Concern over new homes on Church Stretton
Wednesday 26th May 2010, 1:17PM BST.
Concerns have been raised by residents about the impact hundreds of new homes could have on Church Strettonif they are built over the next 16 years.
Church Stretton residents raised issues about infrastructure, urbanisation and employment during a meeting hosted by the Strettons Civic Society last night in response to Shropshire Council’s consultation into the development of south Shropshire’s market towns between 2006 and 2026.
John Sumner, chairman of the meeting, urged residents to keep an open mind and to fill out questionnaires to ensure that the town has a say on the plan, which could see up to 500 homes being built by 2026.
Nick Taylor, assistant director for strategy and development for the unitary council, was also at the meeting.
He said the plan was seen as being “about right” for the projected change and the number of households.
He said: “I think there is a strong juxtaposition for that. I don’t know what is going to happen in the future.”
But Wendy Clarke, who lives near Church Stretton, described the plan as “highly questionable”.
She said: “It will be closer to what will be an urban conglomeration with light pollution and noise.”
Derek Bartlett, from the Campaign to Protect Rural England, said Church Stretton is in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and the council has a statutory obligation to look after it. Shropshire Council is inviting comments until June 25.
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not in my backyard hey
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They consider anyone who can’t count at least one sheep as an ancester an outsider there!
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Just look at some of the disaster’s the Swans Meadow housing dev has bought to Church Stretton. the low’s out weight the high’s.
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its too late church strettons already runined by new modern housing
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You can save what’s left though. Don’t give up. Imagine what C Stretton will look like ” in , 20 or 30 years time. Shrewsbury will already have been Telford-ised and there’ll be a continuous sprawl along the A5.
They will keep trying to build – the central planners and housebuilders will push to destroy our rural heritage to provide boxes for the urban overspill. The battle will never end.
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actually if you look at the housing in Church Stretton its all mostly 60′s stuff, its not very attractive, not much medieval buildings , its the AONB and the hills that make stretton special not the architecture, thus i dont care about modern housing there so long as the hills remain undeveloped, the high streets not that impressive, not as nice as the other big market towns shrewsbury bridgnoth, bishops castle, even oswestry is more attractive architecturally that church strettton, in my opinion
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adam23
not in my backyard hey
Adam, yes it is actually worth fighting for one’s backyard, see, if you care to, this article in which the point is made: ‘if we can’t care about our back yards we can’t care about anything’.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2010/jun/01/monty-don-schama-hay-festival
Of course, Church Stretton needs new houses but CS residents need to be properly informed and consulted on how many, what kind, where, whether the houses be affordable for the people who really need them – young families,for example.
andfy oldbury: yes I agree – leave the hills alone. But CS itself is not unattractive and there are some buildings of architectural and historical interest. It’s pleasant and easy to get around in. So any new housing developments needs to be handled with great care and sensitivity. What ever is done, you don’t want to destroy the very aspects that make CS and its hills so attractive – and which are important to the local economy.
I heard that one proposal is to build 300 or so houses right at the top of Cunnery Road just backing on to Townbrook Hollow and the Long Mynd. This seems just the sort of crass idea that we don’t need in our town – a dense conglomeration of dwellings on the edge of a protected area of great natural beauty. I hope my information is incorrect on this – and if it isn’t, that the idea will be rejected as completely lunatic.
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What are these new homes for exactly ? I can’t see any increase in industry drawing people to the area ? I guess they’re for incomers who are then going to commute back to Telford/Shrewsbury or wherever, so adding extra traffic to the local roads. Not very environmentally friendly..
Anyway, if you think this lot looks bad check out the plans for Bridgnorth, which is really going to be hammered with overdevelopment / sprawl
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