Shropshire Council sets timeline for housing and development plan
A new timeline is being set out for plans over where housing and developments can go in Shropshire
Shropshire Council has set its timeline for developing its new Local Plan that will shape future development over the next 20 years.
As it stands, the local authority has to rely on the Site Allocations and Management of Development (SAMDev) after withdrawing its Local Plan last July. That was after inspectors deemed the proposal unsound due to “serious shortcomings” that required extensive additional work.
Then run by the Conservative Party, Shropshire Council submitted its proposals in 2021, outlining sites across the county that it felt were suitable for new housing developments up to 2038.
Around 31,000 homes featured in the plan, while the authority also agreed to contribute around 1,500 properties and 31 hectares of employment land to help meet unmet need in the Black Country.
It was hoped that the Local Plan would have been adopted in 2022. However, Louise Crosby and Elaine Worthington, who inspected it, raised concerns about its soundness, including over the land identified for the Black Country.
They said: “In terms of employment land, the council has re-purposed 30 hectares of the 39-hectare employment site at Shifnal for Black Country needs.
“Whilst locationally this relates relatively well to the Black Country, the whole site was previously allocated to meet Shropshire’s needs, and exceptional circumstances were argued to justify releasing this site from the green belt.
“Only nine hectares are now being allocated to meet Shropshire’s needs and no new employment sites are proposed to replace the 30ha that is effectively lost to the Black Country.
“Given that the council felt that exceptional circumstances existed to justify the removal of the site from the green belt to meet its own needs originally, it is unclear why the 30ha reduction to its own land supply is now acceptable.”
Shropshire Council said it had little option but to agree to the inspectors’ recommendation and withdraw the plan.
Now run by the Liberal Democracts, the council will now try again with the Local Plan – which will also form the next mineral and waste plan for Shropshire – covering up to 2046.
A detailed report and appendices have been sent to Cabinet to approve next Wednesday (May 6).
It states a consultation period will run from May to September before the council undertakes a self-assessment of its readiness to start the 30-month preparation process.
Another consultation, lasting six weeks, will then seek views on the proposed vision, objectives and spatial strategy which will include initial policies and draft site allocations.
Between July and August 2027, the council will seek observations and advice from the planning inspectorate to support an early resolution of any potential “soundness” issues. A minimum eight-week consultation will then take place between April and June 2028 that will seek views on a fully formed draft Local Plan, with the planning inspectorate deciding whether it meets the prescribed requirements and ready to be submitted for examination.
If it does, then it will be formally submitted in August 2028 with the examination taking place over a six-month period.
If the inspectorate is satisfied, then subject it being decided by full council, the Local Plan will be adopted in March 2029.