An outline planning application has been submitted for a new residential development on land to the west of Harley Road, Cressage, Shropshire. The proposal seeks permission for up to 60 homes, alongside improvements to access, pedestrian safety measures, and the creation of new public open space. The scheme includes a mix of two, three, four, and five-bedroom properties, with 20 percent of the homes designated as affordable housing to help meet local needs.
The plans also feature 1.61 acres of public open space, above the required amount for a development of this scale, providing new recreational areas for both residents and the wider community. Access will be taken directly from Harley Road, with improvements to footpaths, a new crossing, and traffic calming measures to enhance safety and connectivity with the rest of the village.
Environmental considerations form a key part of the proposal. Existing woodland and hedgerows will be retained wherever possible, with additional scrub planting, new native hedgerows, and neutral grassland areas introduced to enhance biodiversity. A new drainage attenuation pond is also proposed, creating further habitats and contributing to a net biodiversity gain of more than 10 percent.
The site has long been recognised as suitable for residential development, having previously been identified in the former Shrewsbury and Atcham Borough Council Local Plan. It is also the Council’s preferred location for new housing growth in Cressage under the current draft Local Plan. The refusal of the draft Shropshire Local Plan by the Planning Inspectors stemmed from a series of fundamental shortcomings that undermined its soundness and overall credibility. Despite being at an advanced stage of preparation and submitted for examination in September 2021, the Inspectors raised serious concerns regarding the plan’s ability to meet the housing and economic development needs of Shropshire. In a detailed letter, they concluded that the plan was not positively prepared and failed to deliver on Shropshire’s clear commitment to address both its own housing requirements and the unmet needs of the wider Black Country area. This assessment reflected a cumulative failure across several interrelated areas, which the Inspectors found went to the heart of the plan’s strategy. The Council was given time to respond, but in March 2025 it formally acknowledged that it would be recommending withdrawal of the draft plan from examination, effectively accepting that the process could not be salvaged. This refusal further exacerbated the county’s 5 years housing supply.
With recent Government changes to the National Planning Policy Framework increasing Shropshire’s annual housing need from 1,070 to 1,994 homes per year, the scheme will play an important role in helping to meet this requirement.
The development has been carefully designed to respect the existing character of Cressage, with homes reflecting the scale and style of the village and providing private gardens and off-road parking. The project will contribute to the sustainability of the settlement, which already benefits from good access to local services, schools, healthcare, and public transport links to Shrewsbury, Bridgnorth, Ironbridge, and Telford.
The application will now be considered by Shropshire Council and subject to public consultation.
To register your interest in this development, click here.
