Plans for the second housing development to be built by Shropshire Council’s own housing company have been submitted for approval as proposals for a third site are finalised.

The plans for 40 homes at Ifton Heath in St Martin's have now been submitted, in the hope that work could begin in early 2021.

It is the second development to be put forward by Cornovii – after a former care home in Monkmoor, Shrewsbury – and comes as the company prepares to submit plans for a third, at Ellesmere Wharf.

The company, which launched last year after the council agreed a £14 million loan to get it started, hopes to develop up to 50 sites across Shropshire in a bid to address the county’s housing shortage.

Harpreet Rayet, the council’s director of development, told the housing supervisory board that it was hoped work could start on site in early 2021.

Mr Rayet said: “The planning application has now been submitted, we have completed all our surveys.

“The site, in terms of its density, is in line with that we would hope within a rural area which is below 30 homes per hectare.

“There is a mix of two, three and four-bedroom houses with some bungalows.

“We have also incorporated some of the existing green space for areas of the site that are quite difficult to develop because of their topography.

“We are hoping, based on our initial conversations with the planners on the layout, that we have proposed will get a positive response.”

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Mr Rayet added: “To date we have had some really positive feedback from the planners and there is just a few technical issues we are working with them to resolve in terms of the planning application.

“Generally they are very happy with our urban design principles and also the density and the proposed designs as well, and the feedback from the local community has also been very strong.

“There have been questions about when we start on site – things around traffic management and the way in which the houses will be built – and we are hoping to hold further consultation events following the completion and hopefully acceptance of the planning application.”

Initial plans for the third site, Ellesmere Wharf, have also been revealed and Mr Rayet said work was ongoing to finalise the design of the scheme with a number of constraints including a culvert running under part of the site and land contamination.

Current plans indicate the development will include 18 houses and six bungalows, in a move away from the council’s earlier ambitions for a block of 60 apartments.