Local Plan withdrawn July 2025

The Shropshire Local Plan 2016-38 was in the process of being examined by Planning Inspectors, but due to soundness concerns the Plan was ultimately withdrawn by Shropshire Council in July 2025. For more detail, refer to PDF ID48 Letter from Inspectors' recommending withdrawal of the Local plan 2016-38. Shropshire Council is now working on a new Local Plan for the period 2025-45. 

The Parish Council has a Local Plan Review Committee for dealing specifically with matters relating to the Local Plan. View Terms of Reference for the Local Plan Review Committee.

This webpage will share some of the background info on the draft 2016-38 Local Plan Review and how it, and its eventual withdrawal, impacts Clive Parish. It will include links to Shropshire Council information, and PDFs of key background documents that you can view and download.

Note on accessibility

Please note that externally prepared documents i.e. from Shropshire Council or the Planning Inspectors, and documents prepared during or before 2020, may not be fully accessible. Please contact the Parish Council if you are having difficulties accessing any of the information.

What the withdrawal of the Local Plan 2016-38 means 

On the one hand, it was positive that Planning Inspectors felt the 2016-38 draft Local Plan was unsound, as this echoes the Parish Council's own views. However, Shropshire Council cannot now demonstrate they have the required five year land supply of housing. Combined with higher house-building targets from central government, this means that many settlements are now vulnerable to 'speculative' planning applications from developers, as we are seeing in Clive and throughout Shropshire. Visit our 'Development Proposals in Clive' webpage for more information.

In the absence of a more up to date Local Plan, the current adopted Development Plan in Shropshire is made up of the following:

• SAMDev Local Plan (2015, PDF), accessible on the Shropshire Council website 
• Shropshire Council Core Strategy (2011, PDF), also accessible from the Shropshire Council website, and
• any 'made' (adopted) Neighbourhood Plans in the county.

Shropshire Council issued a Planning Guidance briefing note in October 2025 to explain how planning decisions are to be made in the absence of a more up to date plan. This stated that the evidence base prepared for the now withdrawn Local Plan could be given weight in planning decisions, despite the unsoundness of the draft Local Plan. 

Clive Parish Council continues to work closely with Clive Matters (a local community group), and Shropshire Cllr Alison Williams to object against unsuitable and unsustainable development in Clive. 

What the draft Local Plan 2016-2038 (now withdrawn) proposed for Clive

Under the now withdrawn Local Plan 2016-38, Clive parish was originally proposed to be a Community Hub rather than Open Countryside. This means that Shropshire Council believed Clive had sufficient amenities, services, and facilities to support further development, and proposed the following:

• Preferred development sites: CLV012 and CLV018 on the eastern side of the parish.
• Housing allocation: approx. 30 dwellings (20 houses across CLV012 and CLV018, remainder windfall).
• Development boundary encompassing sites CLV012 and CLV018 (but excluding site CLV010 - Sansaw owned site south of Station Road)

Clive's points assessment and Community Hub designation were both repeatedly and strongly contested by Clive Parish Council; they were based on numerous inaccuracies and out of date information, namely the continued inclusion of the village shop and bowling green. The Parish Council's responses to the various examination and consultation stages of the 2016-38 Local Plan are linked within the timeline below and at the bottom of this webpage.

Timeline of key events affecting Clive

• 25 July 2025 - draft Local Plan officially withdrawn from examination
• May 2025 - Closure of Trefonen Post Offce and mobile outreach service in Clive announced
• March 2025 - Inspectors recommended withdrawal of draft Local Plan as they felt the necessary work couldn't be completed within 6 months - refer to Letter ID48 Inspectors' recommendation to withdraw Local plan 2016-38
• Jan 2025 - Inspectors raise concerns about the Plan and ask for a project plan to address shortcomings - refer to letter ID47 Inspectors' findings following stage 2 hearing sessions
• 29 Oct 2024 - Stage 2 hearings halted and remaining sessions cancelled by Inspectors due to soundness concerns
• Sept 2024 - Clive Parish Council Stage 2 hearing statement is submitted and representatives are due to attend hearings
• July 2022 - Clive Parish Council representatives attend Stage 1 hearings
• May 2022 - Clive Parish Council Stage 1 hearing statement submitted contesting Clive's Community hub designation, development site allocations, housing allocation and Hierarchy of Settlements score
• Jan 2022 - Clive Parish Council engages Planning consultant (Andrea Pellegram Ltd) to advise and assist in preparing Stage 1 hearing statement
• 3 Sept 2021 - Shropshire Council submits draft Local Plan 2016-38 for examination
• July 2021 - Shropshire Council agrees to submit draft Local Plan to Planning Inspectorate for examination, with no changes made re. Clive's proposed Community Hub designation, housing allocation, etc. Clive PC calls an extra ordinary meeting and takes advice from SALC on next steps.
• 18 Dec 2020 - 26 Feb 2021 - Regulation-19 Pre-Submission Draft Local Plan consultation. Clive PC submitted consultation responses 19 Feb 2021 (see PDF links below), requesting major modifications to the draft Local Plan and asking to participate in Inspector hearings:
• Clive Parish Council full Reg-19 consultation response to policy S17 (Qs 4 - 7).
• Clive Parish Council full Reg-19 consultation response to policy SP2 (Q4 - 7)
• Clive Parish Council full Reg-19 consultation response to policy SP8 (Q4 - 7)
• 7 Dec 2020 Shropshire Council cabinet meeting - Clive PC question submitted 3 Dec 2020. Refer to SC response to public questions (question 5, p. 3-5), SC cabinet meeting 07.12.2020.
• 16 Oct 2020 - Village shop officially closed
• Sept 2020 - Clive PC response to Regulation 18 consultation submitted. Response took into account findings from both surveys and mentioned forthcoming shop closure and change in Hierarchy of Settlements score for Clive.
• 24 Sept 2020 - Extra Ordinary PC meeting to consider independent survey findings re. Local plan proposals. Planned closure of village shop announced.
• 3 Aug - 30 Sept 2020 - Regulation 18 consultation. Clive PC undertakes community engagement to inform residents and seek views on preferred sites proposals and potential community benefits.
• 24 May 2018 - Wrekin Housing Trust gives notice to Clive Bowling Club of Clive Hall change of ownership. Bowling Green to revert to private usage.