Fury as 137 homes near Ludlow are given go ahead

Both Vivienne Parry and Andy Boddington, Shropshire councillors for Ludlow South and North, have said a government planning inspector made the "wrong decision" in allowing 137 homes in the Foldgate area – siding with developers against Shropshire Council officers who threw the plans out in 2015.

The shock decision to allow the homes, despite being outside Ludlow's development boundary and not in Shropshire Council's housing plans for the next five years, came after an appeal hearing that saw about 100 objectors turn out against developer Richborough Estates in August.

Inspector Cullum Parker has ruled that the homes should be built, saying they would not go against the "overall thrust" of local planning policy and would only cause a "small degree of harm" to the local landscape.

He also said the estate would be a sustainable development and the families moving in could expand the local labour force and help sustain services within the wider area.

But Councillor Parry and Councillor Boddington said the ruling may open the way for yet more houses being forced upon Shropshire towns, despite quotas for the next five years already being agreed.

Councillor Boddington said it was a "dangerous decision". He said: "I am knocked breathless by this decision.

"This is the second time in the last year that the planning inspectorate in Bristol has decided that it knows better than local planners and residents what is good for our town.

"A year ago, a planning inspector approved 215 houses off Bromfield Road. With the 137 homes approved today, the town will get about 1,327 new homes over the planning period, which runs from 2006 to 2026 – that is 52 per cent more than this town has ever signed up to.

"A small town like this needs to grow gradually.

"This decision means that whenever a developer applies to build housing on the edge of Ludlow, it is likely to get rubber-stamped by an official in Bristol.

"Approval of these houses looks to me like the death of local planning in the county.

"I have seen some bad planning decisions in my time. This is among the worst of them."

Councillor Parry said: "It's very bad really – they fought so hard to keep this out. Let's hope the people who are planning these houses are good and will not push to build more houses when they're done."

Gareth Proffitt, speaking for Shropshire Council, said: "Shropshire Council is considering its position in relation to the appeal decision."