Shropshire Council sets 40% affordable homes target
Shropshire Council has set a 40 per cent affordable homes target to be delivered over the next four years.
The new administration formally withdrew Shropshire’s Local Plan in July, with work set to start on a new one early next year.
The council, then run by the Conservatives, 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, questioned its soundness. This included the land which had been identified to meet the needs of the Black Country.
In her ‘A New Direction for Shropshire’ report, which full council has been asked to endorse at its meeting on Thursday (September 25), council leader Councillor Heather Kidd said planning ‘must become a delivery tool for economic growth, housing, and sustainability’.
“We are committed to making the system more transparent and community-led, with more engagement in policy setting,” she said.
As well as ensuring the Local Plan is made as soon as possible, Councillor Kidd says the administration has set a 40 per cent affordable homes target over the next four years. Providing additional extra-care and supported living sites for older residents is also a target, as is improving social sustainability through policies on surface water flooding and drainage.
Other things the council wants to do include developing planning policy around quality design, alternative technologies and energy-efficient housing, appropriately and transparently involve local councillors and parish councils in planning decisions, and strengthen enforcement and communication to increase trust in the planning enforcement process.
Meanwhile, the administration says it will review the outdated Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) charging schedule to better shape new development and their infrastructure needs.
Councillor Kidd’s breakdown is part of a wider report called ‘A New Direction for Shropshire’ which sets out how the administration will deliver on its manifesto commitments over the next four years while developing a new Local Plan.
