20th January 2017

Does the adoption of the Shropshire SAMDev mean the end for employment/housing opportunities for unallocated land?

The simple answer is NO! Over the past few years, planning policy in Shropshire has been changing so much. This has led to opportunities that are set to continue in the future. There is a word of warning that needs to go with this however – changing policy brings with it changing chances of success for housing proposals. Therefore it is important that we keep our eye on the ball so we are providing landowners with the best advice at the right time to take advantage of these windows of opportunity.

The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) specifically requires local planning authorities to illustrate and keep up-to-date a deliverable five-year housing land supply. Without this, even recently adopted planning policies for the supply of housing will be considered out of date (NPPF para 49).

With this in mind, Shropshire Council has confirmed that it will undertake a partial review of SAMDev and more specifically land allocations. This review will include an assessment of current allocations, housing needs in specific areas, employment needs and also a review of the green belt boundaries. This will in turn, be driven by landowners who submit requests for their land to be considered for housing or employment land.

The impending review will provide landowners, who have land that could be considered sustainable, the opportunity to promote their sites for development. The partial review is likely to take place within the next year, and therefore it’s important to act now and get your sites ready with the necessary justification to submit to the Council for their consideration.

We are already working with a number of clients to promote their land for development and inclusion within the SAMDev Plan Review. Please get in touch with our planning experts to see if we can help with your application’s timing.

By Tudor Watkins, Roger Parry & Partners Welshpool office Manager