Cabinet asked to endorse next stage of Local Plan process

Shropshire Council’s Cabinet will be asked to endorse a response to the Planning Inspector’s Interim Findings report next week, as part of ongoing work to establish Shropshire’s new Local Plan.

The draft Shropshire Local Plan was submitted for examination in September 2021, followed by a first stage of hearings with inspectors in July 2022 and January 2023. The Interim Findings report on the issues addressed in the first stage hearings was received by council officers in February 2023, and the next stage in the process is to submit a response, subject to Cabinet approval at their meeting on Wednesday 19 July 2023.

Within the Interim Findings report, inspectors concluded that the council has met the legal ‘duty to co-operate’, which effectively means the inspectors are satisfied the council has appropriately worked with neighbouring and closely-related authorities when preparing the draft Shropshire Local Plan.

They also concluded that the approach to housing and employment land needs derived in Shropshire itself are satisfactory, and they have not requested that Shropshire Council reconsider proposed contributions in Shropshire to unmet housing and employment land needs forecast to arise in the Black Country – acknowledging the agreement reached between Shropshire Council and the Black Country authorities regarding these contributions.

As such, the examination of the draft Shropshire Local Plan can continue and proceed to the second stage of hearings.

However, the inspectors did identify a few areas where further work and additional main modifications are required before the examination proceeds – this is not unusual, and is an important part of the examination process.

The proposed response, to be considered by Cabinet, seeks to address these issues.

Further work and modifications undertaken include in relation to the following areas:

• Housing requirement – relationship between local need and Black Country contributions.
• Employment land requirement – relationship between local need and Black Country contributions.
• Accommodating proposed contributions to the Black Country – identification of specific sites.
• Approach to saved allocations.
• Further information on Clive Barracks viability and deliverability.
• Gypsy and traveller needs.
• Older people’s housing needs.

The response which Cabinet will be asked to endorse next week summarises the following:-

• The proposed housing requirement (30,800 dwellings) and employment land (300 hectares) and the wider spatial strategy for Shropshire remains appropriate. As such no further allocations are proposed.
• Four sites have been identified to accommodate the unmet needs forecast to arise within the Black Country – Tasley Garden Village (Bridgnorth), land east of Shifnal Industrial estate, land between Mytton Oak Road and Hanwood Road (Shrewsbury), and the former Ironbridge Power Station.
• A new policy is proposed to ensure appropriate housing is delivered to meet the needs of older people and those with disabilities and special needs in our communities.
• An approach to proposed ‘saved allocations’ within the adopted SAMDev Plan has been agreed with the Planning Inspectors.
• The gypsy and traveller evidence base has been the subject of a targeted update. This update endorses the currently proposed approach.
• An addendum to the Statement of Common Ground for the Clive Barracks, Tern Hill site has been prepared to provide greater clarity on the deliverability of the site.

Richard Marshall, Shropshire Council’s Cabinet member for highways and regulatory services, said:-

“Subject to Cabinet approval, the proposed response will be submitted to the Planning Inspectors.

“If approved, Planning Inspectors may recommend a further public consultation exercise, and Cabinet will be asked to approve this provisional public consultation, in the possibility we receive this recommendation.

“The next stage of the process includes a second stage of hearings, followed by the Inspector’s Report likely to be issued in Spring 2024.

“Subject to the examination process progressing at its current pace, its likely the Local Plan will seek Full Council adoption in June 2024.”