Of the 4 sites to be decided the JT Hughes site next to the cemetary would be just impossible – and brings no other benefit. The Pickstock proposal for the central car park would steralise the centre of the town for up to 2 years and that WOULD kill it stone dead.

The 2 sites in contention have to be Burbridges – which would create some pretty bad traffic problems in the area, and I am not convinced that people would walk or cycle from there into the town centre.

If we are talking economics here – how much does the Smithfield put into the local economy in bringing people to Oswestry to shop ?

It’s not out of town – look at the Penda Park and all the retail done on the so called industrial estate. AND we have a new hotel just a few yards down the road, a new leisure centre opposite and all the 3000 extra housing going into that area over the next few years too – look at the Shropshire Council budget fine print which says that they may even have to build a new primary school in Oswestry to cope with all the extra young people.

The Smithfield is also the only one which would give office accommodation AND a state of the art dentists as well as the cinema.

I hope they vote for the Smithfield!

Report abuse

I am always concerned, and a little suspicious about “Name and address supplied” letters, especially in this case. No one is under personal threat in this debate and the subject is not one that demands personal privacy. So the suspicion arises that the writer has a direct personal interest in the Burbage outcome, a member of staff, management or even Tesco. We have no way of knowing without knowing the writer’s name. Why was it withheld?

Report abuse

Unlike the authour of the letter, ‘the small and vocal minority’ mentioned are prepared to reveal who they are and where they live. As for small and vocal lets lay down some clear facts:
* over 99% of the letters recieved by Shropshire Council object to the proposed supermarket development.
* the only truested independent survey, conducted by Skillsmart for AWM, of the level of desire for a new supermarket was overwhelmingly negative. 78% of respondents said Oswestry did not need another one.

As for the suppporting comments above most are just plain comical. Not one gives their name and most make idiotic claims to support the supermarket, e.g.’a state of the art dentist’. now that would put Oswestry on the map.

Report abuse

Mr Rainey should perhaps declare himself as Chair of the Oswestry Civic Society – as for the survey that showed 78% of people were against the supermarket I was told that only 100 people were actually asked – some survey.

And for letters – well you can always get people to write and sign petitions AGAINST anything – its harder to get them to be FOR anything.

In fact if neighbours and residents were asked to approve development I doubt if any planning application – from a supermarket to a conservatory extension next door would ever be approved.

In fact if the cattlemarket was still being held in the centre of the town and there was a proposal to move it to the current site, no doubt the same set of people would be objecting on the grounds that it would be the death of the town. Just as they argued at the time Sainsbury wanted permission to come to town.

Report abuse

I think it odd that virtually every comment posted in some way refers directly to another respondent, rather than clearly statng a personal point of view on the subject!
Oswestry needs a modern inviting gateway.. it has become a town, and local council, full of dreary stick in the muds in the main.. too frightened to encompass change. The Smithfield would be a fantastic site.. not for yet another supermarket, but for larger high street stores, electrical retailers, cinema etc, and a re vamped and modern cattle auction to rival Shrewsbury or Ruthin.
The centre of town will remain an eclectic mix of fab independant shops… and thrive if the locals can do all their business here rather than driving to Shrewsbury or even worse.. Wrexham!.
Maybe there should be less wheeling and dealing at the higher levels, and more notice taken of what the whole town and its neighbouring villagers want, not the opinions of a carefully polled few with fingers in the proverbial pies.

Report abuse

” I am increasingly concerned that a small, but highly vocal group of unelected, self-interested people will be representing the town.”
It does seem to me that the ELECTED people are not interested in listen to anyone.
So how do you suggest the ”people” of this town voice their opinion.

Report abuse

i think a super market would be a good idea,and the one thing we need is jobs in oswestry.also a cinima as we have to travel to wrexham or shrewsbury it give the kids somewhere to go on a saturday as there nowt for teens in oswestry,no wonder so many are bored with nowt to do.

Report abuse

” nowt for teens in Oswestry, no wonder so many are bored with nowt to do”
Kingswell Centre, Youth Cafe, Centre North West, East Oswestry Youth Project, Scouts Hut, youth footie clubs and Marches School evening activities. Also Cae Glas Park on a sunny day, the Library, The Qube Gallery, volunteering with the Cambrian Railway, BMX in Morda,and so on…There is actually quite a lot for teens in Oswestry. More than there was for the lost teens we used to see every time we went to the multiscreen cinema in Wrexham. Few kids huddled together in an otherwise empty auditorium, having paid lots for tickets and a bit of popcorn and then waiting for parents to taxi them back home. We want a good cinema IN TOWN, not a multiscreen out of town. Stop using kids as an excuse to build more supermarkets. Kids want a cinema but not at any cost.

Report abuse

however many supermarkets there are—they are
allways full even if they are side-by side
but i think that they are now becoming expensive
spent £50 the other week and got”nowt” and there is only 2 of us it is just —lazy convenience
for us as well as no-other choice in my little town as there was even before tesco came

Report abuse