'Our area will not cope with 250 more homes'

People living next to a site earmarked for hundreds of new homes have said the local council is not taking their concerns into account.

The site in Lawley, Telford, has had an outline planning application submitted by Telford and Wrekin Council, with the consultation expiring on 13 February.

Residents said they had "serious concerns" about road safety and the impact it would have on local infrastructure like schools and GPs.

The council said new roads, shops, a GP practice and a school extension had already been built with the aim of supporting the planned extra housing.

Concerns have been raised since August 2024, and locals have said the plans have not been thought through. This most recent consultation was launched in January 2025, as part of the outline planning permission process.

Anthony Iles and Matthew Gabbitas live with their families just metres away from the proposed development site.

Mr Gabbitas said that the previous consultation in July 2024 received "over 280 comments", with more than 80% "objecting for various reasons".

He said his main concern was "safety around the school and the impact it would put on the local road network where we live".

Apart from alterations to plans for car parking, Mr Gabbitas said the council had "made very few changes" following the initial consultation.

He added: "They haven't retained any of the green space that I think a lot of the [objections] talked about, so it's just a real, real shame really that there's going to be no green space for the children in the local area to play in."

Mr Iles said it had become increasingly difficult to get a GP appointment in the area.

He is also concerned that 250 new houses could put pressure on local schools: "I cannot see how the school can expand any further, especially Lawley Primary.

"The pressure on local services will not, in my eyes, cope with a new development of that size."

The development has also drawn attention for its phallic shape visible from a birds-eye view of the plans.

Mr Gabbitas acknowledged that "from some angles it can look a little bit odd", but emphasised that residents' main concerns were "around safety".

"They've taken as much land as they possibly could to try and squeeze on as many houses as they can," he added.

"I can fully understand that houses need to be built, but there are a lot more appropriate areas - and actually this area can't cope with the level of housing they're hoping to put in."

A spokesperson for Telford and Wrekin Council told the BBC the site "was allocated within the previous Local Plan as a phase of the wider Lawley Village development and therefore has a long-standing allocation for residential development."

"To support the development of Lawley Village, of which this is one phase, work has already included new roads, shops, a medical practice and school extension to support the planned growth of Lawley Village and the local population," they added.

The development aims to provide 250 two, three, and four-bedroom homes, with a quarter of them classed as affordable.

The council added that feedback from residents was "being taken into account in respect of the layout of the development".

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