Stiff opposition to 30 new homes

By Elgan Hearn, Local Democracy Reporter

Plans for 30 affordable homes to be built in a village on the border with Shropshire have run into opposition.

In January, it emerged that SJ Construction Ltd had lodged a planning application with Powys County Council to build the homes at land north of the B4393 road and west of “Oakland” at Crew Green.

The firm is working with Barcud Housing Association on the scheme that they claim will contribute towards meeting the “significant demand for affordable housing” in Crew Green and the surrounding area.

After the proposal was revealed, Bausley with Criggion Community Council, which covers Crew Green, organised and discussed the application at a public meeting.

The meeting took place last month and was attended by up to 45 villagers and following the meeting, the council has come up with seven “fundamental flaws” in the application.

They include: the proposal being in the wrong location; does not meet local need; village is not able to absorb a large development; no local amenities apart from primary school; and no meaningful employment opportunities within “at least” a five-mile radius.

The council said: “In recent years, our community has broadly supported the development of 19 affordable homes to assist people in the locality to have their own home, clearly displaying that the overwhelming rejection of this development cannot be viewed as nimbyism.”

They added that the community feel that the application is “pure financial speculation” and part of a “strategic plan” by developers to open up land in and around the village for “further widespread development”.

Michael Lloyd, of Berry’s, the planning agent for SJ Construction, had explained the proposal in a planning statement.

Mr Lloyd said: “Crew Green lies in a strategically important position on a main transport corridor from the West Midlands (of England) into central Wales.

“It is under 10 miles from Welshpool and 11 miles from Shrewsbury, both of which offer a range of services, facilities and employment opportunities.”

Mr Lloyd believes that “no unacceptable adverse impacts have been identified as arising from the proposed development”.

Villagers who object to the proposal have also produced arguments to rebut Mr Lloyd’s statements point by point.

They say that claims made by the developer that there is significant local demand for affordable housing is a “fallacy”.

Objectors said: “On one of the two Powys registers, only one family classified as in need has registered Crew Green as its first preference and on the other register for rented housing only four families have registered Crew Green as their first preference.”

With 19 affordable homes already approved for Crew Green, they say that “the additional 30-homes would constitute overkill”.

They also point out that the B4393 road that goes through the village is “prone to flooding” and is a “cause of hold-ups and diversions”.

They said: “The contention that no unacceptable adverse impacts have been identified arising from the proposed development is clearly a nonsense.”

A decision on the application is expected soon.