Some residents and parents may have recently noticed Rachel and Tom speaking with young people in Highley and asking questions about local activities, services and opportunities. We wanted to take the opportunity to introduce them and explain the important work they are carrying out.
Earlier this year, Highley hosted free activities on the Recreation Ground as part of the Big Listen, giving young people the opportunity to have fun, spend time with friends and share their views about growing up in our community.
Building on that work, and alongside National Youth Week, Rachel and Tom are continuing to speak with young people aged 11-25 across Shropshire to better understand their experiences, aspirations and the challenges they face.
They are asking questions such as:
What do young people enjoy about living in Highley?
Are there enough things to do?
What helps young people feel safe, happy and included?
What could be improved?
The information gathered will help shape future youth services and activities across Shropshire, ensuring that young people's voices are heard and reflected in decisions that affect them.
Highley Parish Council is pleased to support this work and encourages young people to get involved.
If you're aged 11-25, or know a young person who would like to have their say, you can take part in the survey here:
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/ShropshireYouthOffer2026
The more young people who take part, the better the understanding of what matters most to them.
"Every young person has the right to express their views, feelings and wishes in all matters affecting them and to have their views considered and taken seriously." - Article 12, UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.
#NationalYouthWeek #TheBigListen #YouthVoice #Highley #ShropshireYouthOffer

Following the public consultation event held on 22 September 2026 regarding land at Netherton Lane, Highley Parish Council submitted 27 written questions to the developer's consultants, LVA/Boyer, seeking further information on a range of issues raised by residents and councillors. These included the scale of the proposal, traffic and highway impacts, drainage and flooding, local infrastructure capacity, environmental considerations and the consultation process itself.

The Planning Committee has now considered the developer's response.

While the response confirms that a number of technical reports and assessments would accompany any future planning application, many of the questions raised by the Parish Council could not be answered at this stage. The developer advised that key information including the proposed number of homes, site boundary details, transport assessment data, drainage and flood risk information, coal mining assessments and consultation analysis would be provided only if and when a formal planning application is submitted.

Members expressed disappointment that the response did not fully address the questions submitted or the concerns raised by residents during the consultation process. After discussion, the Committee concluded that seeking further clarification at this stage was unlikely to provide any additional meaningful information.

In the interests of transparency, the Parish Council has decided to publish the developer's response in full so that residents can review the information provided and draw their own conclusions.
Key points from the developer's response

- The proposed description of development, site area and number of homes are currently stated as unknown.
- Any future application is likely to be submitted in outline form, with all matters reserved except access.
- Traffic count data, highway assessments, road safety information and access details would be included within a future Transport Assessment.
- The developer proposes a new footway along part of Netherton Lane, although detailed plans have not yet been published.
- Information regarding drainage, sewer capacity, surface water management and flood risk would be contained within a future Flood Risk Assessment and Drainage Strategy.
- A Coal Mining Risk Assessment would accompany any planning application.
- The developer states that consultation results, comments received and responses to consultation questions would be reported within a future Statement of Community Involvement.

For clarity, Highley Parish Council currently has no planning application before it relating to this site and has not taken any decision to support or oppose any future proposal. Should a formal planning application be submitted, residents will have an opportunity to review the submitted documents and provide comments through the statutory planning process.
The developer's full response can be viewed below/downloaded from the link provided.