The circa 3.2ha site is located on the eastern side of Wem Road on the northern side of Shawbury. The site is bounded to the south by existing residential development, while RAF Shawbury lies opposite the site on the other side of Wem Road. To the north of the site is a disused former school site and further RAF facilities.
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Bloor Homes is preparing an outline planning application for a landscape-led residential development at Wem Road, Shawbury, including:
- Up to 120 high-quality homes, including family homes and properties suitable for down-sizers.
- 15% of the new homes will be provided as affordable housing, providing opportunities for those on lower incomes and first time buyers to secure a home of their own in Shawbury.
- A gas-free development with all homes built to be net zero carbon-ready, including air source heat pumps, solar panels, uprated insulation and EV charging infrastructure.
- A landscape-led approach to development, with the retention of existing trees and the majority of hedgerows, alongside extensive planting of new trees and plants.
- The planting of a community orchard and areas for biodiversity.
- The creation of new green public open spaces, including children’s play areas, a new pump track for young people of all ages, and areas for natural play.
- Vehicular, cycle and pedestrian access directly from Wem Road.
- Connectivity to the disused former school site to the north providing opportunities for the site’s reuse by Shropshire Council.
- A sustainable drainage system (SuDS) to manage surface water and create new habitat areas.
- Investment to support local infrastructure such as healthcare and education.
A pump track is a circuit of banked turns interspaced by rollers and other features that can be ridden on a bike without pedalling or on scooters and skateboards etc. It’s an increasingly popular way to encourage children and young people to exercise, whilst developing balancing and bike handling skills in a safe environment, away from traffic. It provides great exercise for the whole family.
The site is located outside of the Greenbelt and occupies a highly sustainable location adjacent to the north of the settlement boundary of Shawbury. As such, it was submitted via Shropshire Council’s latest Call for Sites and promoted for residential development through the Council’s emerging new Local Plan.
Local planning authorities are required by Government to update their Local Plans every five years. The current adopted Local Plan for Shropshire is the Core Strategy which was adopted in 2011 and has therefore now fallen significantly out of date. Shropshire Council had been preparing a new Local Plan, however this was abandoned in July 2025 following issues arising from the Independent Examination. Following the withdrawal of the previous draft Plan, Shropshire Council is now preparing a new Local Plan for 2025-2045 which will guide future development across the county and includes the location of including new housing and infrastructure.
Changes to the National Planning Policy Framework announced by the Government in late 2024 has nearly doubled the number of homes Shropshire Council will need to deliver from 1,070 to 2,025 homes per year. This has left Shropshire Council with a shortfall in housing land supply.
The NPPF also requires that local authorities such as Shropshire Council are able to demonstrate a five-year housing land supply. This is the amount of land that the Council must identify to ensure there are sufficient deliverable sites for residential development over the next five years. Shropshire Council currently cannot demonstrate a five-year supply of deliverable housing land.
In light of the current position on housing, an outline planning application for the site is now being brought forward to contribute to meeting this housing delivery shortfall at a sustainable location adjacent to the existing settlement boundary of Shawbury. Existing development exists on three sides of site, therefore making this site a logical infill extension of the existing settlement. The development proposed by Bloor Homes will support Shropshire’s housing needs while contributing positively to the local community.
An outline planning application establishes the broad principles of development, such as access arrangements, illustrative concept layout, number of homes and general extent of development.
If outline planning consent is granted, a detailed planning application called a Reserved Matters planning application would be prepared. This would include more detail such as architecture, materials, detailed layout and landscaping, and would be subject to further consultation with the local community before being submitted for determination. Both outline and Reserved Matters planning applications are subject to Statutory Consultation carried out by the Local Planning Authority (Shropshire Council).
Yes, 15% of the new homes would be classified as affordable homes in line with local policy requirements. This will provide opportunities for those on lower incomes with connections to the local area to secure a home of their own. Affordable housing is anticipated to be provided in a mix of affordable rent and shared ownership homes, however this will be determined in consultation with Shropshire Council’s Housing Team.
We know that sustainability is hugely important to communities across the country. The new homes for Shawbury will be built to the Future Homes Standard, resulting in a neighbourhood of net zero carbon ready homes.
