A SPECIAL public meeting takes place in Ludlow this evening to discuss policies for jobs and housing in the area in coming years.

The Ludlow and Clee Local Joint Committee is to hold a special meeting to discuss Shropshire Council’s draft local plan.

This sets out ambitious policies to expand housing and employment across the county.

Ludlow councillor Andy Boddington is chairman of the Local Joint Committee and says that the issues are vital for the future of the town.

“This opportunity to debate our ideas about the future of the county. Shropshire Council’s new plans aim for economic growth and building nearly 1,500 homes a year across the county. Much of this will be in the north and east of the county but we also need to work out what is best for the more rural areas, including Ludlow.

“We need to think hard about Ludlow’s future. The town has suffered from unplanned developments. We need to work out how we can attract more skilled and highly paid jobs, and how we can take advantage of cutting edge digital technologies. We need to plan for the right sort of housing for the young people that we need to drive forward our local economy.”

Peter Nutting, the leader of Shropshire Council, has told Ludlow Town Council that he believes that a key objective for the future has to be to create a situation in which it is possible for more younger people to be able to stay and build their lives in Ludlow and south Shropshire.

He said that this would involve creating better paid and more sustainable jobs instead of the area remaining too dependent upon lower paid and season type work in sectors such as agriculture, tourism and hospitality.

Ludlow has a significantly higher than average proportion of older people compared with the national average and that means added pressure on health and social care.

There is also a shortage of affordable housing in the area for younger people.

The meeting takes place at 6.30pm at the Elim Church at Smithfield car park Shropshire Council planning specialists will be on hand to answer questions from the committee.