The JT Hughes scheme
Shropshire planners have failed to decide whether Oswestry should have a new multi-million pound supermarket.
They overwhelmingly rejected the recommendation of officials that the store should be built on the Central Car Park.
Three rival bids remain on the table but a decision on whether any of these can go-ahead has been deferred by the Shropshire Council planning committee until it receives a detailed appraisal of the proposed sites.
Officers had recommended approval of an application by J Ross Developments to build the store on the Central Car Park along with a digital cinema, five retail units with parking for 530 cars,and a long-stay car park in Middleton Road.
The Burbidge plan
It was felt that this proposal, unlike the other three, satisfied what is known as the sequential test – a planning principle that aims to protect the vitality and viability of town centres.
But the committee, by eight votes to two, turned down the application, fearing the development would lead to serious traffic problems and congestion in the town, that it was it was out of scale with what is a conservation area, and that it would have an “unacceptable impact” on the amenities of residents.
Councillor Tudor Bebb (Rea Valley) moved refusal.
The livestock market plan
He said he had yet to see a supermarket that fitted in with a conservation area.
There was also a strong attack on the proposal by Martin Anderson, representing a coalition of objecting groups.
He said: “It attempts to shorehorn a city-sized superstore into Oswestry’s narrow streets, mocking the concept of a conservation area.
“The design is unsympathetic and sub standard.
“It lacks imagination, it lacks insight and would without question blight the townscape it seems to invade.”
He said a smaller store for the site had been rejected in 1995.
The deferred applications are:
- JT Hughes/ Guttercreat, Victoria Road
- Richard Burbidge, Whittington Road (only named operator, Tesco)
- Liberty Mercian, Smithfield site.
For more comment and analysis on the decision, see Friday’s Shropshire Star
Most Commented
- New look of Shrewsbury town centre revealed
- Letter: Nonsense on climate change
- Trapped! Shoppers stuck on car park for hours in snow
- Leader: Council prayer slot now being threatened
- Performance-related pay for Shropshire Council staff
- Leader: Sixty glorious years of much-loved Queen
- Olympic mascots Wenlock and Mandeville snubbed over appearance fees
Shropshire Star on Twitter
Keep updated with the latest breaking news and content on our Twitter feed.
Lifestyle
Interactive Dining Out map
Hundreds of reviews by the Shropshire Star and Express & Star's teams to help you decide where to eat.
Entertainment
All the film reviews
Before you plan a trip to the pictures, get our critics' verdicts on all the latest movie releases.
OUR NEW APP
Get the new Shropshire Star app
Download the Shropshire Star’s new app to your iPad or iPhone to get one week of access to our digital newspapers absolutely FREE.
shropshirestar.com
Popular sections
Useful links
If we must have another supermarket lets have a full one this time we always get what they call a country store. This means that people will still have to go to Shrewsbury or Wrexham to get to get items that our present stores don’t stock.
R.D
Report abuse
Hello
Some of those “so called officials” could`nt make a decision if their lives depended on it
SO ALTHOUGH I LIVE IN OSWESTRY
I SHALL BE DOING ALL MY SHOPPING IN WREXHAM
SORTED!!!!!
Report abuse
Get with it Oz.. What most people look for council fails to deliver. Its time to join the 21st century.Get rid of yiur horse and buggy. For a town to prosper it must embrace change!
Report abuse
Yet more prevarication. These people are supposedly empowered to make decisions- not to put them off again and again and again.
How scared are they of Tesco appealing their decision?
How many of those voting today are actually from Oswestry?
We do not need another supermarket in Oswestry. It is a small market town in the Welsh Borders.
Already serviced with a Sainsburys, an Aldi, a Morrisons and an M&S.
Jesus- there are only so many avocados a man can buy…..Hell’s Teeth- there are only so many recipes that you can use with an avocado……
Report abuse
With oswestry having its new green & park it would make sense to have the developement on Burbridges, which would also enhance the old cambrian buildings and the rails – it would also make the NEW housing less of an eyesore.
