Plans to redevelop the site of an historic mill in Whitchurch have been rejected by Shropshire council.

The plans that would have seen the Grindley Brook Mill building on Chester Road being redeveloped into an electric vehicle charging hub and three affordable housing units have been shot down by the council's planning committee.

The plans submitted by Mr David Roberts, who runs D.A Roberts fuels, was the company’s attempt “to move with the times and that the “new venture is an extension of his existing line of work to ensure the longevity of the business” as he did not “have the necessary space at his current location”.

In the application it was argued that “to all intents and purposes, the function and purpose of the existing building has long been abandoned.”

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However Shropshire Council, have rejected the plans and said: “The existing Grindley Brook Mill building is a non-designated heritage asset and whilst a Heritage Impact Assessment has been submitted in support of the application, it is considered inadequate in that it does not fully assess the significance of the application building and the contribution the building makes to the overall significance of area Shropshire Union Canal and associated heritage buildings.

“The identified harm is not considered to be outweighed by any public benefits arising from the proposal.”

They added that the “proposed dwellings would result in overlooking and loss of privacy to Mill House and would be contrary to policy CS6 of the Shropshire Core Strategy.

They also said that there had been “no completed Section 106 Agreement in accordance with the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 to secure affordable housing contributions accompanies the application.

“Therefore, the proposal is considered contrary to Policy CS11 of the Shropshire Core Strategy.”