Shrewsbury's former DWP offices to be demolished and replaced with cottages and houses
Former DWP offices will be demolished for cottages and houses after a council approved the plans.
The proposal, for the former Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) offices off Monkmoor Road in Shrewsbury, has been given the green light by Shropshire Council's planning department.
The plans, from Shropshire Homes, will see the four-storey 1960s office block which is currently on the site, knocked down.
The building was vacated in December 2023, and its last tenant was the DWP, which has relocated to Shrewsbury's town centre.
The site is next to the historic Grade II listed Whitehall Mansion, which is now home to a number of apartments.
The site also includes a historic Grade II listed dovecote, and boundary walls to Whitehall.
The land is within the Cherry Orchard Special Character Area of Shrewsbury Conservation Area and is surrounded on three sides - north, east and south - by semi-detached and terraced houses.
Under the approved plans Shropshire Homes will now convert a Grade II listed former outbuilding into seven cottages along with building 18 homes on the rest of the site.
The access to the development will be from Monkmoor Road.
The plans have attracted opposition from the management company which looks after the apartments, and calls from Shrewsbury Civic Society for a "more adventurous and contemporary approach" to the design of the homes.
A report from planning officer Jane Raymond dismissed concerns about the development being close to the listed mansion building - saying its overall improvement of a brownfield site outweighed the alternative.
It said: "Whilst the proposed buildings closest to the listed Mansion House will bring built development closer to this listed building than the building to be demolished, this listed building is currently sited within a large area of hard surfaced car park that currently adversely impacts on its setting.
"It is considered that the proposal when viewed as a whole including the landscaping of the wider site in association with the built development proposed, would not result in substantial harm or less than substantial harm to the setting or the significance of this listed building or other listed buildings or structures within or adjacent the site.
"Even if it was judged that it did, any impact would be outweighed by the public benefit of the proposed development of this brownfield site, situated in a sustainable location, that makes efficient and effective use of land and that will boost housing numbers."
The conclusion states: "The proposed residential use makes effective use of this brownfield site in a sustainable location close to the town centre, that will help boost housing numbers, and is therefore considered acceptable in principle."
It adds: "It is considered that the scale and design of the proposed dwellings is acceptable and combined with the proposed landscaping will be an enhancement to the character and appearance of the site and the wider area and to the setting of the listed buildings and structures on and adjacent to the site compared to the existing situation.
"It is also considered that the proposed development would improve the vista and outlook from existing dwellings that surround site, and would have no significant adverse impact on residential amenity."
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