Council headquarters housing plan in spotlight
A row is brewing over plans for houses on the site of a town's former council headquarters.
A number of organisations, including Ludlow Town Council, Ludlow Conservation Area advisory committee and neighbouring residents and businesses, are opposed to build homes on the Stone House site in Corve street.
They say the proposed 25-home estate would cause the site to become over-developed and cause problems with traffic and parking.
Plans to build the new homes will go on display to the public at The Feathers Hotel in the town on Tuesday.
Developer Purcell wants to demolish the offices, built in 1989 along with a now-decommissioned late Cold War-era nuclear bunker, to build the homes, with the backing of Wrekin Housing Trust which plans to acquire three of the units as affordable homes.
A decision on the redevelopment of the town-centre site, which was once the town;s base for both Shropshire Council and Ludlow Town Council, is expected to be made in April.
James Sanderson, development director with Purcell, said it the redevelopment would be an £8 million investment in Ludlow and built to fit in with its historic surroundings, with period-style town houses and Arts and Crafts-inspired cottages and apartments.
He said: "This is the first significant new residential development in Ludlow for many years and will provide high quality family housing in the town centre."
He said a heritage assessment of the site concluded the council buildings and disused bunker did not contain historically significant features. The bunker is planned to be filled in.
But Ludlow Town Council disagreed that the the designs were in keeping with the site and raised concerns over parking in an already problematic part of town.
James Caird of the Ludlow Conservation Area advisory committee agreed, saying: "The proposal is an over-development of the site."
He said not enough room had been left for traffic movements on-site, and parking problems in the area would be worsened.
Mal Price, Shropshire Council's cabinet member for planning and housing urged people to have their say during the consultation period.
If approved, the homes are expected to be completed by summer 2017.
