THE FATE of a park and ride scheme taking people from a planned new superstore and cinema development in Oswestry into the town centre will be decided this week.

Shropshire Council granted permission for the controversial development on part of the town’s Smithfield Livestock market last year.

A legal condition of the permission was that the complex should include a park and ride scheme and developer Liberty Mercian was told it would have to sign an agreement to provide the shoppers’ bus.

But now confusion over how long developers would have to be responsible for the scheme has led to the council calling a special meeting, due to take place on Thursday in the council chamber at the Castle View offices in Oswestry.

A report from planning officer Tim Rogers said the agreement was to provide a shuttle bus between the site and town centre for 20 years.

He says: “During the process of negotiating the terms of the agreement with the applicants and their agents, it has become apparent that there are different interpretations over the provision of a shuttle bus between the site and the town centre. It is clear that the provision of a shuttle bus was a fundamental part of the decision to approve the scheme.”

Mr Rogers said it would be in no-one’s interest to continue to run a shuttle bus if for whatever reason it was not used by the public.

But he said if it did not operate over the full 20 years, there should be a payment to the council, following a “robust” review to ensure the scheme was not viable.

He said: “This sum would have to be spent by the council to provide other means of sustainable links between the site and town centre.”

Campaigners against the development are expected to protest outside the council offices before the meeting.

The Oswestry 21 group had called for a different venue to accommodate an expected large number of members of the public.

By Sue Austin