Rural Shropshire at a tipping point over housing, claims campaigner
Shropshire's rural heritage and countryside are in danger and at "a tipping point" because of national housing policy forcing through unwanted developments, a senior environmental campaigner has warned.
Keith Ridland, vice chair of the Shropshire branch of the Campaign to Protect Rural England, said today that current national housing strategy is penalising Shropshire and other counties.
Because of a current lack of available housing land over a five-year period, Government guidelines mean there has to be a presumption in favour of sustainable development in the county – making it easier for housing applications to go through.
Last week Shropshire Council's central planning committee approved a number of contentious housing applications – despite describing different schemes as "awful", "horrendous" and even "dangerous".
Mr Ridland said: "Housing policy is making unrealistic demands on counties such as Shropshire to compensate for the significant under-build during the economic downturn.
"More homes are most certainly needed, but they must surely be sensibly located, well designed and built to excellent environmental standards.
"We believe that some of the housing applications in the pipeline, together with others for wind turbines, solar farms and electricity transmission pylons present a real danger to our landscape, wildlife and communities and hence the very soul of our beautiful county.
"There is no doubt in my mind that Shropshire is at a tipping point and it is very worrying."
Mr Ridland was one of the organisers of the Shropshire "Countryside under Threat" public meeting held jointly with Shropshire Wildlife Trust at the Lord Hill Hotel in Shrewsbury last week.
