Three sites go forward for major development

Land around RAF Cosford could be taken out of the green belt and earmarked for future housing and business development under plans by Shropshire Council.

Land around RAF Cosford could be taken out of the green belt and earmarked for future housing and business development under plans by Shropshire Council.

But proposals for an employment and housing site off the M54 at junction 3 at Tong have not been taken forward to the next round of public consultation.

The authority is set to approve plans next week to begin consultation on the former Ironbridge Power Station site, former Clive Barracks at Tern Hill and at RAF Cosford.

However, plans which could see up to 3,000 homes built at Tong are not ready for public consultation.

Adrian Cooper, planning policy manager at Shropshire Council,  said: “We have been approached by the Black Country in respect of the junction three proposal.

“But we are not ready to put this forward for consultation yet. We need to see that they have exhausted all areas in the Black Country and on the green belt before we put forward Shropshire land on their behalf.

“This goes to show that we are listening to people and that this is far from a done deal.

“We have to be satisfied that the junction three proposal is right for us before we put it forward.”

He added that the site at RAF Cosford, while in the green belt, has been identified by the Ministry of Defence as a “nationally important site” and a school of excellence would be based at the site.

He said the sites had been identified because “they are strategically located and offer the potential to generate significant new investment in employment, thereby increasing the number but also the quality of jobs locally”.

Director of Place Mark Barrow is recommending the cabinet approve the allocation of the sites go out for public consultation.

He said: “There is sufficient evidence nd justification for the former Ironbridge Power Station, Clive Barracks and RAF Cosford proposals to be preferred for allocation as ‘strategic sites’. 

“At this stage it is considered that further evidence and justification is required to enable the site at Junction 3 off the M54 to be preferred for development. 

“However, despite this, it continues to be considered appropriate for the council to consult on all four options. 

“If the junction three proposal is proposed as a preferred option for development at the pre-submission draft stage of the plan preparation process, then this outcome will be subject to further consultation at that time.”

He added: “The potential strategic sites also present a positive opportunity to generate greater resilience in housing delivery in the county through increased choice and competition.

“In the case of the former Ironbridge Power Station and Clive Barracks, Tern Hill, redevelopment would also demonstrate a proactive approach to bringing forward brownfield land to meet development needs.

“Shropshire has the potential to benefit significantly from the delivery of these strategic sites by securing large scale investment in strategic and local infrastructure complementing the managed growth within existing towns and villages.

“However, the strategic scale of these proposals does inevitably raise issues about capacity of existing infrastructure and environmental assets which are also important challenges for their allocation through the Local Plan process, and this highlights the need for further, more detailed information and for local communities to have an opportunity to have their say on the proposals.”

If cabinet agrees to send the plan out to public consultation it will be held between July and September.

A public inquiry could then be held next year, ahead of the plan being adopted in 2021.