Telford councillors being sent plans for Ironbridge power station site to review
Councillors in Telford are being sent planning documents to study ahead of their chance to vote on the Ironbridge Power Station site redevelopment plans.
Harworth Group Plc is seeking outline permission to build 1,000 homes, a primary school, a park-and-ride and other facilities on the site where four cooling towers were demolished in December 2019 and further clearance work has followed since.
The majority of the 340-acre site is in the Shropshire Council area, but Telford & Wrekin planning chief Valerie Hulme said the borough’s planning committee will get the chance to debate it first.
She said a single-item meeting was originally scheduled for early next month, but that has been put back.
Planning committee member Ian Fletcher asked for the documents to be sent to him and his colleagues as soon as possible, and Ms Hulme said she would send a link.
Councillor Fletcher said: “I notice that our next meeting, which may occur on March 3, is going to look at the Ironbridge development on the power station site.
Very large site
“It’s a very large site and there’s a lot for us to go through. I personally like going through everything and to read it all, and other members might.”
He asked for planning officers to “supply us with an early link so we can start reading ready for that decision, if appropriate”.
Ms Hulme said: “We had aimed to bring it to you on March 3. However, I’m afraid we’re not in a position yet to determine so that one will be postponed and we’ll put another date in.
“But I am aware it’s a very big application that you will want to go through, hence we are asking for just one committee meeting just to do that on its own and you not having to look at anything else.”
Planning Committee meetings usually deal with multiple applications.
The majority of meetings so far in 2020-21 have handled three or four.
Ms Hulme said: “I will, by all means, forward you a link so you can start looking at the planning application as is, but we are still not at that point to determine.
“It is cross-boundary application, and Shropshire hold the majority of the site.
“Our committee will be before Shropshire’s committee. That’s just in terms of how it’s being programmed.”
