Rural Parish Council

Trefonen Ward – HNS May 2018

Question 1 What type of accommodation do you currently occupy?

Shared ownership

Question 3 If you need alternative tenure, what would it be?

Sheltered Conversion

Question 6 If there were to be new housing – what type of housing would be appropriate? Responses to ‘Other’

If necessary, affordable housing as defined to date by Council Truly affordable 2 bedroom bungalows so older couples or singles can moveout of big homes but stay in the community None needed NB with a local tie Shared Ownership Mixture to buy and rent Individual in fill / agricultural workers dwelling Truly 'affordable', local needs, agricultural Shared ownership There would be no appropriate new housing Retirement size Council housing needed. What is affordable housing? Sheltered accommodation Starter homes (for local people) Public rented There needs to be a mix of all.

Clerk: Carole Warner Orchard Cottage Rowe Lane Welshampton Ellesmere, SY12 0QB Tel. 01948 710672 email: [email protected] www.oswestryrural-pc.gov.uk Question 7 What size of housing might be appropriate Responses to ‘Other’

Starter units but well designed 2/3 bedroom Mixed Mixed 3 bed and 1/2 bungalow 2/3 bedrooms A mix of all types 2/3

Question 10 Are you aware of any empty dwellings in your Ward which could be brought back into use? Where?

Chapel Lane Chapel Lane Chapel Lane Several lovely detached 3+ bedroom homes are always on the market on any time. We really don't need any more of them. Especially if they become the vast majority of a green field new development approved as mostly affordable homes like Galliers Estate built behind the village pub Chapel Lane Chapel Lane Chapel lane Chapel Lane Chapel Lane Chapel Lane Chapel Lane Chapel Lane Chapel Lane Chapel Lane Chapel Lane Chapel Lane Chapel Lane Chapel Lane Chapel Land Chapel Lane Chapel Lane Chapel Lane and new build started alongside Chapel Lane Chapel Lane Chapel Lane Chapel Lane Chapel Lane Plots of land in and Trefonen available Chapel Lane Chapel Lane Chapel Lane Empty detached property on Chapel Lane Trefonen is falling down, could be a family home! Chapel Lane Chapel Lane (site for a terrace of 3 dwellings) Chapel Lane Chapel Lane Chapel Lane Chapel Lane Chapel Lane Trefonen Chapel Lane, empty, derelict could be restored.

Question 13 What do you consider to be a major obstacle to buying a home in the Parish?

None for open market has properties coming up regularly. Some affordable housing many be required if infrastructure can support Cost Availability / cost Getting the monies to buy No starter homes and no jobs No obstacle that we are aware of Money Too expensive for 1st time buyers. Lack of availability Affordability Price affordability of family size homes. Threat of development which will alter the village feel Too expensive Availability Cost In fill in Trefonen too overcrowded! Cost Very few for sale People generally stay so moving to another property in ward is difficult Cost and too many 'mansions' None People should save more to put a deposit Cost Too many large expensive properties. Not enough smaller properties Too expensive for younger people. Not suitable for older people Not enough land to build and first time buyers Houses too dear Lack of infrastructure, no doctors/mobile library/ basic shop and PO. No work in the area. Very poor public transport. Lots of properties come onto the market every year Cost No opinion The cost. Mostly large houses only outsiders can afford Price lack of employment in locality Lack of property Housing too large and overpriced Affordability and public transport Expensive Availability services and affordability Footpath to post office/shop Cost For younger people the cost Too expensive owing to low pay in market towns None appropriate in area Availability and cost too much high value housing Affordable houses Cost and availability Lack of employment and frequent public transport Obtaining financial funds to buy a home Lack of affordable starter homes Low income Trefonen has not got the facilities for more housing Cost Don't know that there are any obstacles Outsiders with higher wages out pricing local youngsters Transport for young families Not many properties available Lack of well paid work The price of existing housing and availability Lack of infrastructure and employment Huge deposit required for mortgage Narrow lanes for access problematic at present time without more building taking place. I don't think a major obstacle exists Price None affordable for first time buyers Variety of housing tenure and housing suitable for elderly There are not enough on the market Price and availability for young people very popular area, resulting in little movement and high prices Lack of employment opportunities little public transport None really Not enough affordable housing Sorry - don't know Lack of supply particularly for young families. Lack of new build homes of a considerable size and current property owners objections. Price Coat of houses for young families Affordability - I cannot stay in Trefonen as a first time buyer, there's nothing I could afford. Not enough affordable housing None - market demand Lack of available land with P/Permission There is not one. Trefonen has an excellent range of housing. We have tons of 3, 4, 5+ bedroom properties available which take ages to sell but few bungalows and no 1 -2 bed starter homes. Being afraid of change - growth is good Price / Council Tax Lack of 'affordable' housing, too many high cost houses. N/A but suspect this would be affordability for new buyers High cost for young families Availability Unaffordable for young people Cost of properties – that’s ok for us Lack of employment opportunities Lack of facilities, amenities and work opportunities Possibly, a lack of suitable properties available

