Power station site housing plans set for approval

Plans for the first phase of 1,000 new homes set to be built on the former Ironbridge power station are being considered.

A revised application for the first 107 homes on the site has been recommended for approval by Shropshire Council’s Southern Planning Committee on Tuesday.

An earlier proposal for the scheme was thrown out for falling short of strict design standards.

In December 2023, planners said the designs “failed to capture an identity or sense of place that is relevant to the site and its history”.

Proposals for new dwellings on the site have to conform to a specific “design code” intended to ensure high quality development.

New designs include a “tree-lined corridor” and features on the buildings that take inspiration from a 1930s-era pump house on the site, which was used to divert water out of the River Severn into the power station.

An officer’s report to the committee said: “The vision for the development as set out within the design code ‘is to create an inclusive and sustainable community that truly integrates with its diverse historical roots; recognising the heritage and landscape surrounding the site and reflecting local character’.

“The proposed scheme has adequately achieved that whist also accommodating the requirements of modern building standards.”

Proposals include six affordable dwellings, with the remaining 101 set for open market sale on the site, which straddles the border between the Shropshire and Telford & Wrekin local authority areas.

Follow BBC Shropshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.