Shifnal planning and development issues discussed
By request of Shifnal Town Council, some town councillors met Shropshire Council representatives on Thursday 27 February 2014 to discuss a range of planning and development issues facing the town. At the meeting was Keith Barrow, Leader of Shropshire Council; Mal Price, Shropshire Council’s Cabinet member for planning and housing; Kevin Turley, local Shropshire Councillor for Shifnal North and also a town councillor; and Shropshire Council officers.
Shifnal is experiencing significant development pressure from housebuilders, both as part of the plan-making process, which seeks to identify suitable sites for future development, and as a result of a number of planning applications coming forward for consideration by Shropshire Council.
The town council is concerned that Shropshire Council’s localised approach to plan-making is in practice undermined by the overarching requirement in the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) to provide sustainable development, because at this stage in plan preparation, Shropshire Council does not have the required five-year supply of housing land.
It was recognised that Shifnal is proving an attractive location to developers, situated in a rural location but with good transport links via road or rail to Shrewsbury, Telford and the West Midlands. Both Shifnal Town Council and Shropshire Council want to ensure that the development of the town is sustainable, and that it provides opportunities for housing employment and other commercial development that will maintain its vitality in the future.
Those present expressed the view that any new development should be of the right type, in the right location, and also helped to address impacts arising from such development having regard in particular to the adequacy of the road network and localised flooding issues.
It was agreed that Shifnal Town Council and Shropshire Council would continue to lobby the Government on the application of the NPPF, particularly as Shropshire has reached such an advanced stage in the preparation of its local plan housing allocation document.
Kevin Turley said:
“I am pleased that Keith Barrow and Mal Price responded to Mark Pritchard MP’s request to come and hear the views of town councillors firsthand and to understand their concerns. The meeting provided a good opportunity for Shropshire Councillors and officers to discuss the specific issues facing Shifnal, and all agreed it was useful and productive.”
