MP urges council to resist controversial Church Stretton development plan
South Shropshire MP Philip Dunne is urging Shropshire Council to resist a controversial development plan for Church Stretton.
Philip Dunne has written to Shropshire Council ahead of this month's SAMDev meeting to make clear his opposition to extending the town development boundary to include New House Farm within the Church Stretton area plan.
Church Stretton’s Site Allocations and Management of Development (SAMDev) plan will set out areas available for development for the next five to fifteen years. New House Farm site has been put forward for potential development of 85 houses.
Mr Dunne said: “Following representations from many residents of Church Stretton, as well as local Councillor Lee Chapman, Church Stretton Town Council and the Strettons Civic Society, I have written to Shropshire Council to urge them to remove New House Farm from the SAMDev plan for Church Stretton.
"Once approved, SAMDev will become the overriding planning document in Shropshire for five to fifteen years. It is therefore vital that Shropshire Council develop a planning framework that balances the need for more housing and employment land with wishes of the local community over where such development should take place, while conforming to the National Planning Policy Framework.
"I am aware Church Stretton Town Council and local residents feel their views in the original consultation have been ignored. New House Farm was not included in early community discussions and in the latest round of consultations over 90% of respondents were opposed to extending the development boundary of the town to include New House Farm on the slopes of Caer Caradoc, one of the iconic hills in the AONB which surrounds the town.
"I have considerable sympathy with these concerns and have raised the views of Church Stretton’s residents with Shropshire Council to urge them to take alternative sites proposed by the Town Council into consideration when finalising SAMDev."
