Shropshire can show 4.61 years of housing land, not the five required, so the tilted balance applies. Plus the new 2026-2046 plan and Tasley's 1,500 homes.
Shropshire is deciding planning applications without an up to date plan and without enough land. The development plan the council actually has runs out this year. The one meant to replace it was withdrawn in July 2025 after four years at examination. The one after that has only just started, and is not expected to be adopted until 2028.
The consequence is not abstract. Because the council cannot demonstrate five years of deliverable housing land, the presumption in favour of sustainable development is engaged on housing applications across the county, and the local policies that would normally refuse them carry reduced weight. That is the single fact that explains most of what is currently being approved in Shropshire.
One boundary first, because it changes the answer: Telford and Wrekin is a separate unitary authority. None of this applies in Telford, Wellington, Newport or Ironbridge, which have their own council, their own plan and their own portal.
The number that governs everything: 4.61 years
Shropshire Council published its five year housing land supply statement covering 2025/26 to 2029/30 and concluded that 4.61 years of deliverable housing land exists. Its own words are that “on balance of considerations, the council considers that it is currently unable to demonstrate a five-year housing land supply.”
The figure it is measured against is not the one in the adopted plan. Because the adopted development plan’s housing policies are more than five years old, the test switches to local housing need calculated by the government’s standard method, and for Shropshire that is 2,030 dwellings a year. The adopted plan was written around 1,375 a year. The requirement rose by roughly 48 per cent without a single policy changing.
There is a lower number in circulation as well. Deciding the Tilstock appeal, a planning inspector concluded that at 31 March 2024 Shropshire had 3.81 years of supply, below what the council had calculated. The council’s own committee report on the Tasley application records that it “has considered it sensible to take a precautionary approach and apply this lower figure.” When a council argues against itself in writing, developers read it.
The plan Shropshire actually has, and when it expires
The adopted development plan is two documents, neither of them recent:
- the Core Strategy, adopted in 2011
- the Site Allocations and Management of Development (SAMDev) Plan, adopted in 2015
Together they cover 2006 to 2026. The council’s own adopted Local Plan page says they “will remain part of the Development Plan for Shropshire until a new Local Plan is adopted”, which is accurate and also the problem: the plan period ends this year and the replacement is roughly two years away.
Why the 2016 to 2038 plan was withdrawn
The draft Shropshire Local Plan 2016 to 2038 was submitted for examination on 3 September 2021. It proposed around 30,800 homes, and included an agreement to take roughly 1,500 homes and 31 hectares of employment land to help meet the Black Country’s unmet need, which was among the parts the inspectors questioned.
In March 2025 the inspectors told the council they were “unable to apply our discretion in this case to allow the examination to continue”, given the amount of further work needed to fix their soundness concerns. The choice offered was withdrawal or a report finding the plan unsound. Full Council resolved to withdraw on 17 July 2025 and the plan was formally withdrawn on 25 July 2025, ending an examination that had run for nearly four years.
The evidence base did not vanish with it. Cabinet decided on 12 February 2025 that the evidence underpinning the withdrawn plan remains a material consideration in deciding relevant applications, so those studies still turn up in officer reports. The council keeps them in its archive of the withdrawn Local Plan.
The next plan: 2026 to 2046, adoption expected 2028
Shropshire Council gave notice on 8 May 2026 that it was starting work on its next Local Plan, covering 2026 to 2046. A scoping consultation ran from 20 May to 15 July 2026, with 11 drop-in events across the county and around 450 residents and businesses taking part by the end of June. That stage asked about vision, priorities and evidence. It did not propose any sites, so if you were waiting to see whether a particular field was in or out, that comes later.
David Walker, the cabinet member responsible, described it as “the first step in creating a new Local Plan that reflects the needs and ambitions of Shropshire’s communities”. The administration’s stated aim is adoption in 2028.
Between now and then, applications keep being decided against a plan written for a period that ends this year, with a supply shortfall that tips the balance towards approval. That is the practical answer to why a scheme your parish council objected to was granted anyway.
Tasley Garden Village: 1,500 homes at Bridgnorth
The largest decision in years came to the Southern Planning Committee on 24 February 2026. Application 25/01722/OUT, by Bloor Homes Limited and Taylor Wimpey UK Limited, is an outline application with all matters reserved except principal means of access.
What it covers:
| Element | Quantum |
|---|---|
| Homes | Up to 1,500, including specialist housing for older people |
| Affordable housing | 20% policy requirement |
| Employment land | Up to 14.6 hectares |
| Local centre | Up to 1,500 sq m |
| Community | Primary school, country park, open space, sports pitches |
| Access | Three new principal vehicular accesses |
The site straddles three parishes, and all three objected: Tasley Parish Council, Bridgnorth Town Council and Morville Parish Council. Public response was heavy and mostly hostile. The officer’s report records 438 representations: 347 objections, 84 in support (including the grassroots football club Bridgnorth Spartans, which is due a new home on the site) and 7 neutral.
