THE owner of Ludlow's Country Kitchen shop says plans to build five town houses in Pepper Lane will force her out of business.

"Ludlow needs quaint back streets and interesting shops to keep tourists coming and bring revenue to the town. Should this development go ahead, I can see my only source of income and the business I have built up over seven years coming to an end," said Mrs Gill Palmer-Gamble.

"The demolition and building work traffic will all have to go past me. I can understand why someone wants to build there, but at what cost?"

Over-intensive

Ludlow Town Council also objects, saying the proposed houses would be "an over-intensive and excessive development".

De Grey's restaurant on Broad Street claims its access would be threatened and construction traffic would block the road for many months. The houses would overwhelm the restaurant garden and cause commercial damage to De Grey's, says the owner Peter Underhill.

The County Archaeologist has told South Shropshire's planning chiefs the site is part of an area of mediaeval burgage plots in existence by the 12th century. The developers have not provided an archaeological evaluation of the site so planning permission should not be given.

Officers have advised the district council to refuse planning permission because no archaeological survey has been done, the scale of the building is unsuitable and would be detrimental to the Ludlow Conservation Area.