SHROPSHIRE Council says it has extended the window for Shropshire residents to comment on the controversial Shrewsbury North West Relief Road planning application.

With Oswestry Town Council offering up it opposition to the scheme this week, Shropshire Council has acknowledged the application's importance to communities across the county and has extended the consultation period from the statutory 30 days to 56 days.

This is to allow more time for people to consider the proposal and submit their comments.

A Council spokesman said: "Consultation on planning applications can include a range of methods including email, letter and site notices.

"It is typical for the site notice to be displayed on a date following the other methods of notification as part of the planning officers site assessment, so the 56-day date in this case will correspond with the display of the site notices, which is Friday, May 7.

"Planning applications are time sensitive and there are defined periods for determination which can be extended by agreement with the applicant.

"Comments submitted in the consultation period are preferred, as this enables the planning team to identify the key issues to be addressed with the applicant at an early stage in the process.

"Notwithstanding this, any comments received beyond the consultation expiry date and prior to decision will be taken into consideration.

"The determination date for the application has not yet been decided, but is expected later this year.

To date, a significant number of comments have been received.

"These all need to be checked before being loaded onto the portal, and understandably this takes time. They will, however, all be taken into consideration before a decision is made."

To add your comments, head to https://pa.shropshire.gov.uk/online-applications and search 21/00924/EIA