Former Shropshire school set to be demolished to make way for housing
A village school which closed five years ago is set to be demolished for housing, under plans expected to be approved next week.
The proposals for the now-derelict Hope Primary School site were put forward by Shropshire Council’s own housing firm, Cornovii Developments.
Planning officers have recommended that permission be granted for the scheme, which also includes a new 12-space car park for the village hall and a village green.
It comes nearly five years after the school closed, along with St Mary’s Primary in Westbury, in a controversial merger with Long Mountain Primary in Worthen.
Following the closures there was a delay by the Department for Education in signing the Hope site off as surplus to requirements, during which time the school fell into disrepair and was repeatedly targeted by vandals.
Plans were finally revealed for the site last April, with Cornovii proposing to build six houses and three bungalows on the land. The developer says the scheme will help address a shortage of two and three-bed properties in the area.
Worthen with Shelve Parish Council said it was supportive of the plans in principle, but stressed that the village hall car park should not be used as overspill for the new homes.
The hall committee also voiced support of the scheme, but raised concerns about drainage, parking and the arrangements for the proposed transfer of the green space and new car park to the village hall trust.
No affordable homes are proposed for the development. Normally a 20 per cent affordable housing contribution is required, which would equate to 1.8 homes, but this is reduced to 0.6 homes because the site is eligible for ‘vacant building credit’. As this figure is less than one, Cornovii will instead pay a financial contribution towards affordable housing off-site.
A report to the committee by planning officer Shannon Franklin said: “Whilst it is recognised that on-site affordable housing will not be provided in perpetuity, the dwellings types have been designed in consultation with the local council in order to meet identified need within the parish.”
Recommending approval of the plans, the report concluded: “The proposal seeks to provide nine dwellings on previously developed ‘brownfield’ land within the recognised community cluster of Hope.
“The development is considered to be suitably scaled and sited, and the resultant visual impact is sufficiently limited on account of the design and landscaping which will be controlled via condition.”
The application will be decided by the council’s southern planning committee at a meeting on February 8.
