A PLANNING application has been resubmitted for 50 houses on an area of Whitchurch known as the 'the sponge'.

The patch of land is located to the north of Edgeley Road and owes its informal name to the wetness of the site and a previous application for 70 houses was withdrawn in October 2019 following concerns from residents over potential for flooding and the impact on local wildlife.

The application has been submitted again, this time with a reduced number of houses from 70 to up to 50, although the site plan largely follows the same boundaries as the previous application.

Since the application was withdrawn but before the new application was submitted, both the Environment and Highways Agency offered their thoughts on the plans.

Regarding the issue of flooding, Graeme Irwin, senior planning advisor for the Environment Agency says although the site surrounded a natural watercourse, the actual proposed building area was in a 'low-risk' area.

In his report, Mr Irwin said: "While the site is predominantly located within Flood Zone 1, the low risk zone, the land is bisected by an ordinary watercourse and its associated flood plain.

"The proposals have been designed in consideration of the watercourse to ensure that the development is safe and will not increase flood risk to third parties.

"A significant buffer zone between the built development and the watercourse has been provided as shown on the submitted Block Plan and a precautionary approach has been adopted with regards proposed finished floor levels."

Shropshire Council's Highways Agency had concerns though, saying the planned development failed to provide continuous pedestrian connectivity within the estate roads and across the site frontage.

But they believed that development could be acceptable if changes were made.

But local residents still have concerns over the proposals, with the resubmission of the planning application leading to fresh objections.

A total of 35 residents have objected to the plans on Shropshire Council's planning portal, with issues varying from flooding concerns to worries over traffic levels.