Call for no more homes in West Felton village

A parish council chairman today called for a ban on future homes in a Shropshire village amid fears its roads would not cope with an increase in traffic.

David Curtis, chairman of West Felton Parish Council, said he was speaking out to protect his community from being inundated with a possible influx of people in new homes with the area becoming bigger than a rural village.

About 100 homes are already earmarked to be phased in on a new estate near Tedsmore Road over the next 20 years.

Councillor Curtis said there were no problems with the proposed development but he feared for the future of the village if more developments came forward.

His comments came in response to a Shropshire Council consultation report focusing on the allocation of sites for new development.

He has called for the village to be by-passed from future development and is calling for a boundary around the community to stop homes being built.

Councillor Curtis said parish councillors had been asked to consider whether the area would become a hub or cluster with other areas – but he remains adamant that parish councillors want it to stay as a rural village.

He said he knew there was a call for new houses to be built across the country but he believed they should be built where needed.

He said: "We want to be regarded as a rural village where no new building takes place. We feel we have had more than our fair share. The infrastructure couldn't cope with much more.

"We want boundaries around the village to protect it. We would rather be considered as a rural community and have no developments under Shropshire Council's plan.

"We insist on some sort of boundary to avoid any future developments. We want to be retained as a rural village.

"This is our recommendation which is only related to the Shropshire houses and development plan. If we don't have boundaries there will be no protection."

He said comments did not refer to the possible new private development planned by Balfours and Trustees of Tedsmore Estate.

By Chrissy Symmons