Developers delighted by Oswestry supermarket decision

Developers behind plans to build a supermarket on Oswestry's Smithfield livestock site say they are delighted councillors backed their proposal.

The Smithfield site was selected by Shropshire councillors as the winner of Oswestry's Store Wars after a four-hour debate yesterday. Councillors voted by six to five in favour of the Smithfield site.

The result was despite their own officers recommending that a rival bid by timber firm Richard Burbidge Ltd should be approved.

The Burbidge bid and a joint bid by car firm JT Hughes and guttering firm Guttercrest were both refused planning permission yesterday.

Simon Hoare, planning consultant for Liberty Mercian, the developers behind the Smithfield bid, said the councillors had come to the right decision.

He said: "They saw the benefits the bid will bring to Oswestry. Although our site is further out of town they saw our free shuttle bus and our free five hour park and ride will bring people into the town centre.

"We are very pleased, absolutely delighted.

"This plan will retain the town's livestock market and allow it to be regenerated.

"The market is so important to Oswestry and it supports the local economy.

"The councillors could see that we are able to deliver components which the town needs.

"Those include a five screen, 900-seat cinema, new modern office space, three family restaurants and of course a supermarket.

"These developments will encourage people to stay in Oswestry and not to go elsewhere."

Yesterday's council meeting, which was attended by about 200 people, heard a suggestion that Oswestry could end up with two new supermarkets.

At a previous council meeting a fourth application, by J Ross Developments to build a store on the Central Car Park in Oswestry, was also refused planning permission.

The firm has appealed against that decision and a public inquiry will be held in February.

Keith Nutter, planning consultant for J Ross Developments, told yesterday's meeting his clients were hopeful of success at the public inquiry.

But Mr Hoare said his instincts were that the town would not end up with two new stores.

He said: "I think there may be two planning permissions given but purely for economic reasons, for supply and demand reasons, I would not think a second store would be built.

"I would not think a supermarket operator would want to come to Oswestry if another application had already been given approval."

Yesterday's meeting was told final approval for the Smithfield store would be given as long as it was not called in by the Eric Pickles, Secretary of State for the Department for Communities and Local Government, and various agreements were made between Shropshire Council and Liberty Mercian.

Mr Hoare said that he was "totally confident" all those agreements would be met.

By Iain St John