The Site is located within the north-east of the administrative area of Shropshire Council. The ‘Core Strategy’, which provides the strategic planning policies for Shropshire, was adopted in 2011. The ‘Site Allocations and Management of Development’ plan, which provides residential allocations and policies for the more detailed aspects of development, was adopted in 2015. All planning applications must be determined in accordance with the adopted Plans, unless material considerations indicate otherwise.
The Site is located outside of the settlement boundary of Wem, however, as Shropshire’s Core Strategy is more than five years old and the Council is failing to deliver sufficient land for housing development, thus further land is required. Furthermore, Shropshire’s Local Plan Review, which was recently under Examination by the Planning Inspectorate, is expected to be withdrawn by the Council imminently due to significant issues with the Plan identified by the Inspectors. Therefore, the Council will need to bring forward additional sites for housing development in the short-term to meet local housing needs.
Wem is identified as a Market Town / Key Centre within the Shropshire Core Strategy due to its level of services, facilities and transport infrastructure, making it an ideal location for sustainable growth.