'Significant concerns' about busy road sparked by Shrewsbury caravan park's retirement village plan

Plans to convert a caravan and glamping site near Shrewsbury into a retirement village have reignited highway safety concerns.

In May, Salop Leisure revealed plans to build a nursing home and 118 “modular dwellings” for people aged over 55 on the Love2Stay campsite at Emstrey Bank near Shrewsbury.

The plans also include a wide range of leisure facilities for prospective residents, including wellness pools, allotments, bowls pitches, sports courts and a community hall.

But the plans haven’t been wholeheartedly welcomed by the community, with several residents raising concerns during the public consultation phase - largely regarding highway safety.

Those concerns were echoed by Atcham Parish Council, which has also objected to the proposal.

A spokesperson for the parish council said highway safety on the B4380 at Emstrey Bank had been “a cause of deep concern for some time”, with several serious accidents having happened there over recent years, including one fatality.

They added: “After meetings between West Mercia Police (Rod Lake), SC Highways (Dave Gradwell), Unitary Cllr (Claire Wild) and parish councillors, it was agreed that changes to the highway were absolutely necessary to improve safety.

“The first of these steps, installation of double white lines, has been recently completed, with warning signage due to be installed soon. The parish council continues to press for a reduction in the speed limit for this stretch of road.

“In light of the above, the parish council has significant concerns about changes to the road layout as a result of this planning application.

“Councillors would like to see thorough surveys completed and a comprehensive plan in place to ensure the safety of pedestrians, drivers, and other road users should this application be approved.

“They believe it would be absolutely essential to reduce the speed limit to 30mph, especially considering the nature of the new development.”

However, a comment from National Highways states that collision data does not indicate “any identifiable collision patterns or existing road safety concerns” near the site.

The government body hasn’t fully supported the plans however, and has recommended that planning permission is not granted for three months to allow the applicant to submit additional information after raising concerns over timings of traffic surveys and some calculation errors.

The consultation for the plans concluded on September 3, and will be considered by the local authority in the coming weeks.

• You can find out more about planning applications and planned roadworks where you live by visiting publicnoticeportal.uk