A consultation that will help to shape Shropshire Council’s next Local Plan begins today (20 May 2026) and the county’s residents, businesses and other interested parties are being encouraged to take part.
It follow the council’s Cabinet approving the ‘Notice of Intention to Commence Plan Making’ at its meeting on 6 May.
Full details of the consultation, including how to take part and view supporting documents, are available on the Shropshire Council website.
This marks the formal start of an important new chapter in planning for the future of Shropshire and sets out how the council will work with communities, businesses and partners to shape how the county grows and develops in the years ahead.
As part of the consultation a series of drop-in sessions [see list below] are being held across the county, offering people a chance to speak to planning policy officers and find out more.
The Local Plan is Shropshire’s key planning document. It sets out the long-term vision and framework for future development across the county, including where new homes, jobs, infrastructure and other development should be located, and how important natural, historic and community assets will be protected and enhanced.
The new Local Plan will look ahead to 2046 and will also incorporate the Minerals and Waste Plan, ensuring a co-ordinated and sustainable approach to growth, infrastructure and the environment.
The scoping consultation – which runs to 15 July – is an early stage of engagement and does not propose development sites or set out preferred options.
Instead, it seeks views to shape the vision and priorities for the new Local Plan; the key issues and opportunities facing Shropshire; how future development should be planned sustainably; how the council should engage with communities and stakeholders, and the types of evidence that should inform future decisions
Feedback at this stage will help shape later stages of the Local Plan, when options and draft proposals are developed.
David Walker, Shropshire Council’s Cabinet member for planning, said:
“This is the first step in creating a new Local Plan that reflects the needs and ambitions of Shropshire’s communities. We want to hear from people right across the county to help shape a plan that supports sustainable growth, protects our environment and ensures the right development happens in the right places.
“By getting involved at this early stage, residents, businesses, partners and anyone with an interested in the future of Shropshire can play a real role in shaping the future of Shropshire up to 2046.”
All feedback received will be reviewed and used to inform the next stages of Local Plan preparation. Further consultations will follow as the plan progresses.
Further information
The drop-in sessions are:
- Albrighton Library: 16 June, 10am to 12noon
- Bishop’s Castle Library: 18 June, 10am to 12noon
- Broseley Library: 16 June, 2pm to 4pm
- Highley Library: 26 June, 10am to 12 noon
- Ludlow Library: 2 June, 1pm to 3pm
- Market Drayton Festival Drayton Centre: 10 June, 9.30-4pm
- Oswestry Library: 4 June, 10am to 12noon
- Shifnal Library; 12 June, 10am to 12noon
- Shrewsbury Guildhall: 17 June, 2pm to 4pm
- Whitchurch Library: 2 June, 2pm to 4pm
At its meeting on 6 May Cabinet approved:
- Publication of the Notice of Intention to Commence Plan Making
- A new Plan Making Timetable, setting out key stages and milestones
- A Scoping Consultation — the first opportunity for people to help shape the direction of the new Local Plan
- Supporting technical documents explaining how sites may be identified and assessed, and how communities may be considered within a future spatial strategy
