21 homes approved for Shropshire town site previously rejected by planners

A council has approved plans for 21 new houses on a town site previously rejected by officials.

Shropshire Coucil has given the green light to the application, for a site to the west of Swain Close in Wem.

The application, from Maelor Homes, comes after a previous proposal for 25 homes on the site was rejected in 2023.

That plan was turned down for a number of reasons, including concerns over the impact on the nearby Midlands Meres and Mosses site.

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In a report outlining the approval of the current plan the council said the new proposal had dealt with concerns about the previous scheme.

It also said the plan was supported by Wem Town Council - which had unsuccessfully asked for the properties to be subject to a restriction for people with a “local connection”.

The report said: “Although it is acknowledged that this application falls outside of the development boundary the town council support the application as the proposals will bring much needed development to the town and is an appropriate extension of the existing housing area.

“If Shropshire Council is minded to approve the application then a condition must be placed on any permission that all future tenants of the properties must meet Shropshire Council's local connection criteria.”

Local residents had also raised concerns about the site being in the area of flood plain, but the council said the site is outside the flood zone.

It said: “The application site comprises two linked parcels of land. The southern part of the south-westernmost parcel falls within flood zones two and three.

“The indicative plans show that all built development would be confined to the north-eastern parcel of land, all of which lies outside of the flood zones.

“The south-western parcel is included in the application site to provide an area for surface water attenuation pond and biodiversity enhancement.”

It added: “The council’s flood and drainage team have acknowledged that the built development is located outside of the flood zones, and have confirmed that detailed drainage matters can be dealt with through submission of a scheme for surface water as part of a planning condition.

“This scheme would need to ensure that the attenuation pond and associated infrastructure is designed to reflect the acknowledge flood risk in the area, along with additional account to be taken of any predicted changes due to climate change.”

Detailing the reasons for the approval of the plan the council report said: “The revised submission has satisfactorily addressed the reasons for refusal of the previous scheme.

“The indicative plans confirm that a satisfactory layout can be provided at reserved matters stage, in terms of public open space and biodiversity enhancements.

“In addition, notwithstanding public concerns, it is considered that a detailed drainage scheme can be agreed to ensure that the development would be acceptable in relation to flood risk.

“The proposal would not be unacceptable in highways safety terms. Satisfactory mitigation for impacts on the Midlands Meres and Mosses Phase 2 Ramsar can be secured through a Section 106 agreement, and statutory BNG can be provided on-site.”