The Ludford Question. Should Ludlow Town Council area be extended into Ludford parish to encompass the new developments and existing housing east of the A49 bypass, along with the Foldgate Lane development? The answer is yes from Ludlow Town Council. Ludford Parish Council’s position has not been announced but it is thought that Ludford is supportive providing the historic area of Ludford village and Whitcliffe is retained at Ludford Parish. Shropshire Council’s consultation is now closed. We will know the final position of both councils and other respondents when the results of the consultation is published. The proposals are bound to prove controversial, as it would mean an increase in parish precept for houses transferred from Ludford to Ludlow. However, it is unfair that some residents of Ludlow pay a lower precept just because they live in another parish. A new Sheet Parish will stretch from the A4117 at Rocks […]
Category: Ludford
M&S Food store approved for outskirts of Ludlow
Shropshire Council’s Southern Planning Committee this afternoon approved the application for a foodstore off Sheet Road outside the A49 bypass. There were concerns about the impact the store will have on the town centre. Committee members were more concerned about the safety of pedestrians crossing Sheet Road between the Eco Park bus stops, Ledwyche Rise and the M&S site. There was a motion to delay a decision until the committee had more information on what improvements could be made to the current plans for Sheet Road but that was defeated on a majority vote. The committee went on to approve the application and delegate to officers resolving the issues on Sheet Road.
Planning committee to decide M&S Food application next week
The application for an M&S Food store in opposite the Eco Park will be debated by the Southern Planning Committee on Tuesday 16 January. Planning officers have recommended that the committee approves the application. Twenty people and organisations have supported the application. Ten have opposed it, including Davies Street, the owner of the Sainsbury’s site. Ludford Parish Council has commented on the application requesting more information but it has not objected. It opposes the allocation of the site for development but the decision on that was made a decade ago. The store is expected to employ around 70 people in full and part-time jobs.
Now is time to tackle the Ludford Question – should Ludlow Town Council expand into Ludford parish?
Shropshire Council is consulting on the parish boundary between Ludlow Town Council and Ludford Parish Council. This is the last stage in a series of reviews of local governance. It began with a review of parliamentary boundaries, leading to the creation the new South Shropshire constituency. This was followed by a review of Shropshire Council’s electoral divisions (wards), Now, Shropshire Council wants to review boundaries between five town and parish councils, including Ludlow and Ludford. This is necessary because the market towns have expanded into neighbouring parishes. Some major town developments are now not represented town councils but by parish councils. That means that towns like Ludlow have no overarching governance and outlying developments do not contribute to town services.
Ludlow Retail Health: Will M&S Food kill off Sainsbury’s?
The takeaway from this article is that Sainsbury’s hasn’t taken off in Ludlow. It is only trading at 60% of the company benchmark for that size of store. M&S Food will be a head to head competitor. If M&S opens, Sainsbury’s will lose more trade. If the analysts are correct, it will then be trading at just 55% of the company benchmark. The planning system supports competition. If one supermarket leads to closure of another, that is of no concern to planners. Sainsbury’s might not close but in the current retail environment any business that is not hitting high fives is at risk of shutting its doors permanently. These are tough times in the retail sector. I’ll write on any potential impact of M&S Food on the town centre in future article.