22/03/2012 - Permalink

Public meetings coming up to discuss major housing plans

Related topics: Community

A series of public events about potential sites for major housing and employment development will take place over the coming weeks and months.

Shropshire needs thousands of new homes and new employment land to help create jobs, and a consultation is under way to talk about the plans.

Shropshire Council has already been talking to town and parish councils over the past couple of years about how many homes they would like to be built in their area, and some proposed sites for development are now out for consultation.

It’s all part of the Site Allocations and Management of Development (SAMDev) Plan, which sets out the priorities for Shropshire up to 2026.

There are a number of ways you can get involved:

There will be 18 events spread over the whole of the county to cover each of the 18 ‘Place Plan’ areas, which is how the proposals are being presented.

Forthcoming events are as follows:

Monday 2 April 2012 at Whitchurch Civic Centre.  A drop-in session will take place from 5.30pm when you can view the plans and talk to planning officers, followed by a public meeting with a presentation and question and answer session from 7pm to 9pm.

Wednesday 4 April 2012 at Shirehall, Shrewsbury.  This meeting is specifically for the town’s south-eastern divisions (Column, Sutton and Abbey).  A drop-in session will take place from 5.30pm, followed by a public meeting from 7pm to 9pm.

Thursday 12 April 2012 at The Guildhall, Shrewsbury.  This is a Shrewsbury-wide meeting to talk about the proposals for the whole of the Shrewsbury Place Plan area.  A drop-in session will take place from 5.30pm, followed by a public meeting from 7pm to 9pm.

Shropshire Council’s Cabinet member responsible for strategic planning, Councillor Mal Price, said:

“There is a major need for housing and economic development in Shropshire, and this plan aims to guide where that development might be built in the future.  We appreciate there will be a variety of views on these sites, and we are absolutely committed to listening to local people as we go through the consultation.”