MINUTES OF RICHARDS CASTLE (SHROPSHIRE) PARISH COUNCIL MEETING HELD AT 7.30 PM ON TUESDAY 17 MARCH 2026 AT THE VILLAGE HALL
PRESENT: Cllr. H Salwey (Chairman); Cllr. A Cowell; Cllr. A Hall; Cllr. R Smith and Cllr. E A Wright.
IN ATTENDANCE: Mr S D’Vali, Traffic Executive Director, Shropshire Council; Ward Cllr. V Parry; and R Hewitt, Clerk. Four (4) members of the public were present.
25/81 Apologies – Cllr. V Hawkins (Vice Chairman) and Cllr. D Ayres.
25/82 Declarations of Members Interests and requests for Dispensation – None.
25/83 To approve the Minutes of the previous Meeting(s)
The minutes of the meeting held on 27 January 2026 were approved as a correct record.
25/84 Highway Items/ Amenity Items/ Footpath Items
a) Briefing from Shropshire Highways: Mr S D’Vali, Traffic Executive Director, Shropshire Council kindly provided an overview of strategic transport. It was noted that the role does not cover highway maintenance. Mr D’Vali kindly undertook to ask about the traffic regulation order planned for the B4361 by the county boundary. Plans for the Overton road towards the A49 were discussed.
The Chairman thanked Mr D’Vali for attending the meeting.
[Mr D’Vali left the meeting.]b) Environmental maintenance work 2025-26: The footways in the parish have been cleared. It was agreed to undertake weed treatment in the spring/ early summer.
c) Highway / Amenity and Footpath items: The pothole and poor surface by the entrance to the retail area at Woofferton has been looked at by highways. They have reported that ‘our investigation shows that no further action is required at this time’. This may be because the access road is not considered to be part of the highway network. Two other potholes and a blocked drain on Station Road will be fixed by the highway authority.
25/85 Ward Councillor Report
Ward Cllr. V Parry’s brief verbal report was noted, including potholes on Wheatcommon Lane and Mitnell Lane. Sheet Road in Ludlow is to be partially resurfaced and temporary traffic lights will be used rather than a road closure.
25/86 To invite views and discussion from members of the parish
A member of the public thanked the parish council for clearing the footpaths. Based on their previous experience with parish councils, resilience and community are important qualities.
25/87 Report from Representatives who have attended meetings of other Organisations on behalf of the Parish Council – There were no reports.
25/88 Planning
26/00775/FUL Old Station Yard, Station Road, Woofferton, SY8 4AW – Demolition of existing commercial buildings and erection of 2No replacement buildings, plus parking, yard area and turning for B2 and B8 uses. The planning application was supported.
26/00025/FUL and 26/00026/LBC 17 Overton, Ludlow, SY8 4DY – Erection of attached garden room in place of conservatory, and detached garage in place of shed. The planning application was supported.
26/00156/OUT Proposed Dwelling South Of Overton Grange Farm, Richards Castle – Outline application (all matters reserved) for the erection of one self build dwelling. [The decision was already made by the planning authority at the time of the meeting. It was agreed to make representation to the planning authority on the bus service and access to a footway/ pavement on the nearby B4361.]
Shropshire Council have refused outline planning for 26/00156/OUT Proposed Dwelling South Of Overton Grange Farm. Planning permission is granted for 25/04660/FUL Barn at Mitnell Farm and 26/0003/FUL Sunrise. A certificate of existing lawful use has been made by the planning authority for 25/03817/CPE. A certificate of proposed lawful use has been refused for 26/00017/CPL Sunrise.
25/89 Financial items
a) The following payment was approved: Richards Castle Village Hall, meetings 2025-26 (£89.00). A cheque was raised to transfer funds to the parish council’s new current account (£5,000.00).
25/90 Biodigester vehicle movements
There were no further matters raised. It was agreed to remove the item from future agendas for the time being.
25/91 Annual Parish Meeting
The decision by Richards Castle (Herefordshire) Parish Council to hold a separate annual parish meeting in May 2026 was noted with disappointment. It was agreed to write and ask that the decision is reconsidered for May 2027.
The annual parish meeting was confirmed for the evening of Tuesday 19 May 2026. The annual meeting of the parish council will be held afterwards on the same evening.
25/92 Annual Return 2025-2026
Recommendations and guidance regarding requirements for Annual Governance Statement Assertion 10 were considered.
• .gov.uk email addresses for councillors. DECISION: Deferred.
• Update accessibility statement and Lighthouse accessibility testing. DECISION: The outcome of automated testing is that pages are generally accessible with scores between 97-100 percent. The accessibility statement will be updated.
• Adopt recommended IT policy. DECISION: Adopted.
• Appoint Data Protection Officer. DECISION: The Clerk was appointed.
• Regular training for councillors and staff. DECISION: Noted that training is expected to be available via SALC.
• Summary of Transparency Code requirements / compliance for website: DECISION: To be
implemented.
• Plan to review data protection policy and publication scheme. DECISION: To be
implemented.
25/93 Clerk’s Report
The new parish council current account is open and should receive the 2026-27 precept. A complaint at the lack of progress in implementing the traffic regulation order to reduce the speed limit on the B4361 will not be progressed by Shropshire Council. This is because it is expected that the issue should be resolved ‘through a partnership approach’. An IT matter has been resolved with Shropshire Council to improve access to their planning pages online. The parish council’s response to the consultation on the introduction of a red route clearway order has been submitted.
25/94 Matters raised for next meeting (no discussion) t
There were no matters raised.
25/95 Next Meeting – The annual parish and annual meetings will start from 7.00pm on Tuesday 19 May 2026 at Richards Castle Village Hall.
The meeting closed at 8.40 pm.