Towns and villages 'exposed' to development by failure of Shropshire Council's local plan, says planning agent

Last week Shropshire Council withdrew its local plan after inspectors delivered a damning verdict on its attempts to get the key policy adopted.

The move has potentially huge impacts for towns and villages across the Shropshire Council area, with the lack of an adopted plan - coupled with no five-year-land supply and hugely increased government housing targets - handing a significant advantage to developers with speculative proposals.

There are expectations that developers and landowners could now try and push ahead with controversial proposals in the Tong, Shifnal, Albrighton, and Bridgnorth areas - as well as across the wider council area.

The local plan is a document and policy which sets out where houses and business land can be built across the council area. 

Without an adopted plan schemes which might otherwise have been rejected can stand a far greater chance of success.

Stuart Thomas, chief executive of Berrys planning consultants, said the failure to get the local plan adopted will likely have huge ramifications for communities across Shropshire.