Telford parish council takes swipe at planners as £3.8m community centre proposal lodged

Lawley and Overdale Parish Council has lodged plans for a new £3.8 million centre in Bryce Way, Lawley, and in its submission to Telford & Wrekin Council says that council tax payers will have to pick up the bill but that could have been avoided.

“A community facility was included as a Section 106 condition upon the now-built Lawley [Village] Academy school that sits alongside the location of the said proposal,” the parish wrote in its planning documents.

Section 106 planning obligations are legally binding agreements between a local planning authority and a developer to mitigate the impact of a new development. Agreed contributions by developers under Section 106 conditions can be financial or otherwise.

The council alleges that the planning authority has “failed to enforce the planning condition, and the parish council now have to look at financing its provision on freehold land gifted to them as a solution to the planning stalemate by Telford & Wrekin Council”.

The parish council says the new community centre will provide for the “influx population” of people in a nearby 3,300-home dwelling development, as well as the established community in Lawley, Overdale and Dawley Bank.

The two-storey building will also give space for parish council staff and replace its existing office in Lawley Square.

The parish council’s statement adds that the planning authority’s “inability or unwillingness to enforce the Section 106 planning condition” has to be addressed.

“Regrettably, the financing and provision is left to the parish council to satisfy the envisaged community needs of the largest housing development in [the] Telford & Wrekin Council administrative boundary.”

It adds that provision was conditioned in a planning application, but the planning authority is “failing to enforce the condition”.

“To resolve the issue, the parish council have to provide a facility, regrettably at the parish council’s charge payers’ expense, despite some financial contribution being received from the developer.”

But the parish council adds that this is “the only opportunity to provide the local population with the facility envisaged by planners and house buyers”.

“Failure to provide will encourage Lawley residents to travel further afield to satisfy their community desires, with detrimental effect on greenhouse gases and local revenue.”

A spokesperson for Telford & Wrekin Council responded by saying that since the school opened it is clear that a shared school and community facility will work best.

“When the Lawley Sustainable Urban Development received outline planning consent, the vision included a shared school and community facility, with land allocated for this purpose.

“Since Lawley Village Academy opened, it’s clear dedicated spaces work best for each purpose, as school rooms are only available for community use outside school hours.

“To provide high-quality, accessible facilities, and following public consultation, a planning application has been submitted for a purpose-built community centre next to the academy on the originally allocated land.

“The new centre will offer modern, energy-efficient spaces, including a flexible hall that can be divided into smaller rooms, a community café, offices for Lawley and Overdale Parish Council, and ample parking with accessible and EV charging spaces, creating a vital hub for local residents.”

A period of public consultation has been launched on the Telford & Wrekin Council planning portal.

One resident has already suggested ditching the plan.

He wrote: “It was made very clear given the feedback from what the residents of Lawley and Overdale want and that was for this to not go ahead.

“I am very confused as to why after the majority of the comments attempting to reject the idea it is still going ahead.”

The public can make comments online at the Telford & Wrekin Council planning portal (reference TWC/2025/0821).