Firm signs off on 550-home plan for Shrewsbury

Developers Lands Improvement have signed off a planning agreement for the 100-acre development at Oteley Road South – which forms part of the Shrewsbury South Sustainable Urban Extension.

The project, which will start next year, includes hundreds of homes, space for offices which it is hoped could create 2,000 jobs, a care home providing up to 70 beds, a community centre and a pub or restaurant.

A planning agreement has been signed between Lands Improvement, Shropshire Council and Shrewsbury Town Council, which requires the construction of 83 affordable homes and around £4 million of "community benefits".

Payments include £230,000 towards the proposed community centre, £500,000 to be spent on improvements to the road network, £280,000 for education provision, £600,000 for maintenance of publicly accessible green space on the site, and around £370,000 for local bus services.

The agreement also requires a contribution of £800,000 towards improvements of the strategic road network.

Aoife Conacur, of Lands Improvement, welcomed the latest development and said the scheme could provide thousands of jobs for the area. She said: "Lands Improvement is delighted to have secured outline planning permission to develop the land at Oteley Road South.

"This scheme has been a great example of the benefits of collaborative working between the development industry and local authorities, in this case Shropshire Council and Shrewsbury Town Council, and will bring forward much-needed housing, space for the creation of up to 2,000 jobs and community facilities on this prime site on the south side of the town."

Chartered surveyors Towler Shaw Roberts will now start marketing around 45 acres of commercial land within the development, which is next to Shrewsbury Town Football Club.

Toby Shaw, a partner at TSR, said this was a significant site, adding: "I'm delighted we've been selected to handle such a prestigious instruction. This is among the most significant development site opportunities to have come to the market in Shrewsbury in the last 15 years.

"It's a gateway location fronting the A5 bypass, next to the new Wyevale Garden Centre and the proposed new Waitrose supermarket.

"It offers excellent communications to the West Midlands conurbation and Mid Wales region for inward investment, and we believe the site is going to attract a lot of interest."

Mr Shaw added: "We will be launching the site very soon and expect plenty of interest from owner occupiers, developers and investors alike.

"This is a hugely significant development for the town, which will also be fantastic for the local economy."