Disappointment at Inspectors’ Local Plan review request
Shropshire Council has expressed its surprise and disappointment after planning inspectors have asked it to further review its Local Plan.
Inspectors have written to the council following public hearing sessions in October 2024. They are now asking the council to undertake further work and set out about how this can be achieved in the next six months.
The council had already responded to previous concerns of the Inspectors and provided additional material to the Examination in 2024.
This additional material maintained the positive approach of the Plan by continuing to seek housing and employment requirements above defined needs to 2038, and setting out a range of site allocations to achieve this.
The council has already proposed to increase the housing and employment requirements of the county to reflect previous comments made by the Inspectors and proposed to maintain its contribution to unmet needs of the Black Country in addition to its own needs.
Councillor Chris Schofield, Shropshire Council’s Cabinet member for planning, said:
“Unfortunately, it seems that on a number of issues the Inspectors have sided with the arguments put by promoters of sites not included in the draft Plan.
“This is very disappointing, while Inspectors are also now seeking the council to accommodate additional site allocations for Black Country needs, and to increase the Plan period by three years, which would require the council to identify sites for around an additional 4,000 dwellings.
“We are in a similar situation to many other councils and will be considering the Inspectors’ views very carefully in the coming weeks and assessing a range of options as to how best to proceed, while taking account also of the implications of recent Government announcements on planning reforms. A report on this will come to Cabinet in February.
“However, above all we must consider what is best for Shropshire’s communities and how best to maintain a positive framework for making decisions at a time of significant upheaval in the national planning system.”
