Campaigners fighting plans for homes near an ancient hillfort say they are relieved seven planned sites have not been adopted for housing.

But Hands Off Old Oswestry Hillfort (HOOOH) say they are now urging as many people as possible to comment on plans for 120 homes in the vicinity of the Iron Age monument.

Shropshire Council announced last week that seven patches of land had been put forward to them by landowners for consideration for homes developments.

But the council said it had not agreed to adopt any of the sites for its local development plan up to 2036.

But one development, for 120 homes, has already been adopted in a previous local plan and now campaigners are urging people to voice their opinions.

A spokeswoman for HOOOH said: “Building on the success of the hillfort hug, we welcome the news that Old Oswestry’s setting is safe from development for 17 years and we are delighted that Shropshire Council has now invited us to meet with them.

“But right now, a planning application is underway for 120 houses south east of Old Oswestry Hillfort, the site adopted in the SAMDev plan in 2015.

“We are currently waiting on the developer’s environmental impact assessment and design proposal.”

The proposal for 120 homes is for land off Whittington Road and would be visible from the hillfort.

HOOOH is urging people to leave public comments on Shropshire Council’s planning portal website against the plans.

Announcing the decision not to adopt the seven sites in Oswestry, Shropshire Council’s historic environment manager Andy Wigley, said: “There is one application that was accepted under a previous local plan which is for 120 homes and is in the planning system.

“That was accepted for development as previously reported and we are awaiting the planning application on that.

“But the other seven sites put forward to us for consideration will not be earmarked for housing.

“We would like to make it clear that these were put forward to us for consideration for housing by the people who own the land.

“We asked for that to happen as part of the local plan consultation. That does not mean that we are adopting them straight away and will build housing.

“The landowners came to us and said they would be interesting in developing the land.

“We are not interested in the sites by the hillfort.”