Chance for Shifnal residents to have say on town plan

Residents and business owners were today being urged to have their say on a plan put forward by The Shifnal Neighbourhood Plan Steering Group.

When completed and approved by residents, the Shifnal Neighbourhood Plan will be considered as part of planning law, meaning it will have to be taken into account during planning applications.

This would be the first time that a plan developed by a community would have legal status, according to Chris Rain, chairman of the steering group.

More details will be on display on Friday at a public exhibition at the Trinity Methodist Church Room, Victoria Road, Shifnal between 3pm and 8pm.

The first of the 24 proposals of the plan focuses on the controversial issue of the latest approved housing developments.

The firs proposals state that the should be 'no permanent development or redevelopment will be permitted with the exception of those sites already granted planning permission.'

There are several new sites for housing development that have been granted planning permission around the edges of the existing town of Shifnal. This will be an increase of some 1,400 houses in the town over the next five years and nearly 50 per cent increase in the population.

Chairman of the group Chris Raine said: "This is the largest increase in the size of the town in all of Shropshire`s 18 Market Towns. Understandably, residents are concerned that the existing roads and services will not be able to cope with this increase in traffic unless there are improvements."