Question 14 If you any other comments, please make them here:

Affordable housing as defined to date by Shropshire Council and taking into account Village Plan. Hub not suitable, no opportunity for employment and no public transport at peak times. If hub, all the more necessary to take into account Village Plan so people in the village can have some input In fill between existing hosing - where appropriate only. Protecting the character of the parish/ward Any spare land should be considered for development. Trefonen has many elderly people and new blood needs to be brought into the village to maintain facilities Trefonen should remain a rural community Trefonen should not be a hub. Several facilities were scandalously double counted. We have no employment or likelihood of any developing. We have severely over stretched infrastructure eg very narrow and dangerous lanes with blind junctions and no passing places plus satnav errors so already dozens of delivery vans get stuck in green lanes. No gas. Overstretched drainage and sewage. Very poor broadband. One little shop. One pub with limited openings. No regular library. A ridiculous bus service, in 10 years here I have managed to use a bus so what will I do when I can no longer drive? Busy lanes with very dangerous pinch points on all routes to the village. This really is not a context for significant further development. Trefonen is rapidly becoming a village of sen citzs many of whom object to providing homes for young families. What abut the future of the school? At the moment we have all the elements to be classed as a hub without new blood. what of the future of the shop and pub. As for employment - Oswestry just a stones throw away is planning for a large industrial development. Now is the time to take action to prepare for the future of the village. I am not opposed to more housing but do worry about large estate type development There are no affordable houses and bungalows for local people. Planning in the area must be consistent and sensible not as it has been in the past. There are no facilities in the area. No shop etc so the type of building has to be appropriate and consistent with the land available within the current development area Infrastructure ie improved provision of public transport We need affordable or council houses to rent A lot of people are against any type of development mostly those who have moved to Trefonen in recent years. If it is left to them the village will die. Many years ago when ready to buy a property both my children now in their 40's were unable to afford a Trefonen property or were gazumped! When trying to buy a first property now both settled. There is a need for rental and purchased properties to have a 'local tie'. In consequence of no local tie 'villagers' are ousted by purchasers from far away looking for retirement homes. STAR Housing and Housing Assoc do not give any priority to villagers New builds should only be for local needs not for commuters I attended school in this village to keep on building houses on every bit of green land is spoiling the character of this pleasant country village. Too much building too many people is not beneficial to the whole country we are living in Planning permission needs to sympathetic to the local aesthics Any development should reach the highest standards for sustainability and design As 13 Smaller properties suitable for young families and bungalows so that the elderly can down size and still stay in the village which has very good amenities. PS good logical questions on the questionnaire well done Development should not mean just building house. Alongside that should be improved infrastructure, facilities, communications and transport. If Trefonen is to be a hub it needs all of the above not just more houses. Trefonen has little to offer for families and the lack of transport and doctors or chemists hinder older people without a car you are useless. This increases the road usage - the main road to Oswestry is like a patchwork quilt with potholes etc. When are we going to stop plastering Britain with endless "development" - a euphemisen of ruining and urbanising village communities which there loose identity and community, not to mention another three car journeys for every house built. When I was young Oswestry was a nice market town, nearly as Welsh as it was English. Now look at it. Please save Trefonen and Treflach from developers. Before there are further developments in Trefonen I feel the infrastructure should be looked at. What about school places? Poor broadband signal, poor mobile hone signal and will the lanes support more building works? Both the transport for the builders and the new home owners could make