Shrewsbury relief road changes among latest planning proposals
Details of changes to plans for a major roads project have been published on a council website.
Shropshire Council has published a notice confirming that WSP, a contracting firm acting on behalf of the authority, has submitted changes to the plans for Shrewsbury’s North West Relief Road.
The controversial project has sparked thousands of objections but the council recently confirmed a raft of changes to the original proposals, including shortening the length of the bridge over the River Severn.
The authority says the changes, which will also see plans for a ‘creeper lane’ for HGV traffic removed from the bridge, will cut the cost of the £87m road to £80.1m.
They have now been included on the council’s planning portal, which shows details of the application.
The council has been asked to consider a number of other planning applications.
One, from the Theatre on the Steps in Bridgnorth, asks permission to build a rear entrance and an extended single-storey changing room.
Another requests amendments to the planning permission to turn a pub into housing. Planning officers will be asked to approve changes to the proposal for change of use of the Greyhound Hotel, Willow Street, in Oswestry, to four residential dwellings.
The Environment Agency meanwhile is applying for permission to change a demountable flood gate which forms part of the Frankwell flood defences in Shrewsbury.
The application is to replace it with a new ‘swing gate post’ between Theatre Severn and the Welsh Bridge. The application says the plan is largely to reduce the burden on its employees.
A statement on the plan says: “The deployment of active flood defence infrastructure places significant time, labour and financial responsibilities on the applicant. The nature of deployment and working from height to install demountable boards, gives rise to health and safety implication on operatives.
“Once deployed, staff members must remain in-situ for 24 hours to ensure that the aluminium components are not stolen, reducing ability to serve other areas within the River Severn catchment area.”
