Village man’s 'unsustainable' squash court plan rejected again by Shropshire officials
Planners have again rejected plans for a squash court for ‘personal use’ at a village near Oswestry.
David Cadwallader has been told by Shropshire Council that using Unit 4 at The Barn, Top Farm, at Woolston, in West Felton, would be considered “unsustainable development”.
Mr Cadwallader has already seen one application turned down at appeal stage on the site and is facing enforcement action by the council ordering him to return buildings to agricultural use.
He had been supported in his latest bid by former St Oswald’s councillor Joyce Barrow and his local parish council.
Planners, in their latest rejection, said “provision of the squash courts and associated facilities” would represent “unsustainable development".
Planners say that such development should be focused in market towns and other key centres.
They add that it would also be “incompatible with the farming activities and operations occurring in and around the squash courts".
Planners said the scheme also failed to demonstrate a functional link to the existing domestic property.
Mr Cadwallader’s planning agent has said that the squash court would be for the “personal enjoyment of the applicant” and adequate access and parking is already present on his private driveway associated with his property.
“There would be no increase in vehicle movements as it is associated with the existing residential use at his property,” they added.
The planners in their decision said that the application site forms part of a planning appeal which was dismissed.
“An enforcement notice is currently in place on the site and has not been paused on account of this application,” the officers said.
Former Conservative councillor Joyce Barrow had attempted to get the item decided by a planning committee of elected members by using the call-in process.
But officers said the application went before an agenda-setting meeting where it was “considered that the application be determined under delegated powers as the proposal would result in inappropriate development, and non-compliant with adopted policy".
