Plans for Shrewsbury's Dana prison need to be withdrawn, says councillor

Councillor Alan Mosley, who represents Castlefields and Ditherington in Shrewsbury, made the comments after it emerged that Shropshire Council's highways department is not prepared to support the application because of concerns about the impact on parking.

Plans to convert the prison for student accommodation, private flats, a health club, cafe, restaurant and a walled garden were submitted in January.

Councillor Mosley says that the application should be withdrawn while a more detailed assessment of the impact is carried out.

"This is an important listed site with high heritage values and obligations to conserve and restore. It also has the potential to bring significant gains for Shrewsbury and the local area so that most recognise that there will be important developments in future.

"However, it is very unfortunate that the current outline proposals represent an over-development which will do significant harm throughout the local community and bring significant traffic and parking problems for a wide area.

"The transport plan submitted with the application is very weak in my opinion and grossly underestimates the likely impacts. The realistic appraisal is that which has been submitted by the council's highways manager. This is a highly sensitive site and I would now hope that this outline application is withdrawn and full details provided within a full application in due course."

In a written response to the planning application, the council's highways department said: "Notwithstanding that some parking provision is being made available the highway authority's strong view is that parking provision is deficient and that this development, as presented, would have an adverse impact upon parking in the locality."

"It is our view that parking provision within the grounds of the development footprint should be considered and a more robust transport assessment should be undertaken."

Trevor Osborne, of the Osborne Group, one of the owners of the prison, has also said he is considering asking for a planning inspector to determine the application after admitting he was disappointed at the highways report.

"I think it is a disappointing response and we have instructed our transport advisors to have a discussion with the author of that piece to try and resolve what seem to us to be inconsistencies. That needs to be done and an appointment is being made for that purpose.

"Obviously this will delay the project and I am currently thinking whether we should appeal and move the decision to a planning inspector."

"We were optimistic we could agree the planning issues quickly and efficiently but this seems to be something of a delay that was not expected."