Objectors to 200 new homes near Newport have their say

Objectors to more than 200 homes being built on farmland south of Newport have had their say in front of government planning inspectors.

Land south of The Dale at Church Aston is the subject of a planning application for 166 homes despite the agricultural site not being formally approved for the local plan.

Another site nearby is also being earmarked for another 41 homes at the Old Railway Line, also in Church Aston.

Campaigners have called for both sites to be dropped.

A period of public consultation on The Dale planning application from Bellway Homes has ended. Telford & Wrekin Council has until June 15 to make its mind up.

Councillor Andrew Eade (Church Aston & Lilleshall) and his Church Aston Parish Council colleagues have demanded that the Dale plans should also be ‘called in’ and decided by the full planning committee.

Borough councillor Eade and parish councillor Paul Evans took the opportunity to speak against the plan at Thursday’s local plan review hearing

Councillor Evans objected to Bellway “pre-empting” the planning process and driving the process.

“Rather than the local development plan determining the future pattern of housing development, the converse has happened with a developer driving the site allocation process,” he said.

This, he added, called into question the ‘soundness’ of the Telford & Wrekin Council local plan.

Inspectors Mike Worden and Catherine Carpenter were on hearing how each possible development site would be built and contribute to local housebuilding targets.

Councillor Eade, the Conservative group leader at the borough council, said that there had been “no explanation” why Newport had been earmarked to take a total of 350 houses when its original allocation has been 175.

“This totally unexplained and inconsistent over provision of doubling the amount of houses allocated for Newport lacks any transparency and I believe brings into question the soundness of the plan making process,” he said.

The inspectors have been told by the council that the site could be developed within five years and help meet housing targets.

Council planners in background documents say issues to do with access and possible flooding “will not significantly impact the deliverability and viability of the site.

“The site is therefore considered achievable.”

The hearings are continuing.