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Press Release 24 June 2009

"Shropshire’s countryside is too valuable to be sacrificed for statistical dreams" warn countryside campaigners CPRE.

Sprawling housing estates could come to Shropshire’s countryside if regional plans for massive house building in the county are given the go-ahead. Shrewsbury and the county's market towns are particularly threatened. This is the message that CPRE (1) will give to the public inquiry looking at the proposed West Midlands Regional Strategy in Wolverhampton on the 24 June (2).

Gerald Kells, Regional Policy Officer for the Campaign to Protect Rural England says:

"The current proposals are taking Shropshire in the wrong direction. There is every danger that the government's obsession with questionable housing targets will destroy the character of the county's towns and landscapes. The Shropshire countryside is too valuable to be sacrificed for statistical dreams. What the people of Shropshire need is the right kind of affordable homes built in the right places, close to jobs and without unnecessary intrusion into Shropshire's tranquil hills, plains and valleys."

CPRE will warn the Independent Panel examining the proposals that:

• The government's target for 25,700 new houses in Shropshire by 2026 is far too high. CPRE argues that housing should be built when and where it is needed, not dumped in the county to meet over-ambitious government targets. Excessive housing development beyond what is needed locally would simply increase commuting to Telford, Stoke, Wolverhampton and beyond.
• Nearly half of the county’s housing would have to be built on green field sites if the targets were implemented.
• The proposed expansion of Shrewsbury threatens to destroy its historic character and greenfield setting.
• The character and environment of the county's market towns would be threatened by sprawling housing and industrial estates, among them Whitchurch, Market Drayton, Wem and Much Wenlock.
• Historic Ludlow and Church Stretton, set amid the Shropshire Hills, could be swamped by excessive housing growth and the increased traffic that the new developments would bring.
• The tranquillity of the Shropshire Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty could be ruined by increased traffic noise and air pollution.

CPRE will also strongly oppose plans for a Shrewsbury North West Relief Road which it says would be a Trojan Horse for new housing. The proposed road would destroy the integrity of the Old River Bed, an area of exceptional landscape and wildlife quality. And it would not solve the town's traffic problems, for which there are less expensive and easier solutions.

Those taking part in the public inquiry include representatives of the Government, the West Midlands Regional Assembly (which prepared the Regional Strategy), environmental bodies (including the Campaign to Protect Rural England), house builders and other development interests, and local community groups including Oswestry Civic Society (3).

Notes for Editors

1. CPRE, the Campaign to Protect Rural England, is a charity which promotes the beauty, tranquillity and diversity of rural England. We advocate positive solutions for the long-term future of the countryside. Founded in 1926, we have 60,000 supporters and a branch in every county. President: Bill Bryson. Patron: Her Majesty The Queen.
2. The Examination in Public of the West Midlands Regional Spatial Strategy (Phase 2) is taking place in the Billy Wright Stand of Molineux Stadium, Waterloo Road, Wolverhampton from 28 April to 24 June 2009. The sessions on Shropshire and Herefordshire will be held on 23 June at 9.30 a.m. The Regional Strategy sets out the planning requirements for the West Midlands until 2026, including levels of housing, employment provision and infrastructure needs.
3. The participants’ written statements are available from the Planning Inspectorate (see under matter 8H)

Further Information

• Regional Planning