In 2004, CPRE Shropshire, in conjunction with Shropshire Council, carried out an extensive Landscape Character Survey around the then perimeter of the town of Shrewsbury. 

 

This extensive exercise was carried out because, in 1999, the Inspector at the Local Plan Public Inquiry recommended that the policies relating to Areas of Special Landscape Character should be removed from the Local Council’s Proposals Map (the Local Council then was Shrewsbury.& Atcham District Council). 

 

CPRE considered that this left important areas of landscape around the town unprotected, and exposed to development.  CPRE Shropshire therefore undertook its own Survey resulting in the map shown here (pdf file).  The full 45MB 295-page report can also be downloaded here.

 

The completed survey covered 66 separate parcels of land which were subdivided by the quality and character of their landscape. 

Only 14 of the 66 land parcels surveyed warranted a Category 1 classification.  This was defined as: “Landscape which is outstandingly rich in character. It is generally undeveloped and unaffected by any surrounding development, which, if present, is well screened. In many cases (but not all) these areas are associated with the Severn Valley. Most of these areas include rights of way which are widely used for leisure activities. Development within or adjacent to these areas would be extremely detrimental to the Shropshire landscape as a whole, and to the setting and character of Shrewsbury in particular.”
 

No less than 8 of the 14 Category 1 areas lie in the northwest sector of the town, which is now under threat from the proposed Shrewsbury North West Relief Road.