Council planners refuse Oswestry homes despite housing shortage

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 9 Oct, 06:08 · Archive

Planning officers have recommended refusing plans for up to 335 homes in Oswestry, despite concerns about insufficient local housing supply.

Planning officers at Shropshire Council have recommended refusing plans for up to 335 homes on land off Mount Road, Oswestry. The site lies outside Oswestry's development boundary and is designated as countryside under the current local plan. Officers identified serious concerns about countryside development, infrastructure, transport impacts, design quality and biodiversity as material grounds for refusal.

Shropshire Council cannot currently demonstrate a full five-year housing land supply, meaning national planning policy on unmet housing need must be considered. Despite this, planning officers concluded that the range of adverse impacts identified weigh against approval and that the proposal conflicts with existing planning policies.

Under new Government directions, the Secretary of State has the power to call in the final decision rather than it being made locally by the council. A council statement noted that this exposes what it describes as a 'fundamental flaw' in the Government's new planning rules, concentrating more power in Whitehall rather than leaving decisions to local communities affected by major developments.

How it is being reported

• Oswestry homes row could be decided by Secretary of StatePlanning officers at Shropshire Council have recommended refusal of plans for up to 335 homes on land off Mount Road, Oswestry, identifying serious concerns about the development which they have decided are material grounds for refusal.Shropshire Live · 9 Oct, 05:38
• Strong objections to plans for more than 90 homes next to Shropshire cemeteryCouncillors have objected to a proposed development that would see more than 90 homes built next to a cemeteryShropshire Star · 8 Oct, 01:05

In this story: Shropshire Council · Oswestry · Secretary of State · Mount Road

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