Packed meeting a 'battle cry for green England'

The public meeting on Thursday evening was packed with hundreds of people

Hundreds of residents have attended a public meeting on plans for a huge housing estate in east Shropshire where a campaign opposing the scheme has been framed as a "battle cry" for the "heart of green England".

Boningale Homes wants to build 800 "much-needed" homes, a supermarket and a doctor's surgery on green belt land in Albrighton.

However, campaigners said it would change the whole character of the village, increasing its size by more than 60%.

As all 200 seats were filled at community venue The Red House on Thursday night, many people stood outside in the rain so they could listen to what was being said.

The meeting heard from residents, the developers and MP Mark Pritchard, who organised the event and said he opposed the plans.

MP Mark Pritchard organised and chaired the meeting

Claire Lakin, part of the Albrighton Village Action Group, said the main issue with the proposed development was the location.

She said it was not in line with the Local Plan published by Shropshire Council, which identified where housing should be built in the coming years.

"We would oppose any development in this area which is green belt and not on the Local Plan," she said.

Campaigner Sally Meyrick said she always went to bed thinking about the development and woke up every day with the same thing on her mind "because it'll ruin our lives".

Mr Pritchard chaired the meeting and said the campaign to stop the development was "a battle cry for the very heart of green England".

Boningale Homes' George Thompson and Dean Trowbridge outlined their case

Two representatives of the developers, director George Thompson, whose father set up Boningale Homes in 2012, and development manager Dean Trowbridge, took questions from the audience.

The pair also outlined the proposals for the 800 homes - 20% of which would be affordable - along with a minor injuries unit, pharmacy, doctor’s surgery, supermarket, secondary school for up to 750 students, a new high street, sports hall and games facility.

They claimed the site would create more than a thousand jobs and add £62m into the local economy.

The developers also said the homes would help Shropshire and the Black Country meet its housing needs.

A planning application for the development could be submitted to Shropshire Council in the coming weeks.

The Albrighton Village Action Group has launched a fundraising campaign for £20,000 to pay for legal fees to fight the plans.

Natasha Smith, a local resident and member of the action group, said the turnout for the meeting was amazing and that campaigners put their points across to the developers eloquently.

Ms Smith said she liked "absolutely nothing" that the developers said and was "shocked at the arrogance" to think "they can do this".

"[It's] completely changing and destroying our community, the character, the history of the village," she said of the scheme. "We are a small community. It's just ridiculous."