The regional development agency Advantage West Midlands is to tidy up the former railway land, which some campaigners have said they want to see kept as a village green.

Contractors Colemans & Company will be removing contaminated material and dangerous debris on the surface of the site in the interest of public safety.

Sarah Bridge, a spokeswoman for AWM, said her organsation, as landowner, had an obligation to clean up the site.

But she added that if the health village got the go-ahead, it would also be a plus if the land was ready.

AWM has owned the five-acre site since 2003 and in June last year received outline planning consent from Oswestry Borough Council to develop a health village on the land, in partnership with Shropshire Primary Care Trust.

The scheme proposes a surgery for up to six GPs, a minor surgeries service, a dental surgery, physiotherapy, chiropody and speech and language therapy services, a health promotions unit, advanced primary care service, and a pharmacy.

A third of the site would be designated as amenity space linking the town centre with Shelf Bank.

The project, however, is currently stalled because of a campaign by a small group of local residents who want the land designated as a village green.

Mark Pearce, partnerships director at AWM, said: “It is important that we get this site cleaned up to take the health village vision closer to reality.”

Paul Shevlin, chief executive of Oswestry Borough Council, added: “At this moment in time AWM can carry on with work without any problems.

“We welcome the decontamination work. This is a classic brownfield site with the result of many years of industrial use which AWM is now seeking to clean up.”

The work is due to take a month. A right of way across the site will then be reopened. Any railway artefacts unearthed on the site will be made available to rail interest organisations, and the redundant platform will be cleaned up and retained.

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