has been a brain-drain as capable youngsters have had to move elsewhere to get on the property ladder.

It would be foolish to imagine a programme of home-building will bring the crisis to an end. It can and will, however, have a profoundly positive effect.

Four large sites are included in the strategic plan; an area at RAF Cosford; the Tern Hill Barracks, at Shrewsbury; an area near to Junction 3 of the M54 and a vast site at Ironbridge – which is the site of the decommissioned Ironbridge Power Station.

The sites – and a number of others – are key to the county’s prosperity and future. It is essential they are developed with first-time buyers in mind, as well as those who can afford larger properties. And it is equally important they are developed sympathetically so they do not become a blot on the landscape.

Shropshire is one of the most beautiful counties in England, with a relatively low population density and vast tracts of verdant countryside. The beauty of Shropshire must not be sacrificed by a development-at-any-cost building programme.

Similarly, developers must recognise the anti-social nature of building on such plots. They must put the correct safeguards in place so people who live near those sites can continue to go about their daily business, without difficulty, when the diggers move in. It would be unacceptable for roads to become covered in mud, for there to be noise and dust at all times of the day and night, for motorists to become stuck in jams as heavy goods vehicle hit the road.

Before the sites are developed, the public should be consulted and their views given credence and respect. Developers must not pre-judge outcomes, they must be willing to listen so that the wishes and rights of local residents are accounted for.

The plan must be viewed as an opportunity for all; for young adults who need homes, for a county keen to grow and enjoy sustained prosperity, for the building trade as it looks to make profit and for our countryside.