Housing developers battle for Shifnal town centre sites
Shifnal is at the centre of a battle for new homes – one that has got locals increasingly hot under the collar.
The market town was recently identified as one of the region's hotspots for development.
It is seen as an idyllic place to live, with great shops, entertainment and access to good schools as well as transport links to the rest of the region. But Shropshire Council says a balance has to be found, and that new development will maintain the town's "vitality".
Both it and Shifnal Town Council say they want to ensure that future development is sustainable for a town of its size. The town council recently called a meeting to discuss the planning and development issues facing the town.
Shifnal is experiencing significant development pressure from housebuilders, both as part of the plan-making process, which identifies suitable sites for future development, and as a result of a number of planning applications coming forward for consideration by Shropshire Council.
The initial SAMDev blueprint for Shifnal was unveiled in March 2012 and included proposals to build 16,000 homes in the county by 2026, which could potentially increase the size of the town by 60 per cent.
The town council has previously met with MP for the Wrekin, Mark Pritchard, to get him to support a more sustainable level of development in the town. It is concerned that Shropshire Council's localised approach to plan-making is being undermined by theGovernment's National Planning Policy Framework to provide sustainable development.
It says the shortfall in the five-year land bank makes it difficult for them to reject planning applications as they will automatically go to appeal.
See also: Anger at 15,000 Shropshire homes backlog
Star comment: We have no say on our future
