'Developers are going to decimate the road I've lived on for decades with 190 new homes', Whitchurch resident fears

Castle Green Homes wants to build the large development on Chester Road, Whitchurch. A total of 19 affordable homes are part of the scheme, which also includes open space, a new ‘priority controlled access’ off the B5395, and two attenuation ponds. However, Mark Jones, who has lived on Chester Road for two decades, said that it wouldn’t be able to cope with more houses.

“Chester Road is one of the nicest roads coming into Whitchurch and it’s being smashed,” said Mr Jones.

“Why is Shropshire Council not going ‘actually, we’ve got enough’? There’s plenty of places they can do it, and they’re going to decimate Chester Road with this. It shouldn’t be up to us to go to them and say it shouldn’t be done, they should be looking at it and saying ‘no, that’s not right’.

“There will be a cut-off point where Shropshire Council has got to say ‘Whitchurch has had enough’.

Mr Jones was speaking at a packed-out Bargates Church Hall on Wednesday (August 13) evening after Whitchurch Town Council called an extraordinary meeting to discuss the application.

Keith Astley, who lives in Oak Tree Way, a cul-de-sac off Chester Road, said the development is ‘excessive’.

“We seem to be under attack at the moment for what we’ve got here,” said Mr Astley.

“When we first bought these houses, there was a document on Shropshire Council’s website that said that area behind us was unsuitable for development. After two or three years, that’s gone and it’s now deemed suitable.

“There’s no heat pumps, solar panels or gas boilers, so in my opinion it being eco-friendly is not being considered at all.

“There’s also no bungalows. If we have 10 or 20 per cent bungalows it will reduce the impact on the privacy issues. It’s little things like that.

“Yes we need houses, but these are going to be three or four bedrooms. Unless you’re at the end of your life and have had a good income, you cannot afford a four-bedroom home.”

A 55-page report by Shape Engineering sets out the developer’s flood risk assessment and drainage strategy. However, Mr Astley said it was carried out in May and June after a large dry spell.

“They should come back in November,” he said.

“I had to build separate drainage in my house because we are a metre below the field and it runs in sync and into the house.”

The meeting also discussed an outline proposal for 42 houses off Terrick Road, near Whitchurch Golf Course, which has already received more than 70 objections.

“It is too narrow and there are problems with visibility,” said Anna James, who was representing the residents of Fairways Drive.

“They have a scenario of people living there who are going to work from home or work in Whitchurch, and to get there they’re going to walk or cycle, or catch the town bus."

Whitchurch Town Council decided to object to both applications, with flooding issues and the proximity to existing houses, highways safety and access, and needing supporting infrastructure (e.g. sewerage) to enable further development being given as the reasons for objecting to the Chester Road development.

The reasons given for objecting to the Terrick Road scheme were site access and road safety, potential overdevelopment in the restricted area, site drainage and surface water issues, needing supporting infrastructure to enable further development, environmental and ecological concerns, and the site's presence in the historic part of the town.

Councillor Andy Hall (Whitchurch North) confirmed he has already called in both applications to be decided by a planning committee.