Shropshire land owner behind 96-home plans tells villagers 'we believe we can deliver what this community deserves'
The boss of a a large estate looking to build nearly 100 homes in a Shropshire village insisted they are “here for the long haul”.
Raby Estates has submitted an outline planning application for up to 96 properties on the edge of Cressage, a village next to the River Severn between Much Wenlock and Shrewsbury. Applications relating to reserved matters – such as the housing mix and layout – will be submitted at a later date.
The scheme would cover 8.6 hectares of farmland off Shrewsbury Road and Shore Lane, and include new housing and a new country park.
The land is part of the Raby Estate, made up of more than 61,000 acres split between Shropshire and County Durham, which has been in the custodianship of the Vane family for hundreds of years.
Run by Lord Barnard, Henry Francis Cecil Vane, the Shropshire portion of the estate includes around 6,500 acres between Shrewsbury and Telford, mostly made up of let farmland and commercial woodlands.
If the plans are approved, the scheme will increase the population of the village by 50 per cent.
The proposal is in addition to a separate outline application submitted by Muller Property Group for up to 60 homes to the west of Harley Road.
Around 100 people attended a meeting at Cressage Village Hall on Monday evening (December 8) to hear about the plans and ask questions of Duncan Peake, Raby Estates’ chief executive; Tom Whitehead, from Raby’s development partner the Brookhouse Group; and Doug Hann, from consultantancy firm WSP.
Mr Peake explained that the business operates across three main land holdings: two in County Durham and one in Shropshire.
The lattter runs from Atcham down the Severn valley to Cressage and beyond, with an eastern boundary formed by the Wrekin.
Its operations are land and property management, leisure and tourism, farming, and forestry, with a significant investment increasing the amount of people being employed to well over 200.
“We’re proud of our heritage, but I also like to think we embrace the best of the present and hopefully the future,” said Mr Peake.
“We’ve all got to face up to the fact there is a housing shortage nationally and locally. We are a land-based business, so we have to be relevant to society’s needs and have to engage in the process of delivering houses.
“We are passionate about our legacy and our reputation. Our developments are design-led, we build quality houses, we have attention to detail, and we follow the principles of patient capital [long-term investments in early-stage or growth businesses].
“So, we’re not ‘here today, gone tomorrow’ – we are here for the long term.
“It is our assessment that more housing is coming to Cressage. What the community has to decide is what sort of scheme it wants to support.
“We would like to work with the local community through dialogue and consultation to deliver a scheme that we can be proud of, but also the local community can be proud of as well.”
However, many people who attended the meeting were concerned about the impact the proposed development could have on the village.
It was mentioned that the local doctors and Christ Church CofE Primary School are already at full capacity, while adding more traffic on an already busy road network may exacerbate existing issues.
“It’s a brilliant school, but they are pushed,” said Lucy Blair.
“If you’ve got two lorries coming, one has to mount the kerb, and with only one path on the one side where we walk to and from school, it’s scary.”
One member of the public was also concerned that two housing developments have been submitted.
However, Mr Peake said he was opposed to Muller Property Group’s proposal.
“We think we can deliver something far better for this community,” he said.
“That’s why we’re here this evening, to listen to people. We’ve been part of this community for a long time and are here for the long haul.
“We believe we can deliver what this community deserves, rather than a developer who is here today, gone tomorrow.
“We are builders – we will deliver quality.”
Residents were also told that Section 106 and Community Infrastructure Levy agreements can be put in place to help support infrastructure and services in the village. Cresssage, Harley and Sheinton Parish Council will vote on the scheme at its meeting on Tuesday evening (December 9), starting at 7pm.
The deadline for consultees to comment on the scheme (application number 25/04124/OUT on Shropshire Council's planning portal) is this Wednesday (December 10). However, members of the public can still comment after that date.
