News

Earlier today there was a multiple car accident on the section of old A53 which runs through Wollerton between Hodnet and Lostford.
It happened early morning, around 8:30am, as people were going to work and the road was affected by black ice.
Parish Councillor Alan Cope, who took the photograph to the left, comments:

The parish council have asked the highways department to grit this road. Unfortunately highways say that the Hodnet to Lostford road is no longer considered a major route and therefore does not and will not get gritted in the future.
The road is still very heavily used by people commuting to and from work who live in Stoke, Drayton travelling to Wem, Ellesmere in addition to local people living in the village.
When motorists turn off the A53 at Lostford, due to the appearance (markings, signage, width, etc.) of the existing road, the majority of the road users unwittingly believe it will have been gritted along with the A53 and other main routes. Additionally, also due to the roads appearance, motorists drive at a much higher speed than that of the other non gritted country lanes.

Please remember the dangers of driving during icy winter periods, especially when on roads which may not have been gritted.
There are no reports of anyone being seriously injured in the accident.

The Market Drayton Advertiser and the Shropshire Star have both carried stories in the last two days that a report by Chief Fire Officer, John Redmond accepts that axing four rural fire stations, including the one in Hodnet, would not be cost-effective and would unacceptably lengthen response times.
The Advertiser was printed before a meeting of the Shropshire and Wrekin Fire and Rescue Authority’s strategy and resources committee held on Friday, 7th Feb, but the Star states that at the meeting the Chief Fire Officer’s recommendation that four retained stations in Baschurch, Clun, Hodnet and Prees should all be kept operational.  The decision by the committee needs to be finalised later this month by a full meeting of the fire authority. Whilst the crew and local residents can welcome this week’s news, any thoughts of celebrations need to be held back until after the decision is confirmed.
The Star adds that other options for cuts in the future, including the loss of a full-time fire engine from either Shrewsbury or Telford, remain possibilities as the Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service seeks to make further savings in the future.

Early today (31 Jan 2014) Shropshire Council’s Planning Department posted on the planning portal a copy of a letter they have received from The Planning Inspectorate. Dated 28 Jan, the letter informed the Council that:

The hearing arranged for 5 February 2014 has been cancelled because the appellant has withdrawn the appeal.

A PDF of the letter can be downloaded directly from this link.
The second planning application for 44 dwellings on the same plots of land remains in place and has yet to be approved by the Council. See here for more information.

IMPORTANT UPDATE – THE HEARING ANNOUNCED BELOW HAS BEEN CANCELLED.

Please see this post for more details.

In a letter sent out to some local residents on 21st January 2014, Shropshire Council have announced the new date for appeal for the original planning application for the building of 50 dwellings on land off Station Road. Originally arranged for November last year the hearing was postponed at short notice.
The new date is Wednesday 5th February starting at 10.00 am. There is a different venue for the hearing from the postponed session. The new location is Shrewsbury Room, Shirehall, Abbey Foregate, Shrewsbury, SY2 6ND. Anyone wishing to attend the hearing should arrive at least 30 minutes before it is due to start. (Parking near Shirehall is difficult so please allow plenty of time if travelling by car.)
Documentation concerning the appeal is available here on the Planning Department’s website or can be viewed by arrangement with the North-Wem team which is based at Castle View, Oswestry, SY11 1JR (Tel. 01939-237574 or email.)
More information on taking part in planning appeals is available in a “Guide to taking part in planning appeals proceedings” available as a PDF booklet from this page on the Government’s Planning Portal website. Scroll about halfway down the page to the section headed, “Guide to taking part (Planning)” and click on the second item “Hearings”.
This hearing concerns the original application and is running alongside a second planning application for 44 dwellings on the same site submitted after Shropshire Council refused planning permission for the first set of proposals. If this appeal is granted then the developers will be able to build 50 new dwellings as originally intended.

This week Shropshire Newsroom announced a new consultation through which residents are being invited to share their views on Shropshire Council’s budget proposals for the next three years. Some residents have already been involved in the development of the proposals and now the Council is urging others to offer their thoughts on the plans. An online survey is available in the “have-your-say” section of their website. Click here to go directly to the Budget Proposals 2014/15 to 2016/17 survey.
A 25 page summary of the plans is available to download as a PDF document from here. Closing date for participating is Sunday 9 February 2014, so if you are motivated respond you will need to begin reading the summary soon!

Police are trying to trace four shotguns stolen from a gun cabinet during a burglary a home near Market Drayton between 7.10pm and 9.05pm on Friday, 10th January, 2014. (A Neighbourhood Watch update sent out on 14th Jan. gives the location of the property as Kenstone, Hodnet.) An appeal published yesterday on the West Mercia Police’s website states that they have issued details of the firearms in the hope they will be recognised if offered for sale.
Whilst searching through several rooms in the property the thieves discovered two sets of keys to open a gun cabinet and removed four firearms. Details of the shotguns are:

• A Zildiz 20-bore over and under shotgun, serial number 1509;
• A Beretta 12-bore over and under shotgun, serial number P50655B;
• A More and Brown side by side 12-bore shotgun;
• A Baikal 12-bore single barrel shotgun, serial number Y18094;
• Between 50 and 100 12-bore cartridges were also stolen.

Other items taken were a man’s stainless steel Rolex Oyster wristwatch, serial number 1127027; about £100 from a handbag and a quantity of foreign currency including Euros, Singapore and Australian dollars.
Anyone who is offered such firearms for sale in dubious circumstances should contact Shrewsbury police station by calling 101. Alternatively, Information can also be given to the anonymous Crimestoppers charity on 0800 555 111.