News

Shropshire Council has begun an important public consultation regarding the emerging Local Plan for the county.

When adopted, the draft Shropshire Local Plan will set the overall growth strategy for the county to 2038, and will provide the policy framework for how the council takes decisions on planning applications.

Shropshire Council submitted the draft Local Plan for examination in September 2021, and public hearings, led by appointed planning inspectors, were held in 2022 and 2023.

This consultation, which runs until 11 June 2024, focuses on a number of new documents the council has been asked to prepare by the appointed examining inspectors following the publication of their Interim Findings in February 2023.

The documents Shropshire Council is now inviting comment on are:

• an updated Sustainability Appraisal.
• new topic papers relating to housing and employment land requirements and matters relating to the proposed release of some Green Belt land.
• a proposed new policy relating to how the housing needs of older people and those with disabilities and special needs will be met.

As part of these documents, and having assessed a number of options, the council is proposing an increase to both the overall housing and employment requirements for the county to 2038, but that no new site allocations are required in order to deliver this proposed increase.

The consultation documents and other information relating to the consultation, including how to respond, can be found on the Shropshire Council website.