Bungalows in Shrewsbury and Market Drayton for people needing help with lifeskills

Shropshire Council's cabinet approved plans to build the supported living bungalows yesterday with money from national charity The Development Trust.

The bungalows will provide homes for six people with learning disabilities who currently live in residential placements outside Shropshire.

In recent years, the Development Trust has invested money in several schemes in Shropshire to help provide services for adults and children with learning disabilities.

These include respite homes Bradbury House and Barleyfields, residential care home Bradbury Lodge, and Supported Living bungalows in Oswestry, Shrewsbury and Shifnal, as well as another being built in Shrewsbury.

Council leader Keith Barrow welcomed the latest partnership between the charity and the authority.

"The charity is absolutely fantastic. It allows people to live independent lives where in other circumstances you would have no chance of doing that," he said.

"They are a real credit to the charity and the council."

In a statement issued after yesterday's Cabinet meeting where the building work was agreed, Lee Chapman, Shropshire Council's cabinet member for adult services – transformation and safeguarding, said: "Supporting people with learning disabilities to live within their own communities is a really good way to encourage independence and help people lead a normal life as much as possible.

"Supported living accommodation provides social inclusion and independence, and has been recognised nationally as a positive way of encouraging people to develop their own skills.

"Shropshire Council is considered to be a leader in supporting people in this way."