Persimmon starts work on North Shropshire housing scheme

Construction is under way on 100 homes in the town of Wem, around 10 miles north of Shrewsbury.

Persimmon Homes is now on site at Eckford Vale, a 15-acre plot off Lowe Hill Road in the west of Wem, which it purchased in September last year from promoter Northern Trust.

Outline plans for the site were first put forward in 2020, in an application which was initially rejected by Shropshire Council.

The authority said that despite the site being allocated in its “SAMDEV” local development plan, part of it lay outside of the allocated site. However the development was approved on appeal two years later, after the Planning Inspectorate decided that the site was suitable for development – despite being partially in open countryside.

Persimmon snapped up the site last year from promoter, Northern Trust. Credit: Persimmon

The scheme then received reserved matters planning permission from Shropshire Council in August, despite objections from the town and parish council over access.

The development will feature a new children’s play area and more than six acres of public open space, creating attractive green spaces for residents and the wider community to enjoy.

Persimmon Homes will also fund the construction of a new mini roundabout at the junction of Lowe Hill Road and B5063, to replace the current junction, and contribute to the ecological conservation of the nearby Cole Mere Ramsar Site.

Lee Perry, Technical Director at Persimmon Homes West Midlands, said: “We are delighted to have broken ground on this exciting new development in Wem.

“As construction gets underway, we are looking forward to creating a high-quality neighbourhood that will provide energy-efficient homes for local people, alongside significant investment in local infrastructure, green space and community facilities.”