Southwater Council Apartments
I walked through Southwater today. That big patch of green between Nandos, Premier Inn, Mimosa, Coal, Ice Rink & the lake is destined to be council housing. The housing is part of Telford Council plans to start a property development business and rent out houses. This will not be social housing, but housing to be let at market rates.
I like this green area. Given the height of the buildings there, I think it might feel a bit claustrophobic if the development goes ahead.
Southwater has won awards for quality of the development. Would this be a build too far? Dan Braddock thinks it would be, and has created a petition to keep the greenery in place.
Please don’t accuse me of bleating on about where housing shouldn’t be. Here is an alternative site in Orleton Lane, Wellington. I’ve just searched the Shaping Places document and discovered that this site is not even mentioned.
The pink bit is where the Park School & Orleton Lane School used to be. All services on site, the roads coped with a school (just about!) and the site is huge. So big, you wouldn’t have to use all of it.
The green bit is all you would need to replace the site at Southwater where the apartments are due to be built. This site is so big, how about some much needed social housing here?
Still lots of green space to enjoy in Orleton Lane after any development. Indeed, since the schools have been flattened, they are still fenced off so no one can enjoy the space.
What do you think?
I could be wrong, but I used to be involved with both schools and I seem to remember the land had been ruled out for housing because of permanent waterlogging.
Well they managed to build a couple of schools there 50 years ago!
We got enough houses..most defo don’t need them that close to town. .greeny is what we need..were I am in telford as lost loads of greenary
True – maybe on the only dry bits 😉 I could be wrong, it’s a while ago, but I’m sure ‘it’s basically a swamp’ was mentioned when housing was brought up. If that is wrong, or fixable, it’s a great idea though.
Just an update for those not on The Facebook.
I have been emailing the Borough Councillors and I have had some responses back.
I will be looking to get the support of the MP’s next.
https://www.change.org/p/telford-telford-and-wrekin-council-revise-southwater-development-plans-and-keep-the-green-patch-in-the-centre-as-open-land/u/10829465
This is madness! Your alternative, Telford Live, would be the only sensible option.
I’m with you Kath, the ground there is often rather waterlogged and makes the notion of building anything on it, let alone accommodation, nonsensical.
I enjoy how open the new Southwater development is; how it overlooks the pool, It’s just what Southwater needed. Closing it up into a concrete jungle would be a step in a very wrong direction.
Now, don’t get me wrong, I know how desperate the want and the need for social housing is but the size of the plot in Southwater is too obscenely small to build any sort of decently sized accommodation.