Row over new homes plan near Shropshire village pub site

Oakwood Homes have applied to build the houses, three of which will be for sale and three for affordable rental, on land near the former Kings Arms in Claverley, near Bridgnorth.

The company said it wants to build the homes in the village to provide much needed affordable homes.

But the parish council and a number of local residents have objected to the plans, saying the village does not meet the criteria for affordable homes,

Andrew Sierakowski, Shropshire Council’s planning case office, has recommended the plans be approved, on the basis they remain affordable homes in perpetuity.

In his report to Shropshire Council’s South Planning Committee, he said: “This is a full application for the erection of six affordable dwellings and associated infrastructure, on land at the rear of the former Kings Arms pub on the east side of the Bull Ring, in Claverley.

"Three of the dwellings will be for sale at a discounted price and three will be for rent with a capped rent (at the Local Housing Allowance rates).”

Mirror

“The application states that it follows on from a development of six affordable cross subsidy houses that have received planning permission and been successfully completed in Alveley.

“The proposal that is the subject this application, it states, has been designed to mirror the application in Alveley and it is proposed that it should be covered by a similar section 106 agreement and that the cross-subsidy scheme allows the sale of up to 50 per cent of the houses at a price of no more than 90 per cent of open market value.

“The sale of the three houses will fund the remaining three houses that are rented at a capped rent to people with local connections. The rental properties will remain under the control of the applicant, Oakwood Homes Ltd and priority will be given to people with local connections using the Shropshire Homepoint register as laid out in the section 106 agreement,”he added.

Claverley Parish Council said it objects because “affordable housing sites, according to Shropshire Council policies, should have sustainable infrastructure such as employment opportunities and facilities such as a bus service, shops and a good road infrastructure”.

It said it considers that Claverley meets none of these requirements and consequently it objects to the development.

Members of the public have added that a two-bedroom property has been for sale in the centre of Claverley since the August 2016 at a price of £154,000, which “suggest that there may be little or no need for affordable housing”.

The committee will meet to discuss the plans on May 8, at Shirehall in Shrewsbury.