severe repercussions due ot the width of the lanes. Very sparse bus service Folk buy bungalows then turn them into huge houses. Why not refuse planning permission for 5 years when this happens. The nature of local housing market means that no houses in Trefonen/Treflach of whatever size will be affordable to young people. Look at recent prices of v.small properties There seems to be no long term strategy for planning: lots of houses in - no new / improved infrastructure. The county council wants more houses than necessary in order to increase council tax receipts, surely a false logic. Won't that money be required to facilitate services to those properties? (Answer: no see point 2!) More importance should be put on architecture and not numbers. If the shop, pub and school are to be viable Trefonen needs development. At present my part of Trefonen is occupied by people over 70. This is not good for the village. Hopefully housing should occupy vacant land and NOT on green belt. Suggest field opposite the church. If you were to build I would move. I rent a house here for the small village community and peace. More houses would take that away Protect greenfield sites, Offa's Dyke and important wildlife habitats. Preserve ethos of the villages Cheaper housing for young people to enable them to live locally should be a priority. Also use of existing buildings and sites should be used first. Only build if services are sufficient. Develop slowly Before new houses are put up people need good jobs to justify them Trefonen is a small historic village and should not be a hub. We want to downsize and build but no land available in Trefonen Trefonen should not be designated a hub - by the definitions provided by Shropshire County Council, it should retain the status of 'countryside' Trefonen should be left as a rural community Increasing housing development is not appropriate when the roads to and from Oswestry are inadequate for increasing traffic and are deteriorating through the lack of maintenance with the present volume of traffic With Trefonen being such a beautiful historic village. Any building should be unobtrusive and in keeping I feel new estates would rob the village of its unique character. The school is full there is only a village shop. Trefonen should never have been considered as a hub. New builds should be limited to preserve character We certainly don't want the relatively narrow roads trying to cope with more heavy traffic by the Council giving permission to turn Nantmawr Quarry into a lorry park for Cadwalladers More houses = more traffic. Rod by Coed y Go dangerous consider one way, it would not cause a problem as the road by Trefarclawdd runs parallel 100% affordable rural exceptions for local needs NOT open market 100% developments. affordable must integrate into existing settlements rural not urban and spread across whole ward There are lots of large plots in the village. I think consideration should first be given to existing residents to build additional housing on their current plots before large scale developments by development companies. This would be more sympathetic to the current village make up and less impersonal than large developments, enabling the character of the village to be maintained. It would also minimise the affects on the local rural landscape within which the village is situated Parking requirement of new housing to be built. Retaining the character of the village! Consideration to vehicle congestion on narrow lanes. Some ethics! Consideration to how people like to live!! Trefonen desperately needs more housing we are a family of 4 living in a 4 bedroom house. I know of numerous local families that have moved away due to the lack of housing available. The school will not be open much longer if housing for young families is built. Trefonen is a village of mainly single track roads, forcing cars to se the splay of drives (private property) to enable passing. If development is forced onto the village, it should be near to the main Oswestry/Trefonen road not at the top of the village. Affordable housing should not be built adjoining higher market value properties with large plot footprints. Any new dwellings should blend in with village (Trefonen) eg stone cladding/low walls, cottage style etc with character. Leave trees, no hedge felling Re-develop brown sites in towns and cities. Re-juvenate old buildings in towns and cities. Leave the countryside for the birds, animals, wildflowers etc Trefonen if assessed properly should not be classified as a community hub. The attraction of Trefonen is its present size as a quaint picturesque village. We do not want a sprawling rural development. Size is everything. We need a mix of all housing needed eg affordable / rentable / retirement / first time Only the land behind the playing heritage field leading to the Morda Road turning is suitable for any development. The development would need to be well set back and shielded by hedges and trees with an entrance near the playing field. 