'This is a dark day for Shropshire’s green belt,' says Wrekin MP as Government announces planning shake-up
A Shropshire MP spoke of a 'dark day' for the county's green belt as the Government announced its plans to increase house building.
Mark Pritchard, MP for The Wrekin, warned that areas such as Albrighton, Shifnal, Edgmond and Church Aston could all now be under threat from new rules to make it easier to build houses on the green belt, announced by housing and planning minister Matthew Pennycook.
But Mr Pennycook replied that he was more concerned about the 1.3 million people on local authority waiting lists, and the children living in temporary accommodation.
Mr Pritchard spoke out against the plans which would give a 'default yes' position when considering the development of land near railway stations, and require a minimum density for such developments.
Mr Pritchard told the minister: "This is a dark day for Shropshire’s green belt, for places like Albrighton and Shifnal in my constituency, for the remaining green belt in the borough of Telford and Wrekin, in places like Preston upon the Weald Moors, Edgmond, Bratton and Church Aston."
He also asked the minister what more could be done to cut the number of empty council or housing association properties to reduce the need for housing to be built on the green belt.
Mr Pennycook said Mr Pritchard was right to identify the need for more to be done in tackling the number of empty homes in general, but said councils already have significant powers to bring empty homes back into use.
"I say very gently to him, building on my comments about the need to release appropriate green-belt land where necessary to meet housing need, that my concern is less about the instances he described and more about the 1.3 million people languishing on social housing waiting lists and, in particular, the 170,000 children who are today homeless and living in temporary accommodation.
"We have to build more homes. That requires green belt land, as well as brownfield land, to be developed."
On Tuesday Shropshire Council refused a planning application to build 800 homes on a 119-acre site off Patshull Road in Albrighton.
The outline proposal, by Boningale Developments, also includes a care home, secondary school, and ‘local centre’. However, despite the firm stating it was on ‘grey belt’ land, and not the green belt, Shropshire Council’s southern planning committee unanimously rejected it
Days before the meeting, Boningale Developments issued a statement, saying it was 'disappointed' with the planning officer’s recommendation to refuse the scheme. The firm urged committee members to consider the proposals diligently, and within national policy guidelines, and to take into account the 'considerable financial undertaking' of defending any refusal at appeal. Councillors responded by accusing the company of using 'bullying' tactics.
Shifnal has experienced rapid growth over the past 15 years, with the number of homes increasing by an estimated 48 per cent with 1,400 new properties between 2011 and 2026.
