Ironbridge housing scheme to go ahead despite concerns over World Heritage Site
housing scheme slated for development near Ironbridge will go ahead after planning inspectors overturned a decision to refuse planning permission.
Plans for seven homes set to be built on Calcutt Road, Jackfield, were given the green light by Government planning inspectors despite local fears over housing density and parking.
Applicants Thiara Developments submitted plans in April 2022 to demolish an existing bungalow on the site and replace it with a larger property, alongside a further six homes.
An earlier scheme for the site had been refused on the sole grounds of lacking an ecological assessment, but the revised application was refused again by Shropshire Council in November 2022, who then said the development was too dense for the Ironbridge World Heritage Site and would have a negative impact on the character and appearance of the area.
A report from neighbouring Telford & Wrekin Council’s heritage team also criticised the proposal for being “too suburban”.
“The proposed development contains quite densely and uniformly spaced dwellings of a fairly uniform design, thereby not assimilating into the verdant setting of the area and appearing too suburban in character,” they said.
Broseley Town Council also unanimously objected to the scheme when it was brought forward in 2022.
But following an appeal, the Planning Inspectorate took a different view, adding that although the amount of open space on the development fell below the planning framework requirement, the development was “well laid out” and sufficiently sized for the development.
They also noted that despite comments from there was no objection to the parking provision from Shropshire Council’s highways team in the original planning decision.
“In terms of density, the proposal would relate comfortably to the scale and density of development established locally and would relate well to the 1940s housing opposite,” they said.
“The proposed dwellings would have a reasonably uniform design, however with some variety arising from their layout. The four dwellings that would stand at the rear of the site and the replacement dwelling would be set away from the road and not prominent to view. The consistency to the design of the proposed road facing dwellings would be similar to the pairs of 1940s dwellings opposite.
“At this modest scale, this degree of uniformity would not appear out of place.
“In summary, the proposal would not harm the character or appearance of the area or the outstanding universal value of the World Heritage Site.”