Rejected plans for 1,000 houses to be built on the site of the former Ironbridge Power Station will go back before councillors after the decision to refuse planning permission was challenged by the developer.
The application for the 350-acre site at Buildwas was thrown out by Shropshire Council’s southern planning committee earlier this month, over concerns around traffic through Much Wenlock, local healthcare capacity and the low number of affordable homes proposed.
But it has now emerged that planning officers held back from issuing a refusal notice while legal advice was sought after the developer, Harworth Group, challenged how the decision was arrived at.
During this time Harworth also submitted an amended proposal, which has led planners to take the unusal step of bringing the application back before the committee before a final decision is issued.
Normally, developers have to appeal planning refusals to the Planning Inspectorate and/or submit entirely new applications – with both routes resulting in months of delay and extra costs.
A council spokesperson said: “An application would not normally be reported back to committee after a resolution has been made, but there have been material changes which the committee should be aware of before a decision is issued.
“A refusal notice could not be issued immediately after the 10 August committee as the applicant Harworth initially lodged a challenge regarding a procedural matter which necessitated the council obtaining legal advice.
“After this advice confirmed that a decision could be issued, Harworth then submitted an amended proposal seeking to address the refusal reason.
“The amendments are considered to be material to the committee’s resolution to refuse the application.
“As such, it is appropriate to report the application back to the committee before issuing a decision.”
The planning committee will receive a verbal update at a meeting next Tuesday, and will have the opportunity to fully debate the application again and issue a fresh decision at a dedicated meeting on September 20.
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