Shropshire Star

10,000 Shropshire homes proposal could be revealed within weeks

More details of a plan for 10,000 homes in the countryside off the M54 in Shropshire are likely to be revealed in the next six weeks.

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An aerial view of Tong as it looks today

Last month Bradford Estates confirmed a proposal to build a series of interlinked garden villages on land near Tong, with an eventual aim of constructing as many as 10,000 homes.

Shropshire Council confirmed that as part of the proposal Bradford Estates had submitted a 157 page response to the authority’s public consultation on its local plan - which is seeking sites for another 10,000 homes.

But the full document has not yet been made publicly available.

Now council confirmation that summary views on local plan submissions are to be published in the next four to six weeks will raise hopes of more details of the project being released.

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Adrian Cooper, Shropshire Council’s planning policy and strategy manager, said that full details of all local plan projects would however not be available until later this year.

He said: “Shropshire Council will publish the summary analysis of responses on the planning policy webpages and we propose to take a paper to cabinet to highlight the response, and to change the current Local Plan Review timetable (called the Local Development Scheme), later in the spring.

“We hope to publish a summary of all the views which we received before Christmas in the next four to six weeks. It is likely that further detailed information will become available as the Local Plan Review progresses later this year, and as part of the formal examination of the draft plan by an independent planning inspector during 2019.”

The land being considered is owned by the Bradford Estates, around the village of Tong, and close to the M54 corridor.The estates cover 12,000 acres in Shropshire and Staffordshire. The plan is looking at area covering about 1,600 acres.

Announcing the plan last month Steve Carey, a spokesman for planning consultants acting for the Bradford Estates, said the idea was at an “early stage” and as yet there are no development proposals.

Heritage and landscape assessments related to the idea have however already been commissioned

Mr Carey said: “The need for new homes in Shropshire is undeniable, and government targets are placing increasing demands on councils across the country.

“Within the M54 corridor new development is likely to be located near existing junctions and the Bradford Estates land has been identified as a potential development site.

"There are no current development proposals as we are at such an early stage.

"However, there is the potential to create a series of interlinked garden villages which a team of specialist consultants is now investigating.”

A public meeting held in Tong to discuss the plan heard from a number of villagers who vowed to oppose any development.

Mark Weston said: “This could mean an extra 30,000 cars. That would be similar to having V Festival every day in Tong. The people of Tong do not want this.”