Government ruling prompts fears over Shropshire green belt land

There are several large housing developments on green belt land in the pipeline across Shropshire and environmental campaigners fear a ruling by Greg Clarke, the Communities Secretary, could set a dangerous precedent, leading to a flood of new developments.

Mr Clarke recently gave the go-ahead for 1,500 new homes to be built near Gloucester in one of the biggest developments on green belt land in a decade.

He ruled that green belt land could be built on where there is a significant local need for housing – a reversal of the position taken by ministers previously.

It is feared developers will attempt to use the decision as a precedent to persuade ministers to approve further building on the grounds that housing is badly needed in those areas.

Now an analysis by the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) has identified a number of similar green belt sites around the country where developers are pressing for thousands of homes to be built.

In Shropshire, more than 100 homes will be built close to Oswestry's Iron Age hillfort after council chiefs approved its 10-year housing plan for the region.

Despite being met by a team of campaigners from the Hands Off Oswestry Hillfort group, Shropshire Council approved the plans for the homes, which will be built off Whittington Road.

But in 2014 controversial plans to build 110 homes on green land on the outskirts of Telford were thrown out.

The proposals for four fields between Muxton and Lilleshall were deemed to be detrimental to the area at a meeting of Telford & Wrekin Council's planning committee.

The CPRE said that pressure on local authorities to approve green belt developments had been increased by Mr Clarke's decision on the Gloucester proposals.

Planning rules only allow building on the ribbon of land around towns and cities – originally set aside to prevent urban sprawl – in "very special" circumstances.

Mr Clarke admitted in his ruling that the Gloucester plans would be "harmful" to the green belt and lead to the "loss of the essential characteristic of openness." But he concluded that there would be a "substantial benefit" from new homes. Paul Miner, planning campaign manager at CPRE, said: "Towns and cities across the country can expect to see their green belts under increased risk of being eroded away by unnecessary development."

The Department for Communities and Local Government said each planning case was decided on its merits.