Delight as homes bid for Shrewsbury 'green oasis' is turned down
Conservationists are "overjoyed" after controversial plans to build houses on one of the few remaining green corridors in Shrewsbury town centre were thrown out by councillors.
The central planning committee yesterday decided the "green oasis" off Bryn Road could not possibly be built on and rejected plans for 20 homes.
The decision comes after senior councillor Mal Price revealed a meeting with planning minister Nick Boles had left the authority with "no answers" about how they could turn down controversial planning applications as part of the five-year land supply policy.
He attended a meeting with MPs Owen Paterson, Daniel Kawczynski and Philip Dunne, to discuss the difficulties many councils are having with the Government's National Planning Policy Framework.
Under the legislation, councils with not enough development land set aside for the next five years have to assess planning applications with a presumption in favour of "sustainable development" – even if sites have not been selected for housing.
Shropshire currently has a lack of five-year land supply, meaning planning committees have been voting through housing applications they are unhappy with for fear of being taken to appeal by developers.
But councillors yesterday rejected the plan for the two-acre site, which conservationists says is of vital importance to wildlife.
Speaking at the meeting at Shirehall, Kate Anderson of the Shropshire branch for the Campaign To Protect Rural England, said: "This land is intrinsic to Shrewsbury and to build on it would completely destroy the landscape.
"It is also a wildlife corridor. There are buzzards, bats, foxes, deer, and badgers to name but a few."
Although the land is not classed as green belt, councillors agreed that it was of vital importance to both residents and wildlife.
Councillor Tudor Bebb said: "If you travel along the main road coming out of Shrewsbury this is the first green space you see. There is no other green space before you leave Shrewsbury."
Campaigners from the Shropshire branch of Protect Rural England said they were overjoyed with decision, after the plans were rejected by a majority of 6:2
Vice president Selby Martin said: "We are so thrilled by the news, it is very important to protect green spaces like this."