Report abuse
at last a hint of common sense oswestry is an
ancient market town and should be treated with
the respect it justly deserves
devlopment i say should reflect the location
and needs of the town and i say those are already satisfied except we do need a cinama
hang on did we not have two who closed for lack of patronage
Report abuse
I agree Ron.
We need a quality supermarket and a cinema.
Report abuse
If the streets in the centre would not take the additional traffic I fail to see how developing Burbidges site with a supermarket AND a petrol station would not clogg up Unicorn Road, Windsor Road Harlech Road Whittington Road and Gobowen Road. I for one would not like to be a resident around there while the building was going on, OR when it was in operation with deliveries perhaps all times of the night.
According to Shropshire Council’s core policies at least 750 homes will be built next to the Os Park development taking the town out to the bypass.
Open your eyes and take a good look at the so called Industrial Estate which has developed into a retail park.
For me the ideal place to build is the Smithfield site. The development will not choke the streets of the town with traffic, will not impact that heavily on residents and will bring other benefits which will boost the local economy.
If you want to live in a one horse town – why not move to one?
Report abuse
oswestry is goin to become a ghost town for older people if the Council do not pass these plans
Report abuse
Right thats me off to the new Tesco’s in Welshpool when its open, will continue to go to Wrexham for the time being. Only use the banks in Oswestry now as there is nothing there anymore.
Report abuse
shock horror, lets have some more consultations and meetings where we can all claim a few more expenses at the local tax payers expense. They couldnt decide on what day of week it is, let alone a modern bit of development that would bring business into the town.
Report abuse
For god’s sake, what the heck is going on? Give us our bloody cinema!! It would take the planners 4 years to decide what toilet paper to buy for the council offices. Now hurry up and approve the Smithfield or the Burbidges one!!
Report abuse
Three cheers for our elected representatives who choose to think and debate the future of our traffic, our economy and quality of life instead then passing a decision just because some people prefer Tesco’s bananas instead then the ones from the existing supermarkets and the many other shops in town. Fortunately,these men and women in the Planning committee, made a decision about the whole of the community rather then the individual me me mes who keep pressing them to ” get on with it”. Thank you Councillors for your time and effort.A victory for common sense.
Report abuse
A little research and a look at the bigger picture will reveal many hidden truths about why supermarkets are destroying our communities, our local environments and how they are leaving a wake of destruction and misery right around the globe.
It`s time to stop being lazy and only thinking about the `convenience factor ` of supermarkets and to resist the lure of cheap poor quality goods.
I`m increasingly worried about the effects supermarkets are having on our local communities and the planet. I hope to convince people that the convenience of having everything in one shop is BAD and I want to gain support in the Wrexham area (via this FB group, Boycott the Supermarket Dot Com (Wrexham)) to put pressure on our local council to reduce rates and encourage the opening of new smaller shops such as Bakers, Grocers, Butchers, Fishmongers, Newsagents, Opticians, DIY stores, Book shops, Deli`s and many more. These shops are good for the community, the environment and the future of our planet.
I will be providing info as to where some of these shops already exist and will need some help from members of this group to keep us informed about these shops. I will also be providing evidence as to why supermarkets are bad and the smaller shops are good.
Supermarkets, annually, make billions of pounds profit. But how much of that profit is put back into our communities to repair the damage they have done? Not a single penny.
Sure, they provide jobs, but how many small shops have been FORCED to close down due to high rates and fierce, ruthless competition from the might of the supermarket?
Town planners and councillors need to also start looking at the bigger picture. THEY need to be the ones who take the time and responsibility in ensuring that our needs are addressed. They need to start to focus on the people they represent and not on the short term £££££££££££££££££.
If anyone reading this thinks supermarkets are a good thing, then you have not done your research. Check out my Facebook page to give yourself a kick start.
Report abuse
It’s about time Oswestry planners thought about their existing business’s who have supported the town for years instead of being pressurised to offer the town another supermarket.
Tesco’s have recently opened and about to open stores in Llandindod Wells, Llanidloes, Newtown, Welshpool and Ellesmere – are they after complete domination!!
Report abuse