The development will be gas-free, with all homes provided with air source heat pumps as standard. PV cells (solar panels) will also be incorporated, which along with the use of the latest materials and technique to maximise insulation, air tightness and heat recovery, will create an uplift in energy efficiency of 75-80%.
The new homes will incorporate sanitaryware and appliances that meet the highest water efficiency standards.
Electric vehicle (EV) charging points will be provided for all homes with on plot parking, together with access to communal EV charging points for the whole development.
To minimise the impact of construction, we always aim to procure materials from sustainable sources and recycle construction waste as far as is possible.
We are conscious of the ever-increasing importance of ensuring that development is sustainable, protecting and enhancing natural habitats and green infrastructure as much as possible whilst delivering much needed homes for people and families.
The Site is largely comprised of arable field which is of low ecological value. The field is bounded by higher value habitats incorporating hedgerows and mature trees, while a small parcel of other neutral grassland is present along the eastern boundary bordering a watercourse. The scheme design will aim to retain and buffer these higher value habitat features wherever possible, retaining mature trees and the majority of hedgerows, alongside additional new habitat planting to enhance them. Habitats of value can be created in areas of open space present on-site including wildflower grassland meadows, native scrub, and species rich hedgerow planting, to enhance the on-site biodiversity value. A Biodiversity Net Gain calculation will be undertaken with measures on and off-site to achieve net gain of at least 10%.
Environment Agency flood mapping indicates that the majority of the site lies within Flood Zone 1, meaning it is at the lowest probability of fluvial flooding. A corridor along the existing watercourse through the site is designated as Flood Zones 2 and 3; however, this area lies outside the proposed extent of built development.
In terms of surface water flood risk, the site is shown to be predominantly at very low (less than 0.1%) to low (0.1–1%) annual probability of surface water flooding.
Vehicular access to the development is proposed via a new junction directly from the B5063 Wem Road. A pre-application consultation has been undertaken with the Local Highways Authority in line with best practice guidance. This is to agree a methodology for the forthcoming planning application and to ensure all required assessments are undertaken and a site access strategy agreed.
At the northern edge of the site, it is proposed to provide an access point to the disused former school site to the north. This will provide future opportunities for the Council to reuse the site should it be required.
Traffic surveys have been undertaken at junctions on the local road network to help inform a Transport Assessment which will form part of the outline planning application. This study will carry out an assessment of these junctions, known as a “Junction Capacity Assessment”, which models how the junctions perform currently and how they will perform in a future year scenario with the development in place. The methodology and parameters for this assessment have been agreed with the Local Highways Authority through pre-application engagement.
The new public open space within the development will include opportunities for walking and cycling. These new routes will tie-in to the existing pedestrian/cycle infrastructure on B5063 Wem Road to provide onward connections to amenities within Shawbury village.
The site is well connected to the existing pedestrian and cycle network, with B5063 Wem Road forming part of National Cycle Network Route 45, which provides onwards connections to Shrewsbury to the south and Whitchurch to the north.
The potential inclusion of a new pump track for the village will also encourage young people to use bicycles.
The application will also be supported by a Travel Plan, which will set out measures to encourage residents to use sustainable modes of transport like walking, cycling and public transport.
A key consideration with a planning proposal such as this is to ensure that local services receive the investment they need to accommodate housing growth in the local area. The development will generate investment into local infrastructure such as healthcare and education, and this will be informed by consultation carried out by Shropshire Council with statutory bodies such as the local NHS Integrated Care Board and the local education team. It is understood that the local school does currently have capacity, with some classrooms currently unused, however this will be confirmed in discussions with the council’s education team. Investment funding will be secured via Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) payments or appropriate legal agreement between Bloor Homes and the Council.
Bloor Homes is preparing an outline planning application which will be submitted to Shropshire Council. Once the application has been validated and published by the Council, they will undertake Statutory Consultation with a range of organisations such as the NHS Integrated Care Board, local education team, Council housing team, Environment Agency, Natural England, Shawbury Parish Council and others, as well as the general public. Following this process, the Council will determine the planning application. If outline planning consent is granted, this will include planning conditions including a Section 106 Agreement which will set out the infrastructure investment to be generated by the development. A reserved matters planning application will then be prepared and submitted to the council setting out finer details such as housing mix, design, landscape details etc.