CPRE Shropshire
Protecting Shropshire

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Summary

CPRE believes the Core Strategy should promote a living, working countryside that is equally comfortable with its roles in employment and leisure. This requires affordable housing near to where people work. It requires opportunities for enterprises to be founded and prosper. It requires developments that are carefully tucked into the folds of rural landscape, sympathetic and in scale with local building styles. It is vital that measures to revitalise rural Shropshire do not destroy its greatest asset, the natural and historic environment.

The Issues and Options Draft (IOD) is a useful start and we concur with many of its statements. We have however identified three significant weaknesses in its approach:

• The IOD rightly acknowledges Shropshire's natural and historic environment as its "greatest asset" but this asset is given low priority throughout the document. We propose giving greater prominence to the natural and historic environment and the landscapes of Shropshire, and to preserving and promoting tranquillity throughout the county.
• The Strategic Approaches (Choice 1) ignore the spatial distinctiveness of different areas of Shropshire. This one size fits all approach to planning across the county will be damaging. We propose a strategy that is sensitive to the different spatial zones.
• The housing assumptions based on WMRSS targets are too high. This level of housing is undesirable and unnecessary. We propose a carefully phased release of land to avoid any significant under or over supply and undue loss of greenfield land.

CPRE Shropshire is calling for two studies to address these weaknesses and to ensure that the Preferred Options adequately reflect the needs, potential and sensitivities of each area of the county.

• Market towns and Shrewsbury. Each Shropshire town needs a detailed study of its strengths, potential, and cultural and historic assets to ensure that the Preferred Options are soundly based on data and analysis. The existing retail studies are not a sound basis for strategic planning.
• Rural settlements. A detailed review is needed of the options for sustaining a living, working countryside that is equally comfortable with its roles in employment and leisure. This needs to look at the options for housing, employment and leisure in each spatial zone of the county.

Our Responses in Full

• CPRE Shropshire response
• CPRE Shrewsbury & Atcham response
• CPRE Oswestry response

Further Information

• Shropshire Local Development Framework and Core Strategy