Shropshire housing plan 'killing communities', councillor claims

Heather Kidd, Shropshire councillor for Chirbury and Worthen, said Shropshire Council's SAMDev plan was not doing enough to address the type of homes needed in the area.

She said: "Current housing policies are slowly killing many communities in Shropshire by making it almost impossible for young people to buy or rent their first home.

"Research by Shropshire Council showed that the average price of homes in Shropshire in 2013 was £150,000 for a semi-detached and £245,000 for a detached.

"The median income for couples in Shropshire during 2015 was only £27,500.

"In practical terms a couple need to raise a deposit of £30,000 and have a joint income of £48,000 just to purchase a semi-detached in the county.

"The SAMDev plan that has gone out to consultation talks a great deal about the numbers of housing required but next to nothing about the type of housing needed by our rural communities.

"The vast bulk of housing built recently has been four or five-bedroomed houses of which we have a glut in south Shropshire.

"We desperately need more starter homes and three-bed houses so our young people have a fighting chance of getting on the housing ladder.

"Given the option developers only want to build bigger houses for the bigger profit. It is now really important that parishes make their needs known to the council by updating their parish plans or by now starting one."

The SAMDev housing plan is currently out for consultation after being adopted at the December meeting of Shropshire Council.

Councillor Kidd said: "I am urging everyone who has an interest in the wellbeing of our communities to actively work locally to make sure planners know the type of housing needed in their villages to keep our shops and village schools alive."

SAMdev sets out how the county should develop over the next decade, from 2006 to 2016, setting out which land should be zoned for various uses.

Many of the housing sites have sparked controversy with local objectors fighting to keep land free from development and villagers protesting against their area being named one for future housebuilding.

Shropshire Council says that it needs to see 27,000 new homes built by 2016, with 6,500 in Shrewsbury, 11,000 in the county's market towns and 10,000 in more rural areas.