The committee resolved that outline permission “be GRANTED with delegated powers to officers to finalise the conditions” and secure developer contributions “including the completion of a S106 agreement, subject to any reserved matters application being brought back to the Committee for determination”. Two things follow from that wording. The formal permission depends on the section 106 being signed, and the detail (layout, appearance, scale, landscaping) returns to councillors rather than being signed off by officers.
The scheme required a full Environmental Statement under the EIA regulations, with an addendum submitted on 10 December 2025.
What else is live
Land west of the A53, Market Drayton. Application 26/02883/OUT seeks outline permission for up to 400 dwellings, a community building, highway works, open space, landscaping and drainage. It was validated in the week beginning 27 July 2026 and is listed as pending consideration, so comments are open. The council’s file is on the planning portal.
Smithfield Riverside, Shrewsbury. The town centre scheme on the former Riverside shopping centre site secured outline permission in April 2025 for three plots between Smithfield Road, Raven Meadows and the new park, for a mix of homes, offices and a hotel. The first physical result is Riverside Gardens, the linear park, which the scheme’s own updates say is set to open in December 2026. Work around the station gyratory nearby is covered on Shropshire roadworks and travel.
How to check and comment on an application near you
Every Shropshire Council application is public on pa.shropshire.gov.uk. The most useful entry point is not the search box, it is the Weekly/Monthly Lists tab: choose a week, choose validated or decided, and optionally narrow to your parish. That is how you find out what has gone in near you before a neighbour mentions it.
Three practical points:
- Comment inside the consultation window, usually 21 days from the site notice or advert. Late comments are considered where possible but nothing guarantees it.
- Planning grounds only carry weight. Loss of a private view, effect on property value and dislike of the applicant are not material. Highway safety, overlooking, drainage, heritage impact, landscape and policy conflict are.
- Volume alone does not decide it. Tasley drew 347 objections and was approved. What moves a committee is a material objection an officer has not already answered.
Frequently asked questions
Does Shropshire have an up to date Local Plan?
No. The adopted plan is the Core Strategy (2011) and the SAMDev Plan (2015), covering 2006 to 2026. The draft 2016 to 2038 replacement was withdrawn on 25 July 2025, and a new Local Plan for 2026 to 2046 started in May 2026 with adoption targeted for 2028.
How many homes does Shropshire have to plan for?
Local housing need under the government’s standard method is 2,030 dwellings a year. The adopted plan was built around roughly 1,375 a year.
Can Shropshire Council demonstrate a five year housing land supply?
No. Its own statement for 2025/26 to 2029/30 puts the figure at 4.61 years, and it applies the lower 3.81 years found by an inspector in the Tilstock appeal as a precaution. Falling short engages the presumption in favour of sustainable development, which makes housing refusals harder to defend.
Was Tasley Garden Village approved?
The Southern Planning Committee resolved to grant outline permission on 24 February 2026 for up to 1,500 homes, subject to conditions and a section 106 agreement, with reserved matters to return to committee. The application reference is 25/01722/OUT.
Does any of this apply in Telford?
No. Telford and Wrekin is a separate unitary authority with its own Local Plan, its own housing land supply position and its own planning register.
Where do I comment on an application?
On the Shropshire Council planning portal, through the application’s own page. Use the weekly list to find applications validated in your parish in the last few weeks.
Sources
- Shropshire Council five year housing land supply statement for the 4.61 year figure, the 2025/26 to 2029/30 period and the 2,030 dwelling local housing need.
- Adopted Local Plan for the Core Strategy 2011, SAMDev 2015 and the 2006 to 2026 plan period.
- Archive including information on the withdrawn Local Plan for the submission date, the inspectors’ March 2025 conclusion, the 17 July 2025 council decision, the 25 July 2025 withdrawal and the 12 February 2025 cabinet decision on the evidence base.
- Committee report on application 25/01722/OUT, Southern Planning Committee, 24 February 2026 for the scheme description, the 14.6ha of employment land, the 20% affordable housing requirement, the 438 representations, the 1,375 dwellings per annum adopted requirement and the 3.81 year Tilstock figure.
- Agenda item and decision for 25/01722/OUT for the exact resolution wording.
- Shropshire Council newsroom, 30 June 2026 for the 2026 to 2046 plan period, the 20 May to 15 July 2026 scoping consultation, the 11 drop-in events and the quote from David Walker.
- Shropshire Council planning portal for application 26/02883/OUT at Market Drayton and the weekly validated and decided lists.
- Smithfield Riverside scheme updates for the April 2025 outline approval and the December 2026 park opening.
Planning positions change with each committee cycle and each new appeal decision. Check the application on the council’s portal before relying on anything here. What homes are actually selling for is on Shropshire house prices.
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