15 approx. affordable houses and possibly a limited smallscale industrial unit could be built. The site would not detract from the essential historic hill site of Trefonen, in contrast to nay development built on the Barley Mow side of the village. Control required for holiday homes, sheltered housing for older downsizing to free bigger properties. Smaller development must not be lumbered with CIL and affordable hss contribution as in past (significant self build obstruction). Trefonen and Treflach need clear separation as existing. Young people who are born or live in the area cannot afford to stay in the village. Too many people who aren't local buy the properties that do become available. The lanes in Trefonen are very narrow and we do not want more traffic. I have concerns about the viability of Trefonen School. The village seems to attract predominately older incomers who have no interest in the school and indeed see it preservation by the building of any new homes as against their interests. Trefonen is a rural settlement due to this issue of double-counting in the assessment of the services in Trefonen it has mistakenly been classed as a hub. This should be redressed. All build should be in keeping with the character of the villages. No estates of executive detached houses. 3 bedroom house affordable for young families needed. In-fill preferred A small development of starter homes would be beneficial (1 and 2 beds) otherwise the youth of the village will be forced to move out and the village will consist of mainly older generation. We need to keep Trefonen a family village to keep the school and nursery active and keep it a thriving village. Resist strongly moving away from countryside status. With the possibility of 600 new homes on the edge of Oswestry I don't think we need to make villages any bigger and put further strain on doctors, dentist schools etc. NDPs for Trefonen and Morda will further strengthen the non elected grip on village development policy. Let planners plan. New housing should not be allowed in groups of more than 4. A pair of semis, individual properties, 2-3 in a terrace etc. would keep the character of the village. We stand by the 2016 Village Design Statement Policies and Proposals. Trefonen has been miscalculated due to significant double counting eg library and community amenities. Developers want to build on water meadow and sites of historic importance. Our infrastructure (road width, drainage, lack of gas, very poor broadband etc) would make significant development untenable. All routes into the village have dangerous pinch points and we have absolutely no employment opportunities. Oswestry Business Park provides many job opportunities. The current pedestrian cycle links between Morda and the business park is not adequate. It is dangerous to walk this route along Weston Pools in addition the creation of leisure facilities at Stonehouse Brewery and Weston Pools further adds to the demands. Consideration must be given to adequate footpath arrangements As Minister Javid has expressed "The right homes at the right price in the right places." We will need affordable housing but developed in keeping with existing village character. Please - no estates providing executive detached houses over £300,000. 3 bed houses affordable for young families. Infill preferred options. All built to be in keeping with the character of the villages Any development in Trefonen should be small and affordable. It should also be built in the appropriate place and not on open ground opposite the village church as proposed by the landowner. The green space and vista on entering the village would be totally compromised and spoilt by such a development. The other proposal close to Offas Dyke is also not acceptable. There is one area I consider to be suitable which would have little impact visually and logistically providing entrance exit etc and that is to the left of the pit mound. Build in Oswestry - infrastructure reasons Inadequate bus service makes Trefonen unsuitable for potential affordable home dwellers. Infrastructure inadequate, essentially access to Oswestry is limited to single lane for significant distances. Development must be sensitive to heritage. Trefonen is a 'village'. The roads are too narrow to allow more traffic. The school is already over subscribed. Only 1 shop to cope with needs. Oswestry does not provide job opportunities.