Supermarket decision on hold
Thursday 18th March 2010, 5:12PM GMT.
Where Oswestry’s new multi-million pound supermarket should be built remains undecided today after council chiefs deferred all four rival applications.
Plans for stores on the town’s livestock market, the JT Hughes and Guttercrest site, the Richard Burbidge factory land and Oswestry’s Central car park, have all been submitted to Shropshire Council.
Supporters say a new store would create hundreds of jobs, safeguard many others and stop shoppers driving to rival towns.
But a coalition group called Keep Our Town Special launched an anti-store campaign amid fears that another supermarket would destroy Oswestry’s small independent traders.
Members of Shropshire Council’s strategic planning committee met to discuss the applications this afternoon at the Lion Quays Hotel in Gledrid.
But they decided to defer their decision to a later date.
For the full story and reaction see tomorrow’s Shropshire Star
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Why on earth can’t the Planners just take the bull by the horns and make a decision. It is just wasting time and money delaying this decision. There is no question in my eyes, they have to agree to the Burbidge site for this is by far the best one on the table. It will allow the entrance to Oswestry to look tidier and also allow us to come into the 21st Century. We should be allowed the cinema and other new shops or stores. The few who are against this are very narrow minded and are only thinking of themselves. It is what the town needs and the people. Surely the only shops that should be concerned are the other supermarkets in the town. Come on Planners just get on with it!
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Although they have deffered it, their were clauses to that and one was that they looked at reducing the size of the supermarket,and may be split the development up, ie cinema at vw garage.
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How disappointing.
‘keep our town special’ ??? the town is full of charity shops and home bargin shops so what is so special about that??
Why should the ‘keep our town special’ group which represents a minority not the majority ruin the potential for increased employement, increased trade for the town and reversing the fortunes of the area.
The town centre they fight for consists of chartity shops, bargin shops and empty units. The town centre is aleady dead. Investement in Oswestry is required urgently. What future does it hold for our children.
Have you visited newtown, welshpool, and ellesmere recently??.. all have benefited from additional retail and leisure entering their towns.
If there is no futher development in Oswestry then its the final nail in the coffin for Oswestry & its surrounding areas.
Oswestry…the ghost town of shropshire…
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Never mind about the decision, we all know that TESCO will come to oswestry, its just a matter of time.
Can some-one please tell me why they had to make this decision at the LION QUAYS,I thought we were in a RECESSION,obviously NOT Shropshire Council!!!!
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Let’s drop the pretence and admit the fact. All councils are in the pocket of the big supermarkets. There, its been said. It’s not right, it’s not fair, and it’s a danger to our social cohesion and our heritage in the longer run. But there you have it.
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Some posts seem to want to ignore the evidence and bang on about
” a minority are against another supermarket”. Reading the planners report it is clear that a large majority is against. Individuals and self interested parties can choose to ignore this, but let’s remember the facts. If you live in Oswestry and don’t give a hoot for its history, community cohesion, heritage, independent shops, railway future, choose Tesco. I’d rather keep that monster away.
Well done the very wise Shropshire councillors who asked for more time to think before any potentially wrong decision is made.
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“it is clear that a large majority is against” where is this majority then because I can honestly say I don’t know anybody objecting. I live in the College Road area, most people living around here are in favour of the Smithfield site because it is the closest to us. Others favour other sites for other reasons. For most of us now it’s a matter of where it hapens not if. Nearly every parent wants a large cinema in town (not a small single screen one, they don’t offer enough choice) to save their kids the expense of having to spend over an hour traveling from town by bus to our nearest one. A lot of people welcome the extra choice offered by a new supermarket & new shops, remember the people who will use them are already shopping in other supermarkets or even other towns, not the small independant food shops or the market.
As for the 4000 objection letters how many of those were signed copies of the template offered by OS21 in their leaflet campaign. These can easily be multiple submissions from the same people. I received several copies of the leaflet delivered to my house over 3 days (as did all my neighbours) If any of us objected we could have signed each with a different name easily bumping up the numbers. We could also download as many copies as we want from their website.
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RDJones. Don’t think Oswestry is specail? 3 words: move somewhere else.
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oswestry is NOT special its a dump and it desperately needs more investment in new construction and restoration of older buildings too, dont let oaps and green activists hold it in the dark ages, it needs a big supermarket for jobs and to save people money on food shopping so they can then spend it in the little special shops
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“a lot of people would welcome the extra choice offered by another supermarket” and ” remember the people who will use them are already shopping in other supermarkets or even other towns, not the small independant ( sic) or the market “.
Supermarkets don’t offer ‘extra choice’, just more of the same.
If you don’t use small shops or the market, you are not really qualified to say what the majority wants: I see little debate or “chat” in supermarkets, only people in a hurry pushing trolleys.
Have you noticed how many shops, businesses and private houses display the ” Keep our Town Special ” posters? Are you choosing to ignore them or you really don’t ever set foot in the centre of town?
Do you also think that planners and councillors are dumb? All letters, objecting or otherwise, are registered as valid ONLY if the name, address and postcode are verifiable. Same with petitions.
Have a lovely day and if you like good meat, fish and fresh veg: visit the market on wednesday. Travel broadens the mind.
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