Oswestry hillfort homes given the go-ahead

Shropshire Council approved its SAMDev housing policy at a meeting yesterday, meaning 117 homes will be built near the hillfort in Oswestry.

Despite being met by a team of campaigners from the Hands Off Oswestry Hillfort group, councillors approved the plans for the homes, which will be built off Whittington Road.

Prior to the meeting, the campaign group warned it will be launching a judicial review if the homes are kept in the blueprint.

Dr Rachel Pope, senior lecturer in European prehistory at University of Liverpool, told the meeting planning laws would be "contravened" if SAMDev was approved with the hillfort homes included.

She said: "Everyone understands you can't bulldoze a monument but what people don't realise is the landscape has the same protection as the monument itself. It's been there for 3,000 years, it's a very, very loved and respected monument by the people of Oswestry and it's disturbing that the elected representatives are not listening to the people for the sake of 117 homes."

Dr Pope also said it was "very worrying" that the area's heritage was being ignored and dubbed the hillfort a "jewel" in the area's heritage crown.

A number of heritage preservation groups, including The British Archaeological Trust, also expressed their opposition to the inclusion of the plans in the SAMDev document.

Councillor Malcolm Price, portfolio holder for regulatory services, housing and commissioning, said: "No-one in this council wants to do anything that is detrimental to the hillfort, that's why we removed two of the sites from the plan."

Last year the Jasmine Gardens and Oldport Farm sites were withdrawn from the plans, with the Whittington Road remaining. Councillor Price told the meeting there were no unlawful grounds that the proposed development, named on the document as OSW004, should not be adopted.

He said: "The inspector has concluded that the Shropshire Site Allocations and Management of Development Plan is sound, legally compliant."

Councillors unanimously approved the document, described as "extremely important" by Councillor Price.

He told the meeting Shropshire is one of only 40 local planning authorities nationally to have completed both a core strategy and a site allocations plan consistent with the requirements of current national policy.

Councillor Heather Kidd said it was a "good day" that the council had got closer to adopting the plan but also expressed concerns over the number of four and five bedroomed homes being built in rural Shropshire. Councillor Tim Barker said it had been a "long process" for all but thanked the planning officers for their work in the document.