Author: David Tooley - Local Democracy Reporter

Planning agent, chartered architect John Norfolk, wrote on the planning portal: “This is the first HMO I have worked on and had I known the upset that this proposal would have caused I would likely have declined to be involved…”

Charles and Amanda Bathurst spoke out at hearings examining the soundness of the local plan when they slammed the lack of small housing developments in smaller villages.

A casual vacancy has been announced in the Lightmoor ward of The Gorge Parish Council after the resignation of Councillor Vivienne Moore.

The agricultural land off Church Road in Lilleshall, near Newport, has been placed in the draft Telford & Wrekin local plan as possibly taking 49 new homes.

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.”

Already set to speak are local opponents, developers, the Shawbirch Medical Practice and even a representative of Dobbies Garden Centres.

Council officials are aiming to issue a key report into the possible development of 600 homes on farmland backing onto Dulwich Grange, Bratton Road and Jockey Meadow just north of Bratton in the next few weeks, documents show.

St Georges & Priorslee Parish Council is lining up to move into new premises in The Gower, a former Victorian community hospital being brought back to life.

The business has asked for advertising consent to reinstate four fascia signs on two fascia panels after maintenance.

Neighbours in the residential street say “traffic and parking in New Street is already at breaking point.”

Planning agent EMS Design, of Market Drayton, has told planners at Telford & Wrekin Council that it “supports economic growth while safeguarding residential amenity.”

Church leaders have applied for permission to build a disabled ramp so wheelchair users don’t have to take a ‘derogatory’ back route into the building.

New owners of the 1,400 sq metre site at East Road, Ketley Bank, have applied to Telford & Wrekin Council for permission to build two two-bed and one three-bed properties on the land.

Landowners in Telford & Wrekin have been complaining that their sites have not been included as possible land for housebuilding in the all important local plan, a meeting heard.

Councillors were debating the creation of new local nature reserves in the borough when the Conservative opposition leader compared that to the local plan “concreting over swathes of the countryside.”

Plans for the proposed property on a mowed field near the confluence of the rivers Strine and Tern show it having a pool and pool terrace, a sunken yoga patio, garage and parking, and outdoor areas with landscaping.

Telford’s Land Deal is set to go on after the original ground-breaking agreement between the council and Homes England came to an end in 2025, a meeting is set to hear this week.

Officials are drawing up plans to get many more young children across Telford & Wrekin ready for their first year of school.

A committee was told that the Government has set the borough a target of getting 78 per cent of reception year children to a Good Level of Development in time for year one.

Much of the debate among councillors was about what could be done to protect the next door neighbour in Pemberton Road, Admaston, who is “already in distress” at the prospect.

The application was put to a committee to decide the issue after 38 objections were made by members of the public.

A former Telford parish council leader told planners that a new £3.8 million community centre “must proceed” despite concerns that local council tax payers will have to foot the bill.

Councillors in Wellington sped through a committee meeting’s agenda in just over seven minutes before excluding the press and public.

Item eight was to close the meeting to the press and public so they could discuss a personnel report and get an update on the recent purchase of the town centre’s former Halifax bank branch.

Officials at Telford & Wrekin Council had refused permission to extend the Homelands Park site, at Mossey Green, Ketley Bank citing drainage concerns.

Officials had been concerned about how rainwater and sewage would be drained off the site and what would happen if a pump failed.

Auditor KPMG is ‘anticipating’ giving the council an “unqualified” audit report and officials told a scrutiny committee that its budget is a “really positive place to be”.

The council’s audit committee was told that technical amendments to property and pension valuations have had no effect on the final budget for 2024-25.

Telford & Wrekin Council made payments of £12,431,116 in respect of a private finance initiative (PFI) contract last year, budget papers say.

The council has a 28-year PFI contract in place for the building and servicing
of school and leisure facilities at Hadley Learning Community and Queensway for £289m.