Plans for 75 homes submitted on fields in picturesque Shropshire town
Developers are requesting permission to build 75 homes in one of the county's most picturesque towns.
Northern Trust has submitted an application to Shropshire Council to build the homes on a site in Church Stretton.
The location for the proposed development is known locally as Snatchfield Farm - and was the subject of a community campaign which was set up to oppose any future development, back in 2019.
The "Save Snatchfield" group was launched with a JustGiving fundraising page raising more than £5,000 to "stop" development of the site.
Now a dedicated proposal has been submitted for the 10-acre site requesting permission to build 75 houses, along with a new access road to the development.
The plans state that the development would include 16 two to four bedroom houses, 42 three to five bedroom houses, and 17 four to six bedroom houses.
The site is a large fielded area to the south east of the town between existing housing at Hazler Orchard and Chelmick Drive.
The access road for the site would be created from Chelmick Drive by demolishing an existing bungalow.
A design and access statement submitted with the application states: "The development site, known as Snatchfield Farm, lies to the east of Chelmick Drive, Church Stretton.
"It measures 4.16ha/10.27 acres. It is bounded to the west by Chelmick Drive, to the east by Hazler Orchard and to the north by housing on Chelmick Close and The Bridleways.
"The site is bounded to the south by a large area of open space and woodland."
It adds: "The site is currently used as grazing land. It hosts a small number of disused and partially derelict farm buildings, as well as some disused farming equipment. Constructed around the middle of the twentieth century, the buildings are faced with red brick and breeze block and have roofs of corrugated iron.
"The site also includes the existing bungalow at 23 Chelmick Drive, which would be demolished to accommodate the proposed access."
The proposal explains the intention to design a development which is "sympathetic to the surrounding development".
It states: "A high quality layout will be delivered, in keeping with requirements outlined within the National Planning Policy Framework.
"The layout will employ contemporary urban design principles with respect to density, legibility and the relationship between pedestrian and vehicular movement.
"While only illustrative at this outline stage, the proposed development has also been designed to respect and be sympathetic to the surrounding development and landscape character.
"An existing bungalow, no.23 Chelmick Drive will be demolished to make way for a new vehicular and pedestrian access point.
"Roads from the new access point, a 5.5m wide road will run part way along the site’s southern boundary before forming a loop road running northwards and parallel to the existing bridleway and then returning southwards along a high part of the site facing the eastern boundary.
"Narrow link roads will connect the longer legs of the loop.
"With shorter separation distances between the houses, these link roads will have more of a village-like feel than the rest of the development.
"Houses In keeping with the existing built context and to work with the steep topography, the housing will be mostly detached two storey, with some semi-detached housing clustered towards the site boundary.
"To ensure active elevations are presented to all aspects of the streetscape, houses with multiple aspects will be employed at corner junctions."
A decision on the plan will made at a later date.
