New plans for part of former Shropshire RAF base withdrawn after council officials raise concerns

Developers are going back to the drawing board again on plans to redevelop what is left of historically important hospital buildings on a former second world war RAF base in rural Shropshire.

There were two former RAF buildings on the controversial part of the site at the old RAF High Ercall base, off Cotwall Road, in Shirlowe, north of Telford.

There are plans to convert unit 1 into a house, which council planners say they can support.

But unit 2, a dilapidated former hospital unit, has already been demolished and rebuilt without planning permission.

Enforcement action was taken to stop the work.

That was taken to a planning appeal where an inspector backed the council but decided not to support the demolition of unit 2.

The planning inspector had suggested that applicant Cotwall Property and the council should work out a solution.

The latest proposal was to convert unit 2 into an agricultural building which could support an historic water tower.

Planners have now expressed their concerns to developers and their agent Halls Holdings, behind the scenes.

Planning officials told the agent that they would refuse permission if it wasn’t withdrawn first. The developers confirmed its withdrawal.

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“Unfortunately, there are no suggestions that can be made, other than withdrawing this current scheme and amending (it), in line with the pre-application advice previously given,” officials stated.

Planners said they had advised retaining unit 1 as house with an “element of unit 2” being used as an outbuilding, in order for the Water Tower to be retained.

“Officers consider the retention of Unit 1 would be undermined by the erection of a new build, agricultural building and this would therefore detrimentally impact the heritage value of the retained non-designated heritage asset,” planners wrote.

“Officers remain of the view that the optimum viable use of the site can only be achieved through a smaller, ancillary structure, used in conjunction with Unit 1.”