Fight against development continues

A campaign group fighting to protect precious Shropshire green belt says the fight will continue against ‘speculative, profit-hungry’ developers.

Albrighton Village Action Group (AVAG) has reiterated its determination to fight Boningale Homes’ controversial scheme to build 800 homes in the village following government Planning Inspectors’ decision to abandon hearings and threaten to withdraw the Local plan unless Shropshire Council can fix it within six months.

The proposed scheme, which threatens 52 hectares of green belt, has been slammed as being too far from the village centre and the railway station, meaning new residents would be entirely dependent on cars, leading to unsafe roads and gridlock on already narrow and congested roads.

Loss of high-quality farmland and flooding risks raise further serious environmental concerns, whilst the proposals would irreversibly harm Albrighton’s historic character, infrastructure, and surrounding countryside.

AVAG points to the overwhelming response from locals against the development, with over 1120 objections lodged and more than 3700 signing a petition against Boningale Homes’ ill thought-out scheme – that’s 80% of the electoral roll.

The group has reinforced its backing of the Local Plan and is urging the Planning Inspector to accept Shropshire Council’s proposed actions to address their concerns.